Gratitude is one of the most critical yet underrated aspects of prayer. God has been so good to us, and he deserves every bit of our gratitude. Unfortunately, sometimes we can be so caught up in our business that we forget to thank God for all He has done for us. As a result, it is good for us to pause and thank God for what He has done for us, including answered prayers.
Daniel modeled the kind of gratitude that we all are to show in Daniel 2. In this chapter, he asked God to help him interpret the king of Babylon's dream. You see, the king had been disturbed by a dream he had, worried about what the dream meant. Dreams in Jewish and Babylonian culture were significant. They often served to predict the future or serve as warnings. Nebuchadnezzar was desperate to find someone to interpret it, and Daniel knew that God could help him do it. He called on his friends to pray to God to give him the wisdom to interpret the dream. That evening, God revealed the king's dream to him. God had answered his prayer, and he answered it quickly. What was Daniel's response? He praised God. He said, "Praise the name of God forever and ever. For He has all wisdom and power" (Verse 20). He then continued for three more verses to praise God. Before he told his friends that God revealed the dream to him and before he went to the king, Daniel paused and praised God for what He had done for him. What a beautiful moment.
Daniel's prayer of gratitude is an example for us. You see, like Daniel, we have experienced so many answered prayers, both large and small. Have we shown Him gratitude for His answered prayers and goodness to us? May we all be marked with deep gratitude for God's goodness to us.
Write out a prayer of gratitude today. Thank God for the answered prayers in your life. Thank Him for how He has helped you and worked in your life. He is so good and worthy of your praise and adoration.
"Then Daniel went home and told his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah what had happened. 18 He urged them to ask the God of heaven to show them his mercy by telling them the secret, so they would not be executed along with the other wise men of Babylon. 19 That night the secret was revealed to Daniel in a vision. Then Daniel praised the God of heaven. 20 He said,
"Praise the name of God forever and ever,
for he has all wisdom and power.
21 He controls the course of world events;
he removes kings and sets up other kings.
He gives wisdom to the wise
and knowledge to the scholars.
22 He reveals deep and mysterious things
and knows what lies hidden in darkness,
though he is surrounded by light.
23 I thank and praise you, God of my ancestors,
for you have given me wisdom and strength.
You have told me what we asked of you
and revealed to us what the king demanded."
