14 When Arioch, the commander of the king’s guard, had gone out to execute the wise men of Babylon, Daniel replied with discretion and tact. 15 “Why is the decree from the king so harsh?” he asked.

At this time Arioch explained the situation to Daniel. 16 So Daniel went in and asked the king to give him some time, so that he could give him the interpretation.

17 Then Daniel returned to his house and explained the matter to his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, 18 urging them to plead for mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that Daniel and his friends would not be killed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.

19 During the night, the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision, and he blessed the God of heaven 20 and declared:

“Blessed be the name of God forever and ever,
for wisdom and power belong to Him.
21 He changes the times and seasons;
He removes kings and establishes them.
He gives wisdom to the wise
and knowledge to the discerning.
22 He reveals the deep and hidden things;
He knows what lies in darkness,
and light dwells with Him.
23 To You, O God of my fathers,
I give thanks and praise,
because You have given me
wisdom and power.
And now You have made known to me
what we have requested,
for You have made known to us
the dream of the king.”

REFLECTIONS

Written by Vincent Chan

The crisis from yesterday now reaches Daniel and his friends. He hears about the king’s decree and, like the Babylonian wise men, he knows there’s no escape. But unlike the other wise men, Daniel does something different—he prays. He knows the answer won’t come from within himself (and certainly not by making up the dream!). Instead, Daniel humbles himself and urges his friends to do the same—to pray. Wonderfully, God answers their prayer.

This passage encouraged me in two ways.

First, I was struck by how natural it is for Daniel to pray in the face of crisis. Prayer isn’t a magic trick—it’s a relational act. When we pray, we’re turning to depend on and delight in our Heavenly Father. It’s an expression of faith that says, “I will trust the One who is in control and who cares for me.” Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the same could be said of us? That our first instinct, when faced with a challenge, would be to turn to the God who listens?

I’ve had a number of people tell me that they often intend to pray for someone, but later forget. A simple practice we can take up is to pray then and there—right after a conversation with someone, rather than leaving it for later.

Second, this passage helped me think about how to pray. If you have time, I encourage you to read Daniel’s prayer again. Read it slowly, and notice the deep and majestic view he has of God. There’s a clear sense of God’s ‘otherness’—His greatness beyond us. He is the one who removes and establishes kings. He gives wisdom to the wise. He knows what is hidden in the dark.

When I watch the news each day, it can feel like the world is spinning out of control. There are literally missiles being fired, and instability feels like the norm. But Daniel’s prayer reminds me that no power sits outside of God’s rule. Work through Daniel’s prayer of praise and let it shape your heart and mind.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Vinno is one of our Assistant Ministers.