September 28, 2026 Devo

We often think of grace as the forgiveness God gives to us when we sin. It is undeserved and unearned. It is A Gift. And while that’s true, I think we often forget that there is grace that God gives that isn’t after the sin. It’s before. It’s the wisdom and the warnings God gives to us before we ever need forgiveness. I call them “whispers of grace.”
Daniel is delivering one of those “whispers of grace” to Nebuchadnezzar in our passage today. The king has had another dream. It’s another disturbing dream that the king knows has meaning. But he doesn’t know what the meaning is. So he calls upon Daniel to explain it to him, just as he had done with the previous dream.
Daniel doesn’t want to deliver the meaning of this dream. But at the king’s urging, he does. It’s a dream of warning. It’s a dream telling the king he’s forgetting God and drifting into pride and self-centeredness. Daniel tells the king that if he continues on this track, he’s going to lose his throne for seven years and live like an insane person out among the animals of the fields. The king heeds it for a while but then falls right back into his prideful ways. Then the dream becomes fulfilled. For seven years the king lived like an animal.
When I read our passage today, I thought about how many times God gives “whispers of grace” to us all. He didn’t want the king to live like an animal, just as the Lord doesn’t want us to suffer the consequences of destructive choices we are making. Sometimes those whispers of grace come from the warnings of friends and family who love us. They tell us our path is going to cost us dearly if we don’t turn around. It may be hard to believe that God uses people who annoy us to warn us, but He does. Sometimes those whispers of grace come from our own time in the scriptures. I’ll bet there are at least a few of us who have read a passage on a particular day, and we know it directly applies to us. It’s God speaking, whether we heed it or not. Sometimes whispers of grace come through a nudge or discomfort in our spirit. Sometimes they come through the lyrics in a song. And sometimes, like Nebuchadnezzar, God gives them to us in a dream.
God loves you. Just like He loved the king. And God speaks to us—probably in more ways than we are even aware of. When He speaks, please listen. He’s not trying to scold you, shame you, or hurt you. He’s trying to help you and protect you. Mostly from yourself. Don’t blow God off as Nebuchadnezzar did. Hear and heed His whispers of grace. Or you too may end up face down in the grass. That’s God’s Word for you today.