The Revelation Room - Ask. Seek. Understand. "When We Worship the Blessing Instead of the Blesser?" - By Evangelist Briana Lawton

Reading Daniel 4–6 this morning really penetrated my heart.

When we talk about the majesty of the Lord, people often focus on the miracles, signs, wonders, blessings, and prosperity that come from knowing God. But when we remove the “why” behind God's blessings and the requirements He gives His children to genuinely love, obey, and follow Him, we can easily lose sight of His character and begin focusing on what we can receive from Him.

We can start treating God like a spiritual vending machine—approaching Him for what He can give us rather than desiring Him for who He is.

And I can imagine how deeply that grieves the heart of God.

Nebuchadnezzar: Blessed, But Not Surrendered

One thing that stood out to me in Daniel 4 was King Nebuchadnezzar.

Daniel 4:20–22 describes how Nebuchadnezzar's kingdom had become great and extended to the heavens. God had allowed this king to experience tremendous authority, influence, wealth, and success, even though Nebuchadnezzar did not truly honor God.

That made me think about something we see even today.

There are celebrities and public figures who may create music or content that glorifies things that oppose God's Word—idolatry, materialism, sexual immorality, pride, money, and worldly status. Yet when they experience success, recognition, or prosperity, they may say, “I just want to thank God.”

This isn't meant to condemn anyone or suggest that God cannot receive glory from someone's success. God is sovereign, and every good thing ultimately exists because of His authority.

But it does make me ask: Do we recognize God as the Giver, or are we simply thanking Him for giving us what we wanted?

There is a difference between acknowledging God's ability to bless us and actually surrendering our lives to Him.

We Were Created—We Are Not Sovereign

To serve God with all our hearts and minds requires us to understand something fundamental: We are created beings. God is the Creator.

We do not possess ultimate authority over the seen or unseen realm. We are dependent upon Him, whether we acknowledge it or not.

Without spiritual discernment—without eyes to see and ears to hear through the Holy Spirit—we can begin believing that our actions are acceptable simply because there have been no immediate consequences.

But God's patience should never be mistaken for God's approval.

Romans 1:28 speaks about humanity being given over to a “reprobate mind” when people continually reject God.

Nebuchadnezzar's story demonstrates this principle powerfully. God warned him through a dream and gave him an opportunity to humble himself. Yet pride remained in his heart.

Then, as Daniel 4 records, the kingdom he gloried in was brought low.

The very thing Nebuchadnezzar thought established his greatness could not protect him from the sovereignty of God.

The Kingdom Can Be Chopped Down

Nebuchadnezzar's dream contained the image of a great tree that was cut down.

That image speaks to me about the temporary nature of human greatness.

• We can build kingdoms.

• We can build careers.

• We can build businesses.

• We can gain money, influence, followers, recognition, titles, and status.

But none of those things make us sovereign. God can allow something to grow, and God can also bring it down. That is why humility matters. Our lives are not ultimately about how high we can climb. They are about whether, while God allows us to climb, we remember who gave us the ability to stand.

Solomon and the Gift of Wisdom

This also changes how I understand Solomon.

When God gave Solomon the opportunity to ask for what he wanted, Solomon asked for wisdom and understanding to govern God's people. And God gave him wisdom, along with riches and honor. What I'm beginning to understand is that wisdom was more valuable than the material blessings surrounding it.

Why?

Because wisdom teaches us how to live. Ecclesiastes repeatedly reminds us that wealth, pleasure, achievement, status, and human accomplishments cannot ultimately satisfy us. They are temporary. Wisdom allows us to recognize the limitations of those things.

“For wisdom is a protection, just as money is a protection, but the advantage of knowledge is this: Wisdom preserves the life of its possessor.” — Ecclesiastes 7:12

And Proverbs 4:6 says: “Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you.”

God's wisdom protects us because it teaches us to see life from His perspective rather than our own.

Wisdom Is More Than Knowledge

I'm beginning to see that God's wisdom is deeply connected to His love.

God does not simply give us information.

He teaches us how to live.

He corrects us.

He disciplines us.

He warns us.

He exposes our pride.

He redirects our desires.

He teaches us that what looks valuable to the world may be completely meaningless in eternity. Solomon had wisdom, wealth, influence, and power. Nebuchadnezzar had authority, a kingdom, and tremendous earthly greatness. Yet neither man's earthly position made him God. That is the point.

The Imperfection of Mankind

The stories of Solomon and Nebuchadnezzar expose the limitations of humanity.

We often think that if we had enough money, enough power, enough influence, enough recognition, or enough control, we would finally have everything we need.But Scripture continues to show us that these things cannot save us. They cannot give us eternal life.

They cannot make us holy. They cannot replace God.

Psalm 115:4–5 describes idols as being made of silver and gold, with mouths that cannot speak and eyes that cannot see. An idol may look powerful, but it has no power of its own. And sometimes our idols aren't statues.

Sometimes our idols are money, relationships, careers, success, popularity, comfort, influence, or even our own desires. Anything we place above God can become an idol.

Abiding in Christ

This is why Jesus' words in John 15 are so important: “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.” — John 15:18

Following God does not mean the world will always celebrate us.

There will be moments when obedience makes us uncomfortable.

There will be moments when standing for truth makes us unpopular.

There will be moments when people misunderstand us, reject us, or oppose what God has called us to do.

But Daniel's story reminds us that obedience to God is more important than obedience to the world.

Daniel was thrown into the lions' den because he refused to stop praying to God.

Yet God shut the mouths of the lions.

Daniel didn't compromise to preserve his position.

He didn't abandon his relationship with God to make himself more acceptable to the king. He remained faithful. And God sustained him.

What Daniel 4–6 Is Teaching Me

The more I read these chapters, the more I see that the message isn't simply about miracles. It's about who is Lord.

God is Lord over kingdoms.

God is Lord over kings.

God is Lord over wealth.

God is Lord over influence.

God is Lord over our lives.

And when God blesses us, the blessing should never become more important than the One who blessed us.

When God gives us influence, we should use it for His glory.

When God gives us resources, we should steward them faithfully.

When God gives us wisdom, we should submit to it.

When God gives us a platform, we should remember that the platform belongs to Him.

And when God allows us to experience suffering, rejection, or persecution, we should remember that He is still Lord.

The goal is not simply to receive God's blessings.

The goal is to know God.

Because when we truly know Him, we begin to understand that His wisdom is better than our desires, His will is greater than our plans, and His presence is more valuable than anything this world can offer.

Prayer

Lord, don't just give me what I want. Give me the wisdom to desire what You want.

Teach me to recognize the difference between Your blessings and the Blesser.

Give me eyes to see, ears to hear, and a heart willing to obey.

Keep me from worshipping what You created instead of worshipping You, the Creator.

And when You elevate me, remind me to remain humble.

When You bless me, remind me to remain grateful.

When You correct me, give me the humility to repent.

And when the world comes against me because I choose to follow You, help me stand firm like Daniel.

Because ultimately, my kingdom is temporary—but Yours is everlasting. In Jesus name, Amen