Dan. 6:3-14, Daniel's thankful prayer life

Dan. 6:3-14, Daniel's thankful prayer life

3-14,
  3.Now Daniel so distinguished himself among the administrators and the satraps by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom. 4.At this, the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent. 5.Finally these men said, “We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God.” 6.So these administrators and satraps went as a group to the king and said: “May King Darius live forever! 7.The royal administrators, prefects, satraps, advisers and governors have all agreed that the king should issue an edict and enforce the decree that anyone who prays to any god or human being during the next thirty days, except to you, Your Majesty, shall be thrown into the lions’ den. 8.Now, Your Majesty, issue the decree and put it in writing so that it cannot be altered—in accordance with the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be repealed.” 9.So King Darius put the decree in writing.
  10. Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before. 11.Then these men went as a group and found Daniel praying and asking God for help. 12.So they went to the king and spoke to him about his royal decree: “Did you not publish a decree that during the next thirty days anyone who prays to any god or human being except to you, Your Majesty, would be thrown into the lions’ den?” The king answered, “The decree stands—in accordance with the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be repealed.” 13.Then they said to the king, “Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, Your Majesty, or to the decree you put in writing. He still prays three times a day.” 14.When the king heard this, he was greatly distressed; he was determined to rescue Daniel and made every effort until sundown to save him.

<Sermon Summary>
  Today is observed as Thanksgiving Sunday. The origin of the Bible is the feast of the tabernacles (booths) of the Israelites. It is a Thanksgiving Day (Dt.16:13-16) to give thanks to God for His grace after the fall harvest. It originated from the immigration of European Puritans to the United States. They are 102 godly believers who brought hardships to keep their faith from persecution. 400 years ago, in September 1620, after a 66-day voyage across the Atlantic using the wind in a sailboat, they arrived in the eastern United States (Plymouth, MS). They held their first thanksgiving service in 1621 after a year of hardships such as cold and strong wind, disease and food shortage, cold treatment by native Indians, danger of wild animals, and homelessness. In a situation where half of them were dead, they shed tears and gave thanks to God. They had fellowship with eating turkey, potatoes, pumpkin pie, etc. Even in the midst of hardship, they first built a church, then a school to educate, and finally built their own house. How great are the ancestors of faith? They strictly observed the Lord's Day, tithe and lived a godly life. I hope that our faith life can be restored like this. 
  Our faith is measured by gratitude. There are the Puritans who risked their lives and kept their faith with gratitude, and there are seniors of faith like Daniel who they imitated. As we spend Thanksgiving through the words of Chapter 6 today, we hope that our lives of faith will overflow with gratitude. 
  King Darius of the Medo-Persian Empire appointed 120 provincial ministers and placed three prime ministers over them. Among them, Daniel is excellent, and he is trying to make him the chief minister, but the servants who are jealous of the king's trust instigate the king to make an evil law to kill Daniel. In the end, Daniel prays to God other than the king and is thrown into the lions' den. God shuts the mouths of the lions and saves him. King Darius praises the living God, and Daniel prospers through the days of Kings Darius and Cyrus by the grace of God. Today, we are talking about Daniel's prayer life of thanks, focusing on verse 10. In front of death, how did he pray with gratitude in front of the crisis of becoming food for lions?

1. Immanuel's prayer of thanksgiving. 
  It is a prayer of thanks of the Immanuel faith that God is with us. Daniel was taken captive to Babylon at the age of a teenager. He had a test where he had to eat the king's wine and food. However, he refuses to serve idols with the mindset that he only serves God, and eats only vegetables and water. But God was with him and helped him, so he was healthier than his colleagues who ate the king's food. Also, in chapter 2, when all the wise men of Babylon who did not interpret the dream of statue were to die, they prayed in unison with their friends to experience and give thanks to God's miracles. 2:23 (I thank the Lord and praise him...). In chapter 4, King Nebuchadnezzar's dream of a big tree was also interpreted well because God was with him. In the time of King Belshazzar, God helped him to interpret the mysterious writing on the wall. And in today's text, Daniel, an elderly man over 80 years old, believes that God is with him and prays with thanksgiving even in the face of the danger of becoming prey to lions.

2. It is a prayer of thanks to Jehovah Nissi (the God who gives victory). 
  We give thanks with the conviction that God gives us victory even in our crises. Daniel knew very well that history would not end with the victory of the Medes and Persians. Didn't the Babylonian Empire, which brought Daniel into captivity, also perish? He believed that history was always controlled by God. Because everything ends with God's victory. If Daniel prayed to any god other than the king for 30 days, he was thrown into the lions' den. What would we do? ‘Let’s pray after taking a break from praying for 30 days’, ‘Let’s close the door and pray silently’, ‘Let’s pray invisibly and inaudibly’. However, Daniel believes in the God of Jehovah Nissi, so he prays confidently before God. ‘Even knowing that the King’s seal had been taken … she went upstairs … and opened the window … and prayed three times a day … as before, and gave thanks to her God.’

3. It is a prayer of thanksgiving to entrust one's end to the Lord. 
  He did not subject himself to the evil laws of the Medo-Persians. He entrusted his life to Almighty God. He has entrusted himself to the one to whom he entrusts himself, and he is only grateful. He prayed even though he knew death was coming. He prayed even though he knew he would die if he prayed. I was grateful even though I knew that if I was thankful, I would become lion food. Pious Jews offer this prayer every day before going to bed. Psalm 31:5, “Into Your hands I commend my spirit. The Lord will redeem me.”
  This is the appearance of our Jesus before he died on the cross. Luke 23:46, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” At the Last Supper, Jesus gave thanks before his death. Luke 22:17,19, 17 Then he took the cup, gave thanks, and said, "Take this and divide it among you." 19 Then he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body given for you; to commemorate me Ordained Deacon Stephen, who was martyred while preaching the gospel of the Lord, also prayed like that while meditating on Jesus. Acts 7:59, “Sovereign Lord, receive my soul.”
  Our lives are 100% in God's hands. Like Daniel, we are blessed to leave our lives in God's hands every day. Morning Prayer Gn. ch.47, 147-year-old Jacob's time to die is near, but he think of God's grace and give thanks. He thought Joseph was dead, but he was grateful to be Prime Minister and to see his grandchildren.
  Thanks came from the same etymology as think. If you think well, you can be grateful. If you think deeply about God and His grace, that God is with you, gives you victory, and guides you to the end, you can always be grateful. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances. You can thank the whole world. Give thanks in the presence of God and pray three times a day in the midst of a busy public servant life. 

  Watching Daniel's absolute gratitude, we share the impression of British Missionary in India,  William Carey's gratitude life. There was a poor boy who made shoes in England. This boy studied Greek, Hebrew, and Latin alone while making his shoes, and he was also diligent in his church life. Later, this boy became a missionary and left for India, and he is William Carey, the father of modern missions. In those days when even the name of missionary work was unfamiliar, William Carey held his vision of missionary work in his heart and exclaimed: “Expect great things from God. And try great things for God.” He studied Indian languages ​​in India, compiled an English dictionary, and translated the Indian Bible after 8 years of hard work. He installed a printing press to publish the Bible and called in technicians to make all his preparations. However, while Carey was out on a tour of the provinces, a fire broke out and the printing press and the Bible translation were all burned. A wave of great frustration and despair came flooding in, but Carrie did not give up. He knelt down on the ashes and prayed like this. "father. thank you I will start over knowing that God knows my translation is lacking and has given me the opportunity to completely redo it. Give me faith and patience!” Then, he started translating the Bible again, starting with the Bengali Bible in 1801 and translating the Bible into 24 Indian dialects throughout his life. published. Like William Carey's gratitude, let's live with gratitude for the problem itself, instead of giving in to the problem.
 
  Beloved saints, on Thanksgiving Sunday, I pray that you become servants of God who testify to the gospel of the Lord by praying with thanksgiving with the Holy Spirit and the Word, imitating the life of thanksgiving of Jesus, Daniel, and Stephen.
Amen.