It’s easy to be happy with short term success but it’s the big picture that counts. When Daniel is shown the content and meaning of his king’s dream, he is deeply thankful, but not just because he can now save his own neck. The dream assures him that God will bring Babylon to and end, and all other players on the world scene too. God’s kingdom, the one promised to David, will fill the earth.

All other kingdoms are going to crumble when Christ appears. This puts them in proper perspective. Clearly, serving Christ as King is what will last. Knowing this saves us from the illusion of immediate glamour and gain and frees us to be really useful in this life, as Daniel proved in his long life.