Daniel thanks God

In chapter 2 of Daniel, God reveals the meaning of King Nebuchadnezzar's dream to Daniel, which Daniel then is to relay to the King. Daniel then proceeds to offer a prayer of thanks to God. This prayer, which I copy and paste below (verses 20-23, KJV), offers a nice, general purpose prayer of thanksgiving that any of us can use in any circumstance.

Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his: And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding: He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him. I thank thee, and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and might.

Living for now as a form of spiritual humility

"Living in the moment" is a common self-help type of pep talk, but one that, unfortunately, often comes with a connotation of rowdy behavior. However, a certain version of that philosophy has spiritual roots.

James 4:13-15 (KJV) states,

Ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow ... For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.

This form of "living in the moment" has an element of Godly subjection. It offers a great way to view the singular spiritual importance of every moment, and it provides a great starting point for prayer.

"Fearing" God

The bible speaks a lot of "fearing" God, which, at first blush, can seem to contrast with the image of an all-loving God. In fact, I imagine the thought of a God who should be "feared" might seem off-putting to those first approaching the bible.

First, an entity that created time and space, and who also controls the destinies of all parts of existence, should be feared, because that entity is under no obligation to follow our earthly-created rules of fairness and respect. But, more importantly, "fearing" God, in the way the bible describes it, can be liberating, and entirely consistent with an all-loving God.

In Ezekiel 12:18 (KJV), God says,

Eat thy bread with quaking, and drink thy water with trembling and with carefulness.

God has provided the Israelites (and us) with bread and water, and they (and we) must realize that those items may be taken away in an instant. With that realization, they (and we) should proceed with humble thanksgiving.

Psalm 2:11 (KJV) famously hits upon this theme, when the psalmist commands,

Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling.

The point is, this "fear" of God is the ultimate way to humble ourselves before him. Having "fear" means that we depend on him, and only him. Viewed in that way, this "fear," rather than being restrictive or unpleasant, is actually liberating and peaceful.