“To you, O God of my fathers, I give thanks and praise, for you have given me wisdom and might, and have now made known to me what we asked of you, for you have made known to us the king’s matter.” (Daniel 2:23)
Daniel’s prayers are answered: “the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision of the night.” Daniel’s first response is not to hurry to the king or to the king’s captain, but to burst out in a song of praise to the Lord: “Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, to whom belong wisdom and might”! And also later, when he is brought before the king, he clearly states: “There is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days […] This mystery has been revealed to me, not because of any wisdom that I have more than all the living”.
God has given Daniel “understanding in all visions and dreams”, as is recorded in Daniel 1:17. He has an extraordinary gift that now comes in especially useful — it even saves his life and the lives of his friends. But Daniel does not become proud and arrogant. He is fully aware that only God can reveal dreams, and therefore he gives honor to whom honor is due, even before a king who does not even believe in the “God of Israel”.
Is there something you are especially good at? Do you honor God with this gift?