“… Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his: And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding: He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him. I thank thee, and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and might, and hast made known unto me now what we desired of thee…” (KJV, Dan. 2:19-23).
“… Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever”
Father, You are a good God and One Who is deserving of my praise. You are amazing and deserving of thanks. It is hard to put into words Your worth. The vocabulary of man is limited, but You are limitless. You told the Israelites that they were not to fashion an image after You, for an image can not properly contain Your glory. I feel inadequate in my words, but, Father, I thank You that You are pleased when I use them for good. Blessed be Your name forever and ever. Throughout all eternity, may Your name be praised.
“for wisdom and might are his”
Wisdom and might belong to You, O God. You are my strong tower, deliverer, shield, refuge, and strength. I pray that You would help me to look to You this day as my strength and my shield. I see the ways that the enemy comes against me. I see the way that my flesh fights against the Spirit within. Please would You be my strength this day and assist me in the battles that I face?
Not only that, Lord, I need You to be my wisdom. I cannot make decisions apart from Your insight and knowledge. I pray that You would help me to be wise and know how to apply Your Word each day. Please show me how to honor You in the various circumstances of life.
“And he changeth the times and the seasons”
Father, You are in control of all things. Even the seasons and the times are under Your sovereign care. Your Word tells me that You uphold the universe by the word of Your power. Although You have set laws in place that govern Your creation, it is You who govern the laws. You are the King of kings, the Lord of Lords, and the Governor of governors.
The world could not exist if You left it alone. I could not exist if You took Your spirit from me, for I would return to the dust.
“he removeth kings, and setteth up kings”
I see that You are the One Who places people in high positions. You are the One Who appoints leaders and allows them to rule. In that, I find hope and a place of rest. Although the government will fail, You are sovereignly behind the scenes working all things to Your desired end.
Nobody and nothing can thwart Your plan. Your plan has been established from old and has been carried out through each generation. The enemy cannot stop what You have determined to do. He thought he had won when Your Son was crucified. He put it into the heart of Judas to betray Your Son. But just when he thought that he had won, Jesus cried out in victory, “It is finished.”
“he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding”
Father, I pray for wisdom. You are the Giver of every good thing; thus, You are the giver of wisdom. Wisdom was with You before the world came to be. James tells me that You stand ready to bless me with wisdom if I ask in faith.
I pray that You would richly supply me with the wisdom that I need to fight against sin in my life. Give me wisdom so that I can be more like Christ. I do not ask for wisdom to be esteemed of man, nor do I ask of wisdom to be made rich. I pray that You would make me wise unto Christlikeness.
“He revealeth the deep and secret things”
The depths of what You know cannot even be imagined. I cannot attain to such a lofty thought. I am limited in my thinking and limited in my knowledge. There is more about You that I do not know than what I do know. I have merely scratched the surface of Who You are.
But I pray that You would reveal to me deep and secret things about Yourself. I see that Jesus spoke in parables to the public, but He revealed the purpose of the parables to His disciples. Reveal to me the truth of Your Word. Reveal to me that which I do not know.
“he knoweth what is in the darkness”
It can only be said of You that You know what is in the darkness. Darkness is not darkness to You at all. You see all things, and You know all things, and nothing is hidden from Your sight. Darkness is as the light to You, and Your Spirit searches over all things.
I thank You that even in the midst of my darkness, You can see the way out. When I am overcome with darkness in my life and the way grows dim, You still see, and You still know. I thank You that I can look to You as my beacon of hope and my light in the storm.
“and the light dwelleth with him”
Light dwells with You, and in You, light finds its origin. In You is perfection and absolute holiness. In You is truth. When Jesus came into the world, He was declared to be the light of the world. In Christ, Your light has shone, and in this, I give thanks to You.
Thank You for Your light, and thank You for illuminating my path. I pray that You would let the light of Christ shine mightily in my life. I pray that I would act as the moon does with the sun and reflect the light of Christ.
“I thank thee, and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers”
I see that down through the ages, You have been a God of Your creation. I see that the Word of God was written by about forty different authors, on three different continents, in three different languages, and over the course of around fifteen hundred years. What a testimony this is to the reliability of Your Word and the trustworthiness of Scripture.
I also see that You are a faithful God, and I thank Thee and praise Thee for Your faithfulness. You have been true down through the ages, and You will be true in this day and age, as well.
“who hast given me wisdom and might”
I see that You bless Your people with wisdom and might. Daniel was grateful for the wisdom that You gave him, and I give You thanks for the wisdom that You have given me, as well. I thank You that I am no longer dead in my sins and trespasses. I thank You I am no longer enslaved to sin. Instead, You have brought me out of the darkness and transferred me into the kingdom of Your marvelous light. I thank You for the wisdom that You have given me to walk with Christ and to grow in Christ.
“and hast made known unto me now what we desired of thee…”
Father, You helped Daniel along the way through Your revelation. I thank You that You will also help me along the way through Your revelation. I thank You for Your Word, and I pray that You would help me to appreciate Your Word more. I thank You for the many ways that You have helped me through the conviction of the Holy Spirit that comes by way of Your Word. I pray that You would help me to store up Your Word in my heart, Lord, and to keep my way pure by walking according to Your Word. In Jesus’ name, Amen.