let your light so shine

February 23, 2005

as i was sitting in the jacuzzi last friday, i was looking at the glass bricks. most mornings, as the sun rises, the rays reflect off the glass, creating a beautiful composition of sparkling bricks. as you look at the bricks and move your head, the light dances. it dazzles, it twinkles. truly a feast for the eyes.

that week, i had been saturating myself in a new song sung at 7:22 (written by alex nifong in prior weeks). i'm unsure of the title, but it goes like this:

You are the light of the world
A city on a hill that can't be hid
You are the salt of the earth
For all the world to taste and see

Let your light so shine before all men
That they may glorify your Father
Glorify your Father
Let your light so shine before all men
That they may glorify your Father
Glorify your Father above

Let the whole world sing
Glory to our King
For all eternity
Let the anthem ring

not all the glass bricks sparkle. some of them aren't directly in the path of the light. but for the ones that do, you're drawn to them and can't help but notice their presence. maybe because they contrast greatly from the non-sparkling bricks or maybe it's because the actual sparkle is a thing of beauty.

as i stared at these bricks, i thought back to this song. it was God's of way visually demonstrating the essence of the song to me. i love that. God knows the best way to communicate with us, since after all, He did make us. and as i've learnt over the past four years, i am a visual person. or to put it in another way, i see things better when i see them (this is a line i said during a creative meeting at church back in july. my friends got a good kick out of it).

i pray that as my university years at york comes to a close, i've made a difference in the lives around me. i pray that i've reflected and magnified my Creator in all things, and that at the end of it all, my friends have seen the light of Christ. i pray that my life has not been simply one of a "nice guy," but one that shines of the love of God. i pray that i've impacted those around me for the cause of Christ.

in retrospect, i know that God has done this. i've had the privilege of engaging in conversations with my peers, in which they've said "you're like the nicest guy i've ever met" or "if you ever need anything, and i do mean anything, let me know." it's been very encouraging. one of them happened just before reading week. my friend needed a ride home after class, so she asked me if i would, offering to pay me. i politely declined and said i'd only drive if her if she didn't pay me. as i dropped her off at home, she was really appreciative and said i was the nicest guy she ever met. wow. that week, i had been thinking about whether my life in design has made any difference at all. God gently reminded me that i have through her words.

heading into university, i realized i had wasted my time in high school. i choose to isolate myself from non-Christians and only surround myself with Christian friends. God convicted me of that. i decided that i would not let university be the same. i would make every opportunity as best i could to live the life God called me to. to reflect the wonder and beauty of the Cross through the life i lived. to magnify the love of Christ to those around me. to pursue excellence that i might glorify Him, and to win the respect of my peers, thereby giving me more authority to speak to them (how can your peers respect you as a person if you are unable to do well in your program? you can't.).

as this chapter of life slowly winds down, i hope the friendships that have forged will continue. i pray that God would use my pursuit of excellence for His glory. i've learnt that most people find it 'strange' that i pursue excellence in design, even though i don't like it, but do so because of my desire to do whatever i do for the glory of God (see colossians 3:17 & 3:23). i'm talking about Christians here. but i'm praying that from this, that God would use the fact that i'm going to seminary next year to "shock" my friends. i'd love that.

friends, we are the light of the world. but this is a choice we make. some Christians are like those ordinary, dull, bricks, who profess their devotion to Christ with their mouths, but do not do so with their lives. their light is dim, unseen by the world. but if we choose to live by faith, to live the life God has called us to, our light shines brightly. we sparkle and dazzle. people will take notice and be drawn to the light that shines in us. it's not on our own merit by which this happens, but because Christ dwells in us. the love of God draws people. Christ draws people. let us life the live that magnifies, glorifies and reflects Him.

"you are the light of the world. a city on a hill cannot be hidden. neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. in the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven" - matthew 5:15-16 [NIV]

thoughts on the media: tv watching

February 20, 2005

last week, as i was read through "kingdom come", there was a chapter that discussed the impact of the media on our society. at the end of it, i was almost relieved by the fact that i am so busy i do not have time for the media. design keeps me locked up in my little cave, and only once in a while do i poke my head out and take a gander at what's around. there just isn't any time for anything else. with school and church, my life is completely occupied. in fact, the only time i watch tv, is wednesdays night for alias at 9. movies are a rarity as of late. i don't listen to the radio either. one, i don't like the new music that's out nowadays, and two, i've got so many CDs that i can sing or jam along with, that i'd rather play those instead. i used to read the paper every morning to check out what's going on in toronto, but i've been reading a lot of great books instead. i'm not saying i'm completely media-free, but i'm so thankful that i don't have the time to waste on it and be affected by its message. it's easy to forget the powerful influence that the media has on us, in terms of our available time and more importantly, on our values.

so what is the media anyways? here's my operational definition. the media is a vehicle of mass communication: radio, television, newspapers, magazines, books, the Internet, you name it. it's all around us. the media is a powerful way to communicate an idea (whether implicit or explicit) to a large mass of people. for this entry, i am going to focus my thoughts on tv.

tv has consumed our daily discussions. how often do you hear people talking about that great episode of _________ (fill in the blank with your favourite tv show) that played the other day? or about the great new show they discovered recently? or the show playing tonight? or for sports fans, which game is on?

tv has also subconsciously shaped our values. one of the best ways for humans to learn is through repetition. you hear a message enough, you'll start to believe it, internalize it, and eventually act on it. and so every time you turn on your favourite show, you hear that same message repeated over, and over again. now i don't know about you, but when was the last time you watched a show with moral teachings, teachings from the Bible? i can't remember for the life of me, unless i'm watching BET on a sunday morning, or CTS (though not all the time). though there was touched by an angel... but that's besides the point. so if these shows aren't from teachings from the Bible, where do you think the messages are derived from? us. man. we've messed up a lot of values royally, and it's seen in a lot of these shows. mind you, i do believe there are some shows that are good quality, but the majority of them aren't mainstream or the most watched. but it's not only the tv shows either. there's commercials too. commercials are trying to sell you a product, message, or both. for the most part, they teach materialism.

there's two issues here: tv affects our values and occupies our time. as a Christian, i find myself troubled and disturbed at this. i do realize some people need a venue to relax after a hard day at work/school and tv's a great way to unwind (for the most part, we can just check our brain at the door when we sit down in front of the tv). but, at the same time, isn't there a better way of doing it? something more... meaningful? there's so many things we could do: having conversations with friends, cuddling up and reading a good book, going for a walk and admiring God's beautiful creation, exercising (trust me, it's relaxing, especially swimming)... i could think of a lot more and i'm sure you could too. that being said, the television is a great invention (don't get me wrong here). but we've turned this box into our idol, our god. some of us are so absorbed by our shows, we do anything we can to watch it. we'll even adjust our plans so that we'll be home for the evening. and if for some terrible reason we can't, we record or download it so we don't miss any of the action. do you see what's happened? we've become consumed by the things of the world. we'd much rather spend time watching _________ then invest that time in knowing our Saviour better.

if we are a people who truly desire to follow Christ, there is something really wrong with this picture. do you think for one moment that God created you to stare at a box for eight hours a day? five hours? three hours? one hour? for some of us, after wasting all our time in front of this box, we have the nerve to say we're far too busy for God. yes. too busy indeed.

let's make a pact. let's intentionally give up the things that we do in this life that are focused on our own satisfaction and gratification and exchange it for knowing and loving God in deeper ways. and maybe it's not tv for you. maybe it's video games or some other thing that's taken the place of God in your life. surrender it, lay it down at the Cross and choose Him instead.

i wonder. what would happen if all of us began to take our faith seriously. if we only went after the things that mattered? if we got onboard with the things God was doing around us, and start moving in that direction? what if, we took all the time we spent in watching tv/video games/etc., and started praying, started asking God to move in ways that we would never imagine? what if we took that time to examine how we could be more effective in our campuses, homes and workplaces? what if we used the time to dream of ways in which we could begin building and investing in the lives of others? what if we used the time to care for the poor and needy, the oppressed, the outcasts of society?

final words
i am not saying there's anything wrong with watching tv. but at the same time, i wonder if that is the best way to spend our time? i would suggest no. God's granted us a finite number of days on this earth. He's given us the chance to be on this planet to bring honour and glory to His name. He created us for a purpose. He's allowed us to grow up in our wealthy, north american society, for a reason. how will you spend your days? for yourself or for Him? in front of the tv or building His Kingdom?

“everything is permissible”–but not everything is beneficial. “everything is permissible”–but not everything is constructive. - 1 corinthians 10:23 [NIV]

"let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us" - hebrews 12:1 [NIV]

mundane realism

February 16, 2005

humans don't like change. we like to get into a routine and stick with it. routines are comfortable and familiar. they're easier, safer, more controllable by our own power and strength and more comprehensible in our mind. we are all prone to it, in all aspects of life, from the little to the big.

first day of school, you enter the classroom. what's one of the first things you do? you claim your seat. once you've claimed it, it's yours for the rest of the year. no one will take it from you, because they've claimed their seat somewhere else in the room. that's their seat. the one you have is yours. no one would dare do otherwise. so day in and day out, you sit on your seat. but what would happen if one day someone came along and took your seat? how would you feel? what would you do?

a similar thing happened with me about two weeks ago with my locker. at club markham, there isn't assigned lockers. it's a free for all. whoever gets to the club first gets first dibs at the locker they desire. the thing is, everyone who goes to club markham is a regular. i've seen the same faces ever since september. we go around the same time, we do the same activities/exercises, and we use the same lockers. it's an unspoken rule. once you've claimed your space, it's yours for the taking. no one will mess with it. a new guy showed up two weeks ago. unknowing these unspoken rules, he arrived to the club before i did and took my locker. when i arrived, i saw him putting him stuff into my locker. the audacity! i was confused momentarily. what was i supposed to do? yes, the answer is painfully obvious, i know. but the issue isn't simply selecting another locker. my routine was messed up. that which was familiar became different.

one professor that i had last year made us switch seats every class. she knew it was unnerving for us, but she also knew that we get into that which is comfortable far too easily. she wanted to rock the boat a little, since that's what we needed to be doing to be creative.

but it's no wonder that we are so afraid to step out in faith and trust God to do the things only He can do. our visions are too small. we plan for the possible, not for the divine and supernatural. we only see that which is in front of us. we cannot possible fathom how God can pull through. we forget how powerful He is and end up undermining what He could do by our lack of faith and trust. instead of moving, we stay still, paralyzed by comfort and security. instead of stepping out, we retreat, and cling on to the familiar. the Christian life wasn't meant to be like this. it was meant to be fueled and powered by the Holy Spirit. it was meant to be filled with awe and wonder of our coming King.

when we trust God and step out in faith, we are positioning ourselves to see God do the things only He can do. it's in these places when we know full-well that it is God moving/directing, because there's no way that it's on our own might. it's a very exciting place to be. i think back when peter walked on water. that must have been so exhilarating. the sad reality is that these out-of-the-ordinary events only happen sporadically because we don't trust/ask God enough. if we only trusted Him more and moved with Him to the unknown/uncertain places that He's calling us to... the possibilities are endless.

the mundane is far too familiar. even in experiments, they've coined the term "mundane realism" as how much an experiment simulates the real world. we must not be victims of this any longer. if God is calling you out, move in faith. a life with Him, fueled and enabled by the Holy Spirit is the place to be.

"wake up, o sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you" - ephesians 5:14 [NIV]

the fog of war

two sundays ago, fog settled over the gta. it blanketed the city, and did not lift until sometime on monday. i headed down to chapters that night, and did not anticipate how thick the fog really was. as any conscientious driver would, i adjusted my speed accordingly due to low visibility. if i were to be really smart about it, i would have stayed at home and gone at a later time. but i'm impulsive, so that just wasn't a possibility. as i drove through it, i was amazed by how interesting the fog was. i knew there was something more to it.

over the past few weeks, the prevailing thought in my mind has been about spiritual warfare. about how the devil comes to kill, steal and destroy (see john 10:10). remembering that we are his targets and that he's all about bringing us down. it's been very timely, considering the activities i've been engaged with: our social justice group met to cast vision, establish our purpose/objectives, our roles and responsibilities, i've finally got the go ahead from my dad to head to seminary next year, and the fact that i've been investigating the deep wounds and brokenness in my heart.

as i reflected more about the fog, it suddenly dawned on me what it all meant. 1 peter 5:8 [NIV] says, "be self controlled and alert. your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." the devil has led most of us to believe that he does not exist. this is one of the greatest lies he's pulled off against us. if we are led to believe that, we are on dangerous grounds. how do you prepare against an enemy that doesn't exist? how do you fight against an enemy that doesn't exist? you don't, you can't. here's the deal. if we aren't consciously aware that the devil is out there to devour us, we are that much more susceptible to his attacks and to be hurt along the way. all humans have the tendency to attribute negative events to external factors. it's called the self-serving bias. when the devil comes against us and we're not aware that he's the source, we are prone to blaming others and more seriously, God. and that would be another huge lie that the devil can come against us with.

that night, as i was driving home, i had reduced my speed tremendously. i tend to do that in residential areas, because you never know if there's a parked car or a kid running across the street or what have you. there's too many variables to drive through fast. since i already do that in normal circumstances, with this added layer of fog, i was driving really slow. and lo and behold, there was a parked car on the side. it almost threw me off a little, but since i was already anticipating for it, i could easily avoid it and continue on my way.

most of us drive through life normally. we drive as if the road conditions are perfect. only once in a while, in adverse conditions, do we take heed and drive more cautiously. we're more alert, more aware of potential dangers. maybe there's some truth to driving in fog that applies to our lives. we must realize that this is a perpetual fog around us, where the devil lurks, ready to pounce at any time. as such, we need to engage in adjustments to our speed. we need to slow down and be alert so that we are prepared for whatever may be out there. and when the time comes, when whatever is out there appears (i.e. a parked car), we're ready for it. we can move to avoid instead of getting hit.

what would happen if we were awakened to this reality? we'd live life a lot differently. we'd come to grips that we're in war, and we'd understand the necessity to cling to Christ with all we've got. we'd realize that the devil uses whatever he's got in his arsenal against us. rise up! stand up and fight. be prepared. be self controlled and alert. we've won the war, it's just a matter of claiming it.

"finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. for our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand." - ephesians 6:10-13 [NIV]

He knows best

February 9, 2005

"God knows best."

we hear the statement all the time. it's mostly used in times of disappointment, pain or hardship. it's one of those cliche things to say, almost an autonomous reflex that spurts out of our mouth when we want to encourage someone in their tough time but don't know how to respond. the irony of cliche statements, is that they are often so very true.

yesterday morning, i was reflecting over life (as i always do), specifically my relationship with God over the past 1.5 years or so. i realized something. though i've reached the lowest points in my life during this time frame, i've also drawn closer and nearer to God than i have in ages. i've come to know Him in deeper depths, understanding His heart more and more. i wouldn't trade that for anything in the world. i cherish the moments i have every morning in the pool to fellowship with my Lord. a lot of people think i'm crazy going to sleep between 9:45 and 10:30 on most nights, and then waking up between 5:30 and 6:30 to go swimming. i don't do that so much for the swimming aspect of it (though i have to in order to reduce the overall pain levels in my body), but for my personal time with Yahweh every morning. i love spending each morning listening to His heart and expressing mine to Him. they are precious and dear to me.

and then, it struck me. one of those "aha" moments if you will. i wouldn't have ever had these sacred moments had i not been afflicted with fibromyalgia. the reason? i would have been too busy with my school and church obligations to have time to exercise. i made excuses in prior years when it came to exercising or investing more time in friends and family. no time i said. i'm far too busy. maybe in the summer. back then, i wasn't living a balanced life no matter how much i thought i was. and even now, i don't think i'm completely balanced, but it's a lot better than before.

it all started when i thought i had developed rsi. i realized that i could no longer function at the capacity i used to, so i took a lot more time for myself, taking care of my body (something i should have been doing way before then). i quit the two jobs i had, and even summer school. it was also before cti. back then, i thought it'd be a good idea to get my body in better shape for the summer (i knew the heat would impale me, so i figured it'd be best to be as healthy as possible before i left). in those days, since i had so much time, i spent a lot of time hanging out with God—during my early morning jogs or at night, after dinner, when i went for a walk in the park watching the beautiful sunsets. there were a lot of wonderful moments in those days. i remember God telling me one night that i would never had experienced those moments had i not had rsi (at least that's what i thought it was at the time). it was so true. i would have been too busy with life to do any of that.

God has certainly taken me on an adventure over the past 1.5 years. i realized the other day that my relationship with God now is like that when i first believed. remember that passion you had when you first accepted Christ? i was so jacked up. i joined online newsgroups, reading over 50 messages a day about worship (music aspects), i hungrily devoured the new testament, i read multiple devotional materials daily (campus journal in particular). well that passion is back, more refined, more realistic, but it's back. revelations 2:5 [NIV] says "remember the height from which you have fallen! repent and do the things you did at first."

so in a way, i'm thankful that i've had fm, because it's allowed me to to draw closer to my God. that's always been the desire of my heart. to know God deeply and intimately, to yearn for Him. now, i think i'm starting to a lot more. also, God showed me that i needed to live a more balanced life. that is, to take care of my health. because without your health, you have nothing. as well, to spend time investing more in my family. my relationship with my mom and dad have flourished in the past 1.5 years. God indeed knows what's best for us. He knows what's best for me. we just need to firmly place our hope and trust in Him and understand that yes, He does know what He's doing despite what we see (in terms of hardship). but remember, our view is limited. we see a very small glimpse of what God sees. He is God after all, the One who created everything. He certainly knows what He's doing. one final word. let's not forge the involvement of the devil in our lives. but like for joseph, God can use what the devil intends for evil for His own glory.

"but rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when His glory is revealed" 1 peter 4:13

reflected glory

February 7, 2005

it always amazes me how God can take the ordinary and make something supernatural out of it. every now and then, analogies from everyday life jump out at me that are specific to my circumstances. a long time ago, it was almost a daily occurrence. God knows the best way to communicate with us. He did make us after all. i figure for me, one of those ways is through nature and every day life things—things that i can see.

last week, the Spirit of God spoke to my heart as i stood showering at the club after hitting the pool. for some reason, that morning i took notice of how the door to the steam room reflected images. i wasn't sure whether this was a property of all glass doors, so i stood a while watching and thinking about it. i noticed that when the steam room was full of steam, the door reflected external images more than when the steam room was empty. a pretty interesting phenomena.

since the Spirit has used the steam room as an analogy of my life before, i realized that it was the Spirit prompting me again about something new. in prior days, i had been thinking a lot about my circumstances, about eric, about having fm. at one point, i wondered if God was still being glorified through my situation even though so much time had passed. His answer came to me that morning. the steam represented the circumstances i faced. the steam room itself, was what i was in. the reflection on the door represented God's glory. reflected glory. because my life was so full of steam, it helped to reflect God's glory to those looking in (at me, my life). had my life been been void of steam, the reflection would have been less (but let's not go there, because you do not need to face suffering/trials in your life to reflect the glory of God). in a nutshell, the answer was yes. God was still being glorified through me though i did not realize it.

it got me thinking back to the whole idea of influence (in essence, my trip with cti this past summer). if we walk with Christ, if we desire to magnify Him in all things, people will see Christ in us. we carry the aroma of Christ wherever we go. so wherever we go, people will smell the fragrance of Christ. it makes no difference whether we can see people's reactions since we have no idea what the Holy Spirit is doing in the hearts of people.

people have told me they are encouraged by how i can persevere through all that i've been through. there's no secret behind it really. i mean, i'm no different than anybody else. i'm just an ordinary guy trying to make it through life. but, one thing i've learned through this journey of life, is that in extreme suffering and trials: it's about trusting, believing, banking your hope and faith in the only One that can be trusted; it's remembering that God has given us a privilege of existing on earth in order to bring glory and honour to His name; it's knowing that that privilege may come at a "cost to us" but at the end of the day, it's not about us, but Him; it's about valuing what's important in life—Him.

"the Day is coming when you'll have it all--life healed and whole. i know how great this makes you feel, even though you have to put up with every kind of aggravation in the meantime. pure gold put in the fire comes out of it proved pure; genuine faith put through this suffering comes out proved genuine. when Jesus wraps this all up, it's your faith, not your gold, that God will have on display as evidence of His victory.you never saw Him, yet you love Him. you still don't see him, yet you trust Him--with laughter and singing. because you kept on believing, you'll get what you're looking forward to: total salvation" - 1 peter 1:5-9 [the message]

wow. i felt prompted to read through 1 peter tonight. since there's so many versions/translations on my bookshelf, i decided to check them all out. the message version was the one that struck me the most. it's so encouraging. especially verse seven (the one bolded). suffering for the glory of God is a holy privilege of all believers; if God uses suffering in order to demonstrate His victory... it really brings perspective to things. amen!

heart check-up

February 3, 2005

"i know that i care about something if i worry about it"

my counselor at church said this in passing on sunday while sharing with us. it was so insightful. i think i just might have stopped paying attention momentarily to think about it (and memorize it) as he spoke. i thought it would be a good idea to think about all the stuff i worried about, in case i cared about things that i wasn't aware of. the more i thought, the more i uncovered, like a detective hot on the trial of solving the mystery. i realized there were a lot of underlying issues that i had put off for too long. that statement was the oil for the rusty gears in my heart that stopped turning about 1.5 years ago. and while i don't know exactly what it means yet, except that the wheels have begun to turn once again, and perhaps it's time i went down to check out what the conditions of the wheels are like.

as i'm nearing the end of "waking the dead," it's getting to a point where a lot of soul-searching/investigation needs to be done. that is, if i truly wish to have a heart that is whole, one that is fully alive. i find myself, scared. apprehensive. afraid to go down into the depths of my heart because of what i know i will find there. i know there's a lot of brokenness, things that i have pushed down that i didn't know how or want to deal with. perhaps i'm scared of finding other things down there too. so there my heart sits, lingering in its broken state, waiting for restoration and renewal.

when eric left this earth, a big part of me died. maybe it was my spirits, or my heart, or both. my heart was crushed, shattered into millions of pieces. i never knew how to deal with it, except that all i could do was trust the only One i knew to trust. but in the months to come, without my knowledge, my heart had gotten up and headed for high places, up to the lofty peaks of the mountains where no one dare ventures, never to return, never to be hurt again.

to be honest, i don't know if my heart has ever come back to me, even partially. for a long time, i was very closed off to people, setting up walls, defense mechanisms to protect myself. like a wounded soldier in battle, i retreated to the heavily fortified bunkers for protection. there would be no more wounds, or at the very least, very low chance for it. i didn't want to let anyone in, i couldn't. how can you trust again when you've been hurt so bad? i had no other choice but to try and keep things to myself, to keep it all in and make it on my own. besides, no one could understand what i was going through anyway. nor did anyone bother to ask (maybe because no one knew how to respond). somewhere along the way, i realized just how closed off i had become. i realized my heart had checked out. it was only then, that i realized i had to let my guard down and let people in. but it's been tough. i think i still hold my darkest fears and struggles within. some of which, i may not even be aware of.

with the recent events causing me to think a lot more about eric, i think it's time that i started to revisit how his death has affected me. reading this book has been a very timely thing. i finally realize that it's time i went to look for my heart; to journey into the mountains, to venture into the uncharted territories and get it back. to fight for it. i want what's rightfully mine. the glory of God is man fully alive. man can only be fully alive if he's got his heart, and it's whole. john mentions a lot about how unresolved emotional baggage can be spiritual strongholds for the enemy to come in. that seems to be so true of me. i don't think i've ever resolved what happened. i mean how can you? and though mentally i think i've dealt with it, my body doesn't seem to agree. which perhaps means i'm unconsciously blocking things and this is the way it manifests itself in my body. i think a big factor for my fibromyalgia is because of eric's death. fm can be caused by traumatic, highly stressful events. i can't think of anything more traumatic or stressful than that. while my doctor thinks it's mainly a spinal thing, i tend to differ (despite my huge lack of medical knowledge).

this journey is going to be tough emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. but it must be done. i cannot put it off any longer.

"He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. He reveals deep and hidden things; He knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with Him" - daniel 2:21-22 [NIV]