then daniel blessed the God of heaven. daniel answered and said:
“blessed be the name of God forever and ever,
to whom belong wisdom and might.
he changes times and seasons;
he removes kings and sets up kings;
he gives wisdom to the wise
and knowledge to those who have understanding;
he reveals deep and hidden things;
he knows what is in the darkness,
and the light dwells with him.
to you, o God of my fathers,
i give thanks and praise,
for you have given me wisdom and might,
and have now made known to me what we asked of you,
for you have made known to us the king’s matter.” [daniel 2:19b-23]
when we come into the presence of God in a posture of prayer we have different kinds of prayer we may employ–often we pray prayers of supplication, pleading with God to supply our needs, sometimes we pray, confessing our sins. these types of prayer are necessary, but how often do we ‘bless the God of heaven?
this type of prayer of adoration, celebration and awe of God’s might, power and glory are meant to turn outward, taking the focus off of us and put us and God in the right perspective emphasizing the truth that we are very small, and God is great.
take time to pray today–pray for your needs, pray for your cares, confess your sin–but spend time blessing the God of heaven for his great deeds!
now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. amen. [jude 24, 25]
praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
praise Him, all creatures here below;
praise Him above, ye heav’nly host;
praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
amen. [thomas ken, 1674]
~ ce