Thanksgiving and Praise | Chad Hampton | Rock City Church

Daniel 6 opens with a decree aimed right at Daniel. Daniel is captive in Babylon, away from Jerusalem, yet the open windows toward home show that captivity has not taken his vision. The decree says no prayer to any god except Darius for thirty days, and the den of lions waits for anyone who disobeys. Daniel learns the decree, goes home, gets on his knees three times a day, gives thanks to God, just as he had done before.

Psalm 34:1 gives the plan: “I will bless the Lord at all times. His praise shall continually be in my mouth.” Praise is the decision to magnify God’s character above the circumstances. Praise is not a reaction to a good outcome. Praise is worship before the outcome is known. Praise is not passive either. Yadah lifts the hands. Shabak speaks loudly. Praise gets in the mouth because the content of a person’s conversation can change the condition of the heart.

The image of the minivan presses the point. The vehicle may change, but that does not mean the vision has changed. Daniel expected royal influence, yet the vehicle became captivity in Babylon. Some lives feel stuck in “this” while everybody else seems to have “that,” but God can use the vehicle that feels frustrating. The plan is still praise.

Praise prepares because it settles the response before the trouble shows up. A bad report, an unexpected setback, a closed door, and even a victory do not get to decide the response. If praise depends on the outcome, then the outcome has become God. Like Jerry Rice catching bricks before catching footballs, the brick that feels pointless may be building something. Daniel catches the brick of the decree with thanksgiving.

Praise protects because praise starves pride and shuts the mouth of the enemy. God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble, so praise keeps blessing from becoming self-worship. In the lions’ den, God sends an angel and shuts the lions’ mouths. The father of lies loses his voice when God’s name is lifted high.

Praise promotes because God’s name gets lifted higher than Daniel’s name. Darius begins with a wicked decree, but after God rescues Daniel, the king issues another decree honoring the living God whose kingdom cannot be destroyed. Daniel prospers in captivity, under wicked rulers, after the decree, and after the den. Babylon becomes Judah when praise rises there, because Judah means praise. Wherever God’s people live, that place can become a place of praise.

##

Key Takeaways

• 1. Changed vehicles do not cancel vision. The vehicle may feel wrong, embarrassing, or stuck, but God’s vision is not limited by the current circumstance. Daniel’s royal influence did not arrive through the vehicle he would have chosen, but captivity still became the place where God used him. Faithfulness learns to stop worshiping the preferred setting and starts trusting the God who can use the actual one. [07:22]
• 2. Praise settles the response early. Praise removes the drama of deciding whether fear, anger, or trust will lead when the decree shows up. Daniel did not invent devotion in the lions’ den; private praise had already trained his knees before public pressure arrived. A heart that blesses God before the outcome is known refuses to let the outcome become God. [14:02]
• 3. Praise starves pride and lies. Praise keeps blessing from turning inward and becoming self-congratulation. The enemy speaks through accusation, fear, and lies, but the lifted name of God shuts the mouth that tries to devour. Humility is not thinking less of calling or gifting, but redirecting every good and perfect gift back to the One who gave it. [22:15]
• 4. Babylon can become Judah. Daniel did not wait to get back to Jerusalem before giving God praise. Judah means praise, so Babylon changed its meaning when Daniel opened his windows, bent his knees, and blessed the Lord there. A place does not have to feel holy before praise makes it holy ground.
  
  ## [38:22]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [00:15] - The Prayer of Praise
• [00:29] - Daniel Faces the Decree
• [03:00] - Psalm 34 and the Plan
• [04:00] - The Minivan and the Vehicle
• [08:56] - Praise Is the Plan
• [13:34] - Praise Prepares
• [15:52] - Catching Bricks in Preparation
• [19:46] - Praise Protects
• [24:20] - Praise Promotes God’s Name
• [27:02] - Control What Can Be Controlled
• [35:32] - Jeremiah’s Promise in Captivity
• [37:41] - Babylon Becomes Judah
• [40:20] - Surrendering Plans to Jesus

1. In Daniel 6:10, what does Daniel do after he learns the decree has been signed, and what details show that this was already his regular pattern? [02:00]
2. In Psalm 34:1, what does the verse say should happen “at all times,” and where does it say praise should be? [11:34]
3. What are some of the “vehicles” people can feel stuck in, and how does that image help explain Daniel’s situation in Babylon? [07:22]
4. What three things does praise do in this passage and message—prepare, protect, and promote—and what examples were given for each? [24:15]

1. Daniel gives thanks before any rescue happens. What does that show about the difference between praising God for an outcome and praising God for who he is? [14:48]
2. Psalm 34:1 says God’s praise should continually be in the mouth. Why might spoken praise matter so much when fear, discouragement, or unbelief are pressing in? [12:17]
3. Jeremiah 29:11 was spoken to people in captivity. How does that shape the way a person should think about God’s plans when life feels delayed, unwanted, or far from home? [36:15]
4. Daniel’s praise in Babylon leads to God’s name being lifted up by King Darius. What does that suggest about the purpose of faithfulness in hard places? [25:13]

1. What is the “decree” pressing on life right now—a fear, setback, bad report, temptation, or disappointment—and what would it look like to respond with praise before the outcome changes? [14:24]
2. Where has life felt like the wrong vehicle lately: work, family, health, finances, singleness, grief, or something else? How might trust grow if the focus shifts from resenting the vehicle to believing God can still use it? [07:25]
3. Daniel already had a pattern of prayer and thanksgiving before the crisis came. What simple rhythm of private praise could be built into the week so that public pressure does not catch the heart unprepared? [19:19]
4. Praise starves pride by redirecting credit back to God. When praise from other people comes, is it easy to absorb it, depend on it, or quietly build identity on it? What would it look like to redirect it in a healthy and sincere way? [21:32]
5. The mouth can either carry fear or carry praise. What has been filling the conversation lately, and how has that been shaping the heart? What words of thanks or worship could be put into the mouth this week on purpose? [12:25]
6. Babylon can become Judah when God is praised there. What place in life least feels like a place of praise right now, and what would it mean to call that place holy ground by honoring God in it? [38:22]
7. “Give thanks in all circumstances” does not mean every circumstance is good, but it does mean thanks can still be offered in them. What is one hard circumstance where giving thanks feels difficult right now, and what true thing about God could still be thanked for there? [17:29]