"How blessed are the people whose God is The Lord" Ps. 144:15b   We are blessed because our God provides all that we need not only for life but for eternity. David does not hesitate to pray for God's protection from false friendships, but also for prosperity for his people.  We tend to not ask for great material blessings, feeling selfish to want that, but David is matter of fact in his requests before the Only ONe who can bless Israel.  He asks for deliverance from enemies. Success for his sons and daughters. Good crops, flocks, and herds.  And "let there be no outcry in our streets" Peace from without and from within the nation. This is a prayer very much needed in our nation today.  Oh may we be a nation who calls God our Lord!  May we be rescued from the falsehoods of nations who offer their right hands but are speaking lies.  May our sons grow up to be mature and fruitful.  May our daughters be royal, beautiful pillars of purity.  May our farmers have abundant crops and produce healthy herds and flocks.  And may there be no outcry in our streets. May we turn back to God and be His people, blessed by His Presence and Power.  " The Lord is gracious and merciful. Slow to anger and great in lovingkindness. The Lord is good to all and His mercies are over all His works." Ps. 145:8-9

Daniel 2.
Nebuchadnezzar has a disturbing dream.  He calls the wise men to come and asks them to not only interpret the dream but to tell him what he dreamed.  An impossible feat for any man, no matter how wise or powerful.  How do you tell someone what they dreamed?  But Daniel goes to God, who does know what we dream! And God reveals to Daniel the dream and its interpretation. Daniel's actions save the lives of all the wise men, conjurers, and magicians.  ( Interesting that Daniel doesn't let them be killed, something that would remove the false, perhaps even demonic influence from Babylon)
Moreover, he introduces Nebuchadnezzar to the "God in heaven who reveals mysteries."  ( Here is an attribute of God we don't think of often, God, the revealer of mysteries)  " It is He who reveals the profound and hidden things; He knows what is in the darkness, And the Light dwells with Him" Daniel 2:22.
The dream is of a great statue.  Head of gold ( Nebuchadnezzar), Breast and arms of silver, ( Medes and Persia), Belly and thighs of bronze ( Greece) Legs of Iron ( Rome)  Feet of clay mixed with iron ( a divided kingdom, part strong and part brittle, combined but not adhered, together but separate.) Out of a mountain a stone is cut without hands.  It crushes all of the statue. Grounds it down to dust. Blows it away until not a trace is left. This is the future revealed to Nebuchadnezzar.  It brings him to his knees.
God Himself will set up a Kingdom which will never be destroyed!  A kingdom , that Jesus tells us , is not of this world. ( John 18:36)  Jesus tells Pilate that He was born for this reason and He came into this world to bear witness of this Truth.
 What is the Shepherd speaking to me today?  What a Mighty God we serve!  He is the revealer of mysteries.  There are many things we do not understand.  But He knows it all. Like Nebuchadnezzar we need to fall before Him, Who is the God of gods, and The Lord of kings.  The future is sometimes full of darkness, but "He knows what is in the darkness, and the Light dwells with Him" Thanks and Praise to God, my Father and my King.  Amen.