"He changes times and seasons; He deposes kings and raises up others. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning."
— Daniel 2:21
A Different Kind of Pattern
The scroll felt heavier that morning.
Not physically—Amara had grown used to its weight in her hands—but in what it stirred in her. The more she read, the more she realized: these kings were not just ancient characters. They were mirrors.
And the reflections were getting too close.
She lit a small candle on her desk, the kind her mother used to burn during prayer nights. There was something about fire—a small, flickering light—that made everything feel more sacred.
Amara (thinking):
"What is it about kingship that God keeps circling me back to?"
It wasn't just about crowns and thrones. It was about authority. Leadership. Influence. The divine weight placed on human shoulders—and how fragile those shoulders often are.
Seeing the Pattern
She reached for her notebook—pages filled with scribbles, underlines, and quiet personal revelations.
Nimrod.
Pharaoh.
David.
Solomon.
Cyrus.
Different men. Different nations. But somehow, their stories had similar currents beneath them.
She turned to a fresh page and wrote a title in big, looping letters:
THE PATTERNS OF KINGSHIP
She paused. And called out her own name, Amara! Then whispered:
Amara:
"What kind of king or queen am you becoming?"
The Rise
The pattern usually started the same way.
A divine invitation.
A moment of favor.
An unusual open door.
With Nimrod, it was ambition. A tower rising to heaven.
With David, it was a sling and a giant.
With Solomon, it was a dream.
With Cyrus, it was prophecy written long before he was born.
It made her wonder:
Amara (thinking):
"Is every one of us given a moment like that? A calling. A divine chance to shape something bigger than ourselves?"
But the rise wasn't the full story.
It was what came after—the pressure of power, the test of obedience—that truly revealed the heart.
The Turning Point
Each king faced a moment.
For some, it was a test they passed. For other, it was a lesson they refused to learn.
Nimrod refused to surrender his greatness.
Pharaoh hardened his heart repeatedly.
David broke but returned.
Solomon compromised.
Cyrus obeyed, even without knowing the one who sent him.
And in those moments, the true pattern emerged:
"It's not how high you rise. It's how you handle the voice of God when He speaks"
Amara rested her pen. That sentence felt like it had come from somewhere beyond her own thoughts.
She thought of her own life her opportunities, her voice, her influence growing in quiet corners.
Was she building a tower like Nimrod?
Resisting the hard truths like Pharaoh?
Or laying altars like David, even after failure?
She didn't have an audience yet. But maybe that was the mercy of God.
Scene: A Quiet Place with God
Amara rolled her chair away from the desk, knelt on the cold tiles close to her bookshelf, and whispered:
Amara (praying):
"Lord, if You're going to use me… help me not to repeat the patterns that will break Your heart."
She meant it.
Sometimes we ask for platforms when God is still working on our posture.
Sometimes we want the crown, but not the crushing that keeps it from becoming an idol.
And somehow… the crushing is grace.
Kings Today
She opened her laptop and began drafting a new piece for her blog—quiet, personal reflections that only a few friends read.
But this one… this felt different.
She titled it: The Kings Still Rule
And began to type:
"The patterns of ancient kings still live in our generation.
We are Nimrod when we build without God.
We are Pharaoh when we resist truth because it confronts our comfort.
We are Solomon when we sacrifice purity for popularity.
We are David when we repent after failure and still worship.
We are Cyrus when we follow the call, even when we don't fully understand."
She paused.
Then added softly:
"And we are Amara when we say yes, even in the silence, trusting that obedience is the crown."
The True King
The scroll closed with an unexpected verse. One Amara hadn't noticed before.
It wasn't about an earthly king.
"And He shall reign forever and ever…"
That was it.
The patterns of earthly kings mattered. But they were always shadows.
Reflections.
Practice grounds for the heart.
The only perfect King the one who never fell to pride, never compromised truth, never lost His way was Jesus.
And in Him, all the broken patterns could be redeemed.
Personal Reflections
Amara sat back in her chair, the candle still flickering beside her. She looked around her room—not a palace, not a temple, just a small space that had become holy ground.
Amara (softly):
"Maybe this is what kingship looks like now."
Not gold.
Not followers.
Not fame.
But obedience.
Integrity.
Being faithful with the little.
She closed her eyes and whispered:
Amara spoke quietly in her breath
"Make me faithful, even if no one's watching."
Because the world might not always recognize the kings and queens God raises in quiet places—but heaven does.