Tagged: Prayers in English

“The king…refused to eat.” —Daniel 6:19 On this Thanksgiving Day in the USA, a day of great feasting, the Church reads to us about not eating. King Darius couldn’t eat out of concern for the doomed Daniel (Dn 6:19). The hungry lions couldn’t eat, since God was protecting Daniel (Dn 6:23). This physical inability to eat has its counterpart in the spiritual life. Spiritually anorexic people won’t eat the spiritual food they need. They have so stuffed themselves with the things of the world (Phil 3:19) that they fail to realize that their souls are starving to death for lack...

“King Belshazzar gave a great banquet.” —Daniel 5:1 King Belshazzar gave a last supper for his friends (Dn 5:1). This banquet featured revelry, blasphemy, idolatry (Dn 5:4), insolence, pride (Dn 5:20), terror (Dn 5:9), betrayal (Dn 5:30), and finally, the death of the host (Dn 5:30). King Jesus also gave a Last Supper for His friends (Lk 22:8ff). Like Belshazzar’s banquet, this last supper also featured betrayal (Lk 22:21) and the death of the Host (Mt 26:31ff). However, Jesus’ Last Supper featured selfless love (Lk 22:15), humble service (Jn 13:4ff), the Bread of Life, a new covenant in Jesus’ blood...

“This was the dream; the interpretation we shall also give in the king’s presence.” —Daniel 2:36 King Nebuchadnezzar had a nightmare. He had to find out what it meant. He thought the wise men of his kingdom might be able to interpret the nightmare, but he questioned their credibility. So, instead of telling them the nightmare to be interpreted, he demanded that they additionally read his mind and disclose his dream. He even ordered that the wise men be put to death when they couldn’t tell him his dream. Then Daniel was brought in. Daniel would either discover the nightmare...

“In any question of wisdom or prudence which the king put to them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his kingdom.” —Daniel 1:20 Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were “ten times better” than the best of Babylon. It is one thing to be ten times greater than the average or the good. However, it’s astounding to be ten times greater than the “all-star team.” What was the secret to exceptional greatness for the four Jewish young men? They were obedient to the Jewish kosher food laws, and this was only an example of...

“There was an inscription over His head: ‘THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.’ ” —Luke 23:38 When we acknowledge that Jesus is our King, we imply that we are His subjects. It is so difficult for us to be subjects, for when we pray “Thy kingdom come,” that means His will, not ours, is to be done (see Mt 6:10). When we enthrone Jesus as our King, we must necessarily dethrone ourselves. It is even more challenging for a citizen of the USA to be a subject. Our country is founded on the rejection of subjection to the King...