Sweet Smelling Savor To God

Daniel answered and said: 

Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, for wisdom and might are His.

And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding. 

He reveals deep and secret things; He knows what is in the darkness, and light dwells with Him. 

I thank You and praise You, O God of my fathers; you have given me wisdom and might, and have now made known to me what we asked of You.

Let us be like Daniel. Send up a sweet-smelling savor, a sweet incense of praise to Our Father today and everyday!

God Is Magnificent!

 

 

Oh Father, magnificent and Holy God,

Who keeps his promises and compassion

For those who love him,

We give you all of the glory

And praise!

 

Daniel 9:3 (Paraphrased)

 

Let's praise our Father God for everything that he has done for us that we don't know about.

Praise him for all of the little things he's done for us.

Praise him for the big things that he's done for us.

Praise him for causing all bad things to work out for our good.

Praise him for his loving kindnesses and mercies.

Praise him because he is the most high God, the only wise God and the one true God!

He is worthy of all praise in any and every circumstance, no matter how we feel, no matter what has happened or has not happened.

He Is Worthy! He is Worthy! He is Worthy!

 

Remarkable Faith Before Christ Sacrificed For Us

"Therefore because the king's commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the flame slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego." Daniel 3:22

What amazes me is the faith of the Believers who lived before Christ. I am reading Daniel, which I haven't been reading in the Old Testament for awhile. It is an amazing book of great faith displayed by young people. I wish I could learn what led these young men (maybe even late teenagers in age because they are fondly called The Hebrew Children) to possess such a strong, sustaining faith in God. I wish I could follow their lives from childhood. Sometimes, the faith of those who lived B.C. seems to be stronger than what we have today, even though we are indwelt by the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead.

I think that the peoples of the ancient Bible Lands saw more miracles than we do today. Miracles were easier to experience back then. Today it is harder to believe in true miracles. Our lives are so complicated with technology, marketing, material possessions and burgeoning societal issues that miracles are hard to experience. It is not that they don't happen, because we have the same God today that Daniel had back then. God is the same yesterday, today and forever. It is just that the miracles of today get lost in the mix of modern living. 

"Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, anad cast him into the den of lions." Daniel 6:16

The stories of Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego and Daniel always bring tears to my eyes. Why? Because it is very touching to me that anyone's faith would be so great that he/she would profess that God can deliver from a violent, excruciating, prolonged death, and that the person would declare in the same breath that if he doesn't, they will still not turn their back on him. Poignant, profound and powerful (Daniel 3:17-18).

What is even more remarkable is that the king, who stood on his word and enforced the casting of Daniel into the den of lions, would say to him beforehand that Daniel's God would deliver him (Daniel 6:16). Astounding. Many people who did not walk with God in the ancient Middle East believed in his presence and power simply from the witness and experiences of those who did. Oh, what a wonderful life we would live if we walked in that type of faith today. 

Today we have Jesus Christ of Nazareth, who points to God The Father in his admonitions, to thank for restoring our connections to God. As the many great Old Testament stories of faith show though, God is truly the author and finisher of our faith. Without God, we would not have the Blood-bought saving grace of Jesus' sacrifice. Our precious heavenly Father delivered The Hebrew Children, and he is still delivering today. When he doesn't, however, the strong in Christ, though hurting, still do not turn their backs on him, just as those faith-filled children did not.