Prayer: Our Adoration and Worship of God

Meditation for the day taken from Everyday Prayer with John Calvin written by Donald McKim:

Scripture: Daniel 6:10-16

The narrative before us is a familiar one. This is the story of Daniel in the Lion's Den. Daniel finds himself in exile in Babylon. The holy city has been laid waste, and the Babylonian Empire has captured it and returned some of God's people to that pagan city. Daniel is a picture of our sojourning as God's people today labor in exile in a foreign country waiting for the arrival of that new and better country. While Daniel is waiting patiently for God to restore his people, he maintains his faithfulness in a faithless and godless land. The nation is so wicked that jealousy rages because the king sets Daniel in charge. Because of this evil rage, the jealous people set a trap for the king and Daniel. The mandate is clear: no prayer or petition to any god except the king. The resulting punishment for violators would be imprisonment in a lion's den. Knowing the terms of the mandate, Daniel refused to be deterred by such evil. He maintained his godliness and faithfulness, praying three times a day before God as usual (6:10). As a result, the king, sorrowfully, tossed Daniel into the den of lions. You know the end of the story.

Two lessons worth considering from this passage: First, it is often during times of personal or national crises that God moves his people to pray. As we face times of difficulty in our world and life, we must be undeterred in our commitment to pray. Second, prayer is more than asking for relief. Indeed, Daniel certainly did not relish the idea of being cast into a den where death was a certainty. However, the text tells us that Daniel prayed, and in his prayer, offered thanksgiving to God. Put another way, he worshiped the true God regardless of the circumstances. Calvin wrote, "We know the principal sacrifice which God requires, is to call upon his name. For we hereby testify him to be the author of all good things; next we shew forth a specimen of our faith; then we fly to him, and cast all our cares into his bosom, and offer him our prayers...Therefore, prayer constitutes the chief part of our adoration and worship of God." (63).

McKim comments further, "It is easy to think of prayer only in terms of asking God for what we want. But praising God, remembering his benefits, and being thankful are key ingredients of prayer. We focus on who God is and what he has done, not solely on our own petitions and requests." (63). Too often, we spend more time asking our Father for things we need and little time thanking Him for what we have already. Of course, our heavenly Father wants us to cast our cares upon him (1 Peter 5:7), but he also wants to be worshipped. Imagine if your children never thanked you for the things you give to them. It isn't a pleasant thought. You may be tempted to think you raised spoiled brats! Sometimes we act that way when we do not meditate on the good gifts our God has given us, especially when times are miserable and circumstances hard. No, we must be people that meditate and then thank the God of heaven for his bounty. As we do, we enter into worship of Him.