Declare Dependence on God

It's a little late in the day but here it is. Barbara and I just came from a thirty minute long, fabulous firework display in Rochester, Minnesota. Happy Independence Day! Today is the Fourth of July, and it has been 240 years since the Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4, 1776, according to tradition. This day has been celebrated with picnics in the park, backyard barbecues, carnivals, fairs, concerts, baseball games, family reunions, political speeches, and as the day drew to an end there was the traditional fireworks displays all across this great land, much like the one we just witnessed.

"Independence" means freedom from control or influence by others in your affairs. It is the idea that we are self-directed, self-reliant, and self-sufficient. Think about that for a moment. Those are great qualifies for a nation but they are poor qualities for a Christian. The Bible says that God directs my affairs. He is the One that is all sufficient to me, and I am to rely on Him for my every need. That sounds like the very opposite of independence. In fact, it sounds very much like dependence.

As America celebrates its independence as a nation, I choose to celebrate my dependence on God as a Christian. This day I declare to you my dependence upon God. How about you? The ball is in your court. There is no better day than today to declare your dependence on God.

In Daniel 4, King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream and Daniel, the man of God, interpreted it for him. Daniel then warned the king about the need to change, but he refused to listen and the dream came to pass. The great king of Babylon was so full of pride that God took away his kingdom. He went insane for 7 years and lived like an animal during that time. At the end of the 7 years, his kingdom was restored to him. The things that Nebuchadnezzar learned from this experience are the very reasons we should all declare our dependence on God.

First, you should declare your dependence on God because of what sin can do in your life. Sin is never without its consequences. In this story we see clearly his sin—the sin of pride. The king declared, "Is this not Babylon the great, which I myself have built as a royal residence by the might of my power and for the glory of my majesty?" (v. 30). And immediately we see the consequences of his sin: his kingdom was taken away from him. "While the word was in the king’s mouth, a voice came from heaven, saying, 'King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is declared: sovereignty has been removed from you'" (v. 31).

King David understood what was needed not to sin. He knew well the terrible consequences that sin has upon a person's life. His family was devastated because of his sin. In Psalm 119:11 he wrote, "Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You." His dependence on God was needed so that he would not sin.

Some of us today do not have that healthy fear of sin and its consequences. Our lives are a wreck all because we have chosen not to make ourselves dependent on God. We say, "Even though I am a Christian, I’d rather be my own person than to depend on God." How tragic! Declare your dependence on God because of what sin can do in your life.

Second, you should declare your dependence on God because there is nowhere to hide from His presence. Adam and Eve could not hide in the Garden from the presence of God; Cain could not hide from God that he had killed his brother Able; Jonah could not flee from the presence of God by boarding a ship heading to Tarshish; King Nebuchadnezzar could not flee from the presence of God by hiding in the great palaces of Babylon; and you and I cannot flee from the presence of God in our lives.

As King David said, "Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me. If I say, 'Surely the darkness shall fall on me,' even the night shall be light about me; indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, but the night shines as the day; the darkness and the light are both alike to You." (Ps. 139:7-12)

If we understand God's presence in our lives and we know in our heart that we cannot hide from His presence, the best thing for us to do is make ourselves dependent upon His presence rather than fight it. Nebuchadnezzar fought it and ended up like the beasts of the field for seven years, until he recognized God's sovereignty. "And you will be driven away from mankind, and your dwelling place will be with the beasts of the field. You will be given grass to eat like cattle, and seven periods of time will pass over you until you recognize that the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind and bestows it on whomever He wishes" (Dan. 4:32).

Third, declare your dependence on God because His kingdom is the only one that will last forever. Truth be told, all of us are dependent on something or someone. Some people are dependent on alcohol, others on money, some on their child or spouse. If we all are to be dependent on something, I would rather it be on One whose kingdom never ends; I would rather it be on One who I know will be there when I need Him; I would rather it be on One who loves me so much that He sent His Son to die for me so that I can live in His kingdom forever.

That is what Nebuchadnezzar did. "But at the end of that period, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever; for His dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom endures from generation to generation” (v. 34).

Fourth, declare your dependence on God because He has the strength to do what needs to be done. When problems set in, where do you turn? After declaring dependence on God, King Nebuchadnezzar said this about Him: "All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, but He does according to His will in the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of earth; and no one can ward off His hand or say to Him, 'What have You done?'" (v. 35).

If I have problems that overwhelm me and burden me down; I am going to be dependent on the One who spoke this world into existence; the One who can part the seas; the One who can feed a multitude with a few fish and a couple of loaves of bread. That is the One I am going to depend on because He has the strength to get done what needs to be done.

Finally, declare your dependence on God because He is trustworthy. I don't mind making myself dependent on someone who is trustworthy. Note verse 37: "Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, exalt and honor the King of heaven, for all His works are true and His ways just, and He is able to humble those who walk in pride." Concerning God, Nebuchadnezzar says everything He does is right and all His ways are just. That is his way of saying that God is trustworthy.

Can you remember when you were a child and your dad would throw you up in the air and catch you. You didn't have any fear because you were confident that your dad was trustworthy and that he would catch you every time. Even more so, God is trustworthy. He will catch you every time. You can count on it. "All His works are true and (all) His ways (are) just" (v. 37).

Perhaps you have been trying to make it without God and it hasn’t worked. But today you realize that you don't have any good reason not to declare your dependence on God. If that is the condition of your heart today, I invite you to place yourself in His care, in His protection, and in His love. Declare your dependence on God today. Amen.