When You’re Asked To Do the Impossible
7 steps we can take when we’re faced with an impossible task.
1. Remain calm
Daniel’s life is on the line here, but he doesn’t panic. He stays calm. Daniel 2:14 says, “Then Daniel responded with tact and discretion to Arioch, the captain of the king’s guard, who had gone out to execute the wise men of Babylon.” Now remember, Daniel is still just a teenager here. A guy shows up to kill him, and Daniel, a teenager, handles the situation with tact and discretion.
Let me ask you this: What giant problem in your life is staring you down? A job opportunity? Your finances? Your health? Your marriage? Your future? Your dreams? And how are you responding? Are you panicked with fear, or are you handling it with tact and discretion? Whatever it is, remember that God knows the future. Stay calm and trust him. Remember our theme verse for this series, Proverbs 3:5-6. “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; in all your ways know him, and he will make your paths straight.” As difficult as your situation might be, remain calm and trust God to direct your path.
2. Seek understanding
Look what Daniel does next. Daniel 2:15 says, “He asked Arioch, the king’s officer, ‘Why is the decree from the king so harsh?’ …”. Daniel wants to understand what’s going on. So, he’s seeking out the facts. When someone asks you to do something impossible, find out why they’ve asked you to do it. Get all the facts. Find out what their motives are. Maybe there’s a strong emotion like King Nebuchadnezzar had. He was angry. What was fueling his anger? Fear. He had a nightmare, and he was scared. So, he took it out on everyone else. Ask questions to find out the motives and reasons you’re being asked to do something impossible.
3. Ask for time to create a solution
Daniel 2:16 says, “So Daniel went and asked the king to give him some time, so that he could give the king the interpretation.” The reason you need to ask for time instead of immediately getting to work on it is because, in a crisis, the greatest temptation is to be impulsive. If you get into a car accident, when you get out of your car, you’re not thinking logically or rationally. You’re thinking emotionally. And the temptation is to make impulsive decisions. It’s more important to make the right decision than to make a fast decision. The wrong decision is the wrong decision no matter how fast or slow you make it. When you’re facing an impossible task, take some time to step back, take a deep breath, and talk to God about it.
4. Get your friends to pray with you
Daniel 2:17-18 says, “Then Daniel went to his house and told his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah about the matter, urging them to ask the God of the heavens for mercy concerning this mystery, so Daniel and his friends would not be destroyed with the rest of Babylon’s wise men.” Daniel knows this matter is way too big for him to deal with alone. So, he gets his buddies to pray with him. How about you? Do you have some prayer warriors around you? If you got into some kind of traumatic event in your life – a major crisis, someone died, or you got into a bad accident – who would be the first 5 people you’d call to ask to pray for you? If you can’t think of anyone, you need to build a personal prayer team. You’re gonna face big problems in your life. Things might even happen that’ll change the direction of your life. You need to know some people you can call and ask for prayer.
5. Worship God
Daniel 2:19 says, “The mystery was then revealed to Daniel in a vision at night, and Daniel praised the God of the heavens” Worship and praise are more than just music. Worship is focusing our attention on God. We can worship anywhere – at church, at home, in the car…anywhere. When we’re faced with an impossible task, worship takes the focus off our problem and places it on the all-powerful, all-knowing, and ever-present God. It gets the focus off the thing that’s scaring me to death and puts it on the solution.
There are three ways Daniel worships God in his prayer. You might use this as an outline for prayer when you’re faced with an impossible task.
Praise God for who he is
Verses 19-20 say, “…Daniel praised the God of the heavens and declared: May the name of God be praised forever and ever, for wisdom and power belong to him.” Take some time to focus on God’s character. God, you’re loving. You’re kind. You’re gracious. You’re all-knowing. You’re all-powerful. You’re faithful. You’re forgiving. You’re compassionate and caring.
Honor God for what he does
Verses 21-22 says, “He changes the times and seasons; he removes kings and establishes kings. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding. He reveals the deep and hidden things; he knows what is in the darkness, and light dwells with him.” You need to remember what he’s done. Lord, you’ve helped me in the past, and I need your help again. You continue to forgive me and give me second chances. You heal, help, comfort, and strengthen.
Thank God for helping
Verse 23 says, “I offer thanks and praise to you, God of my fathers, because you have given me wisdom and power. And now you have let me know what we asked of you, for you have let us know the king’s mystery.” Thank God for what he’s done for you in the past, for what he’s doing for you right now, and what he’s gonna do for you tomorrow.
Daniel prays this prayer, and now he’s gonna go back and give the solution to the king. Here’s the next step we need to take when we’re faced with an impossible situation…
6. Use what God shows me to help others
Verse 24 says, “Therefore Daniel went to Arioch, whom the king had assigned to destroy the wise men of Babylon. He came and said to him, ‘Don’t destroy the wise men of Babylon! Bring me before the king, and I will give him the interpretation.’” I think this is pretty cool what Daniel does here. He’s not out to save just his own skin here. He’s looking out for everyone who’s about to be assassinated and pleads with the assassin not to go through with it. When we’re faced with an impossible situation and God gives us a solution, he wants to use us to bless and help others as well. God doesn’t want to save just you. He wants to save the whole world. He wants to save your family, your friends, the people you work with, and even your enemies because God never made a person he doesn’t love. He loves everyone, and everyone matters to him, which leads me to the last one here…
7. Point people to God
Arioch the Assassin quickly ushers Daniel into the king’s presence and tells the king that Daniel can interpret his dream. Verses 27 and 28 say, “Daniel answered the king, ‘No wise man, medium, magician, or diviner is able to make known to the king the mystery he asked about. But there is a God in heaven…’”. Stop there for a moment. Things may be falling apart in your life…but there is a God in heaven. Your dream may have scared you to death…but there is a God in heaven. You may be facing an insurmountable situation…but there is a God in heaven. Point people to God. Give God the glory. Give God the credit. That’s what gives the world hope.
Daniel told the king, “None of these people could solve your problem…but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries. And just so you know, this is not a me-thing; this is a God thing.” He’s 18 years old! Instead of taking credit for himself, he points people to God. Folks, are we pointing people to God in our daily lives? There are 70,000 people in just a 3-mile radius of this church building who need Jesus. How are we doing? You’re at Costco – point people to God. You’re at Tim Horton’s – point people to God. You’re with a bunch of other moms – point people to God. You’re in the hospital – point people to God.
Well, Daniel tells Nebuchadnezzar his dream and then interprets it for him. Now, for the sake of time, let’s skip to the end and read how Nebuchadnezzar reacts. Verses 47-49 say, “The king said to Daniel, ‘Your God is indeed God of gods, Lord of kings, and a revealer of mysteries, since you were able to reveal this mystery.’ Then the king promoted Daniel and gave him many generous gifts. He made him ruler over the entire province of Babylon and chief governor over all the wise men of Babylon. At Daniel’s request, the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to manage the province of Babylon. But Daniel remained at the king’s court.”
Daniel remains unshakable in an impossible situation. God comes through, and Daniel gets promoted again.
Let me ask this: What seems impossible in your life right now? What’s got you panicked? What’s keeping you awake at night? What’s the situation you need to trust God with right now? Have you asked God to help you out? Have you asked your friends to pray with you as well?
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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.