Mark Sorensen Then Daniel praised the God of heaven and said, “Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are his. He changes times and seasons’ he deposes kings and raises up others. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him. 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 2:19-23
23,000.
That’s the estimated number of breaths that you will take over the course of this day. 23,000 times (give or take) we will go through the process of inhaling oxygen and exhaling carbon dioxide, a complicated respiratory task that requires physiological precision, with potentially little thought to the miracle that is breathing.
So, the thought for the day is this one: how will we use the gift of breath that God has given to us, over the course of this day that lies ahead?
In our message from Daniel last week, I loved the reminder from Daniel 2 that on the other side of the crisis in Daniel’s life, he prayed, and on the other side of the prayer and God’s answer to him, came the simple act of praise. Daniel lifted his eyes and hands to the Lord, and he praised God for the breakthrough in his life. However, what about when we don’t see breakthrough? This is the challenge, right?
It’s easy to sing our praise over those things that take our breath away: an answered prayer, a beautiful sunrise or sunset, an unexpected blessing or surprise that greets us. Of course, God welcomes those praises, but I’m pretty sure he wants those other breaths, as well.
Brenna sang a song last Sunday from Bryan and Katie Torwalt called “Praise Before My Breakthrough.” If you’re not familiar with Bryan and Katie Torwalt, you should check out their music. They’re some of my favorites. I love their hearts as worship leaders and song writers. The song, “Praise Before my Breakthrough” puts some beautiful language to the prayers of praise that have yet to meet answers in your life. It’s worth a listen to hear both the song and the story behind the song and their hearts. Watch the video
This Sunday, let’s dive into Daniel 3. We’re turning the temperature up this week. (Read Daniel 3 to get the joke). 😉
I can’t wait.
