Imagine working in an environment where your company was just bought out and your new boss is having a meeting, and you are not invited. In the meeting he says, “I had an idea for a new product launch, and I want to know if it’ll work.” The invited staff naturally respond, “Tell us what the idea is and we’ll let you know if it’ll work or not.” To everyone’s dismay, the boss simply says, “No. I want you to prove that you are worth keeping on staff. You have to tell me what my idea is and tell me if it’ll work or not…and if you don’t, I will fire you and everyone else in your department.”
Sound Ridiculous?
That’s the situation Daniel faced, only worse! (Daniel 2:1-19) His boss decided not just to fire all the wise men who worked for him, but to cut everyone into pieces and destroy their houses if they didn’t meet his demands. This surely qualifies him as the Worst Boss Ever!
The Story:
In the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; his mind was troubled and he could not sleep. So the king summoned the magicians, enchanters, sorcerers and astrologers to tell him what he had dreamed. When they came in and stood before the king, he said to them, “I have had a dream that troubles me and I want to know what it means.”
Then the astrologers answered the king, “May the king live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will interpret it.”
The king replied to the astrologers, “This is what I have firmly decided: If you do not tell me what my dream was and interpret it, I will have you cut into pieces and your houses turned into piles of rubble. But if you tell me the dream and explain it, you will receive from me gifts and rewards and great honor. So tell me the dream and interpret it for me.”
Once more they replied, “Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will interpret it.”
Then the king answered, “I am certain that you are trying to gain time, because you realize that this is what I have firmly decided: If you do not tell me the dream, there is only one penalty for you. You have conspired to tell me misleading and wicked things, hoping the situation will change. So then, tell me the dream, and I will know that you can interpret it for me.”
The astrologers answered the king, “There is no one on earth who can do what the king asks! No king, however great and mighty, has ever asked such a thing of any magician or enchanter or astrologer. What the king asks is too difficult. No one can reveal it to the king except the gods, and they do not live among humans.”
This made the king so angry and furious that he ordered the execution of all the wise men of Babylon. So the decree was issued to put the wise men to death, and men were sent to look for Daniel and his friends to put them to death.
When Arioch, the commander of the king’s guard, had gone out to put to death the wise men of Babylon, Daniel spoke to him with wisdom and tact. He asked the king’s officer, “Why did the king issue such a harsh decree?” Arioch then explained the matter to Daniel. At this, Daniel went in to the king and asked for time, so that he might interpret the dream for him.
Then Daniel returned to his house and explained the matter to his friends Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. He urged them to plead for mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that he and his friends might not be executed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. During the night the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision.
Daniel 2:1-19
What is our response in the face of intense workplace pressure?
How many of us have been held responsible for something that happened in a meeting we didn’t even attend? Remember, Daniel wasn’t even in the room, but was caught up in this horrifying workplace situation. We all have our own business “war stories,” but how many of us have actually faced death if we didn’t produce a specific report or get the numbers in on time?
Daniel’s response: Prayer and ask others to pray too
Faced with an impossible workplace task, Daniel turned to God. Daniel knew prayer was the correct response. Daniel pleaded for God to provide the needed answer. God says, “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know” (Jeremiah 33:3). Daniel was counting on this being true!
When faced with absurd deadlines or impossible tasks, turn to God in prayer. He promises to tell you the answer to the unfeasible requests. He promises to give you wisdom and He will do it without finding fault (James 1:5). Also, don’t do it alone! The first thing Daniel did after getting the assignment from the boss was turn to his friends and ask them to pray with him (Daniel 2:17).
Partner Spotlight: The value of a good HR
One of the critical people in this story is Arioch. He was the mediator between the King and the wisemen, the upper management and the employees. Arioch tried to explain the situation to Daniel and listened to Daniel’s ideas. He is the closest person to an HR Department. Good HR departments are critical. Does your business have an HR department built on Godly principles? Does your HR department work with you to hire the Daniels out there? If you are looking for a company which will bring Godly principles to your HR department, look into HR Alliance. They are an amazing HR resource and can help your company achieve better results using the principles God has built into His Kingdom. They are definitely worth reaching out to!
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