“I thank and praise you, O God of my Fathers:
You have given me wisdom and power,
you have made known to me what we asked of you,
you have made known to us the dream of the king.”
Daniel 2:23
When Babylon conquered Jerusalem, Daniel and his friends were part of the group taken captive. Daniel was determined to remain faithful to God even while living under Babylonian rule.
Desiring not to defile himself by eating the Babylonian “royal food,” he asked for permission from the guard for an exemption. Daniel did not launch a hunger strike, or incite the other prisoners to protest. He was respectful in his request for a 10-day food and water test. God honored the desire of Daniel’s heart by giving him favor with the guard.
As David honored God, God was faithful to continue to bless him during this time of captivity:
“To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding
of all kinds of literature and learning.
And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds.”
Daniel 1:17
Verse 20 goes on to note that, when questioned by the king on matters of wisdom and understanding, Daniel was ten times more accurate than all of the magicians and other advisors in the kingdom. Clearly, God was providing and giving Daniel favor.
In Daniel 2, Nebuchadnezzar had a dream and followed it with an unreasonable request: not only did he want an interpretation, he wanted his astrologers to tell him what he had dreamed. When none could pass the test, he declared that all the wise men — including Daniel and his friends — would be executed.
When Daniel heard of the edict, he asked for time to interpret the dream, then immediately called his friends to prayer.
Is prayer to God our first response when we get bad news? Daniel’s action teaches us to go immediately to God when the task is impossible. He also teaches us to call others to join us in prayer.
Daniel prayed. His friends prayed. And God answered:
“During the night the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision…”
Daniel 2:19a
And then what did Daniel do? Dance a jig? Throw a party? Hug his friends? None of that … although those responses may have come later. The very first thing Daniel did was to begin thanking and praising God. The rest of verse 19 reads:
“…Then Daniel praised the God of heaven.”
Daniel did not delay. He wasted no time in praising God for the answer to his prayer. The words of his beautiful prayer are recorded above. He knew the provision came from God and he was careful to thank God for the revelation.
When life brings us challenging news, we typically rush to pray and ask others to pray, as well. Are we in an equal hurry to begin thanking and praising God when He answers?
We learn two important lessons from Daniel:
- When you get bad news, pray.
- When God gives an answer to your prayer, thank Him for the answer.
Has God answered prayers for you this week … this month … this year? Have you thanked and praised Him for those answers? It’s never too late to say thank you!
Will you join with me in resolving to be women who first take every need to God, and then thank and praise Him when He provides an answer?
This week’s Friday teaching video focuses on Nehemiah 10, the culmination of rebuilding the lives of God’s people. In Nehemiah 8 and 9, they returned to His WORD, listening to the scriptures read aloud for hours. They worshiped, remembered, and repented.
As we move into Chapter 10, the people come together to sign a covenant, committing their lives to God. Old Testament history confirms this is not the first time they’ve made a commitment to God.
When it comes to obedience, we can get there, but struggle to stay there — just like the Israelites from the days of Nehemiah. This side of the Cross, God’s covenant is written on our hearts. We invite you to watch this week’s teaching video and ask yourself whether your heart has been “crossed.”
