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A REFLECTION ON THE CANTICLE OF DANIEL (written by Willy Effinger – May 2008)
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Daniel 3: 57-90
Bless the Lord; all you works of the Lord praise and exalt Him above all forever. Angels of the Lord; bless the Lord; praise and exalt Him above all forever. You Heavens, bless the Lord; praise and exalt Him above all forever. All you waters above the Heavens, bless the Lord; praise and exalt Him above all forever. All you hosts of the Lord; bless the Lord; praise and exalt Him above all forever. Sun and moon, bless the Lord; praise and exalt Him above all forever. Stars of Heaven, bless the Lord; praise and exalt Him above all forever. Every shower and dew, bless the Lord; praise and exalt Him above all forever. All you winds, bless the Lord; praise and exalt Him above all forever. Fire and heat, bless the Lord; praise and exalt Him above all forever. Cold and chill, bless the Lord; praise and exalt Him above all forever. Dew and rain, bless the Lord; praise and exalt Him above all forever. Frost and chill, bless the Lord; praise and exalt Him above all forever. Ice and snow, bless the Lord; praise and exalt Him above all forever. Nights and days, bless the Lord; praise and exalt Him above all forever. Light and darkness, bless the Lord; praise and exalt Him above all forever. Lightnings and clouds, bless the Lord; praise and exalt Him above all forever. Let the earth bless the Lord; praise and exalt Him above all forever. Mountains and hills, bless the Lord; praise and exalt Him above all forever. Everything growing from the earth, bless the Lord; praise and exalt Him above all forever. You springs, bless the Lord; praise and exalt Him above all forever. Seas and river, bless the Lord; praise and exalt Him above all forever. You dolphins and all water creatures, bless the Lord; praise and exalt Him above all forever. All you birds of the air, bless the Lord; praise and exalt Him above all forever. All you beasts, wild and tame, bless the Lord; praise and exalt Him above all forever. You sons of men, bless the Lord; praise and exalt Him above all forever. O Israel, bless the Lord; praise and exalt Him above all forever. Priests of the Lord, bless the Lord; praise and exalt Him above all forever. Servants of the Lord, bless the Lord; praise and exalt Him above all forever. Spirits and souls of the just, bless the Lord; praise and exalt Him above all forever. Holy men of humble heart, bless the Lord; praise and exalt Him above all forever. Hananiah, Azariah, Mishael, bless the Lord; praise and exalt Him above all forever. For He has delivered us from the nether world, and saved us from the power of death; He has freed us from the raging flame and delivered us from the fire. Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His mercy endures forever. Bless the God of gods, all you who fear the Lord; praise Him and give Him thanks, because His mercy endures forever.
When I read this Canticle, my heart opens wide to the glory and majesty of God. Through the powerful words, it seems that I can really and truly fathom the marvels of God's creation and the thanksgiving proclaimed by His creatures. Praising and glorifying the Almighty morning, noon and night must be one of the greatest prayers creatures can raise up to Heaven. It seems to me that it is already “built-in” to nature, so to speak, as Holy Scripture says that “all creation groans”. Why is it that it is so difficult for us humans – you and I - the greatest of His creatures, to praise Him and to give Him thanks? Why is it that we only give thanks when good and beautiful things happen to us? In order to foster a great relationship with our God, we need to learn to give more praise. When I was in Germany for some speaking engagements this spring, I experienced this over and over again. Some of the prayer groups to whom I spoke were teens and young adults; I often heard the words: “Preised den Herrn”. For the non-German readers, this saying is an invitation for all present to give praise to the Lord. In my travels, the young lady who organized the speaking engagements on my behalf and her sister used this expression of sincere and heartfelt prayer quite regularly. With smiles on their faces, I could see that it was a genuine outcry of love to Almighty God; over time, this also made me realize how much it means in my own life. Ever since my life-changing conversion began, I began to say: “Praised be the Lord Jesus Christ, now and forever” with total inner conviction, especially after my near-death experience. Now, in every possible situation – whether good or bad – I can give praise and glory to God, for He will only allow what will help me to grow into a better person. He knows me and all my circumstances; I am confident that He will not give me more than I can bear, nor will He “snuff out a burning wick”. I believe that prayer of any kind is based on relationship; like any good relationship, it needs to build from the early stages of outside appearance and behaviour to the deep-rooted inner transformation that takes place in the heart and soul. The more one works with it, the more this relationship with God will improve and one's heart will continue to change for the better. I have seen time and time again how people who genuinely work on their prayer lives become more peaceful and all-around more pleasant to be with. Prayer should not be used to ask for instant results or to store up “brownie points” in Heaven. Prayer is not scientifically explainable or measurable. The point of prayer should be love, trust, hope and relationship. Prayer should not just be a moment of a special “high” or spiritual fulfillment – it should be a fervent act of will to connect with our Creator and to foster a deep personal relationship with Him. PRAISED BE THE LORD! All my tears, bless the Lord; praise and exalt Him above all forever. Although these words are not part of the Canticle of Daniel, it should be noted that giving praise in difficult moments is a sure way to overcome the very reason for one's flowing tears. Perhaps when you read this, you will be inspired to try this out next time your tears flow; perhaps you can also experience the deep inner peace that is gained from this exercise. Be assured that not one of your precious tears will be wasted if you offer them up to our gracious God – in fact, each and every one will become a precious gem in His crown, thanks to the praise and glory offered to Him.
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