Thankfulness: From Hand to Heart Day 18

"I thank and praise you, God of my ancestors:    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 NIV

      Okay, so bear with me. This verse really has to be read in context so you *kinda* should go back and read chapter 2 of Daniel from the beginning and end with the verse above. If you absolutely can't do that then a refresher: King Nebuchadnezzer had a strange dream and issued an ultimatum: he told the wise men of his kingdom to interpret the dream or he would cut them to pieces and turn their houses into rubble. So you know, no big deal! Oh, and also, one more tiny detail: the king wasn't going to tell the wise men his dream, either.

   So, Daniel, who is just an absolutely amazing example of a faithful prayer warrior, of course, turns to the Lord. And he summons his friends to pray as well (Who can forget the equally wonderful Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego?). So they are all storming the throne and guess what? God does what He does best: is awesome.

    So, of course, Daniel has this supernatural answer and he tells the king all he wants to know. But he doesn't take the credit, instead he offers a beautiful prayer of praise, ending with this verse.

   And we serve the same God. If we ask for wisdom, He so graciously grants it.

"If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you." James 1:5 NIV

   There is a requirement of faith, but we are promised that if we believe, He will answer. He will give to us out of the endless wealth of His wisdom. And that is pretty worthy of thanks and praise.

Today's Reflection:
When is a time that you know the Lord gave you wisdom? Thank Him for that, and also, take the time to thank Him for the times in the future He will answer your prayers for insight and direction, just as He has promised.

Looking for the printable scripture writing plan? Or another day of the "Thankfulness: From Hand to Heart" study? Find them here!