Seeking for the help of the Lord, I direct your prayerful attention to Daniel chapter 6, and reading from our text, verse 10, specifically the last clause. We'll read the whole verse. Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house, and his windows being opened in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God as he did aforetime.

Daniel 6 verse 10 and specifically gave thanks before his God as he did before time. When we recently had our Thanksgiving services at Cranbrook, and I gave a harvest report or just a brief of the Lord's goodness to us, and in making those comments, it suddenly came to me, but what if the harvest hadn't have been good? Would we still have a thanksgiving? Would we have something to thank the Lord for? Or do we only thank the Lord when everything goes well and is right? And I said to the friends in our home, we'd still be able to thank our God, even if it wasn't a good harvest. But it's something to think about, isn't it? And that's what led me to this verse in Daniel.

Here is Daniel, and he knows that this decree has been signed, that shall consign him, if he continues to pray and to call upon his God, within that 30 days he shall be cast into a lion's den. How could it have been a more darker situation? We've sung of it in our middle hymn. That dark way, that path of tribulation, the path that our Lord went, but here is Daniel. And what do we find him doing? And gave thanks before his God as he did aforetime. It didn't change. He kept doing it. And what struck me as we read this, and I know when we give out for the prayer, I think I said it here, let us come before the Lord in prayer. But it struck me here and gave thanks before his God, not gave thanks to his God, He was giving thanks to God, but what a reminder that when we pray, when we are giving thanks, we are before our God.

Later on in the chapter, we have the men that had accused him, they're coming again, they come before the king. And they say this Daniel, he's making supplication before his God. Well, it doesn't take much imagination to see these princes, these counselors coming before the king. The king is there. They come into his presence and they speak before him. But what a picture of Daniel and of us coming before God in prayer. that His presence is there. We are in His presence. We are presenting our petitions. We are presenting our thanks. May we think of this each time we come in prayer. We're not only praying to God. We're not only giving thanks to God. We're coming before our God. May we remember that and what a privilege it is to come before his presence with thanksgiving. We have it many times in the Psalms that sometimes we can overlook it. What a wonderful thing it is that the God of heaven and earth permits sinners to come before him. If we wanted to go before the king of England, I'd say, no, no, not you, not the rabble. You've got to have an invite. You've got to be a certain person to come before me. But the king of kings, he said, no. You can have court, you can come before me. And so here is Daniel.

In the vestry here, one prayed that we might in everything give thanks. And yes, even in these situations, and what a thing it is when we think of things in our lives, you say, can I give thanks in that? To give thanks at all times and in everything. Well Daniel is an example of this. This is what he is doing. How can one in the presence of death give thanks like this? No truly there is a real knowledge of God. A looking beyond man. and looking to God who is over all. And Daniel is a wonderful, wonderful example to us.

Now we are told in Matthew, Matthew chapter 10, the Lord makes it very clear of days of persecution that shall come. He says in verse 16, behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves, Be ye therefore wise as serpents and harmless as doves, but beware of men, for they will deliver you up, not might, they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues, and you shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake for a testimony against them and the Gentiles. But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what you shall speak, for it shall be given you in that same hour what you shall speak, for it is not ye that speak, but the spirit of your father which speaketh in you.

Days of persecution. We read about them in the scriptures, but we know that those days will come and in parts of the world already There is great persecution and for the faith of Jesus Christ. I wanted to speak then this afternoon or this evening on firstly preparation for days of persecution. The persecution is not now. How can we prepare? for those days. And then secondly, where we are to look to and continue to be looking to now and in times of persecution. We're told very clearly that Daniel is opening his windows towards Jerusalem and that is where he is looking, where he is praying. There's a lesson to us here. And then this last word, that Daniel, he gave thanks, giving thanks in dark days. That's what's really on my spirit. Whether it be persecution or maybe in our own individual pathway, in the tribulations and in the trials, have we had those times when there's gaps in our thanksgiving? Because it's dark, because it's hard, because we're despondent and we're low. It's giving thanks in those, how do we?

Well firstly then, preparation for days of persecution. The first one I would say is denying ourselves. If we were to look at the beginning of the book of Daniel, When Daniel is taken as a captive, and he is offered the king's meat, and he refuses it, he denies himself. He will not defile himself with the king's meat. This is not someone else saying to him, Daniel, you can't have this. It's Daniel saying, because of my faith, because I will not be defiled with this a king's table, I am going to deny myself. Before ever man says you can't do this, before ever man says don't do this or take something away from us, we're used to the discipline of the self-denial. You know, our Lord says that if any man will follow me, let him take up his cross deny himself, it is a denial of self and more in submission to the Lord. In the first preparation, it is that discipline like Daniel had right at the beginning of his captivity.

The second thing will be the fear of the Lord. The fear of man bringeth a snare. But our Lord says, fear not man, that after he hath killed, there's no more that he can do. But I'll forewarn you who you shall fear. Fear him, after he hath killed, hath power to cast both body and soul into hell. Fear him. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. And we can see, again, with Daniel's friends, When they were faced with the burning fiery furnace, they said to the King Nebuchadnezzar, remember the description here is full of fury, and they say, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. They knew that the Lord would deliver them. either from the burning furnace, but certainly would deliver them out of his hand. Even if it was through death, it would be delivered out of his hand. And we know how the Lord wonderfully delivered them, that the fire had no power over them and that he was with them in that burning fiery furnace. They had the fear of God. God was very real, more real to them than Nebuchadnezzar in all his fury before them. If we would be prepared for days of persecution, may the Lord be very real to us and we have a real filial fear of him and know who he is that shall take away that fear of man. We see man as he really is and of course later on The Lord humbled Nebuchadnezzar so that he knew that God ruled and not man.

The third thing is to know the scriptures. Now the Bereans, they search the scriptures daily whether these things were so.

There's many today, I think it's a sad thing of today, many that profess church of God, they don't read their Bibles, they don't know the Bible, they don't know the scriptures.

But if we are to enter into days of persecution, we think of in other nations where they're not allowed to have openly the word of God. And we hear of some that they divide amongst the congregation pages of the Bible. They memorize it. When they come to their assemblies, there's no Bible there. And if they're raided, they don't see the Bible, but the Bible is read because one of the brethren will stand and they'll read it from memory.

But the emphasis is that they know the word of God. And we are to know also what is recorded in it of those who have gone before us. How did they actually act through times of persecution? How did Joseph act? How did he get on? How did Daniel, the very portion that is with us? Paul doesn't withhold from saying all of the persecutions and troubles that he went through. Peter and the apostles, how that when they'd been taken by the council and let go, they went and returned and gave thanks that they were counted worthy to suffer for his name. And we're reading these very real accounts.

Stephen, who was the first Christian martyr, died in professing the truth before those who should have known the truth and known the word of God and been upholding it. And we read these accounts of those who've gone before us, a cloud of witnesses, if you like, to God who has been with them. in tribulation.

Then we could go maybe outside the word of God. You read the Fox's Book of Martyrs and you can read of those who in gospel days have suffered for their faith and walked in that path. But especially the scriptures, the inspired word of God, God has seen fit to record these individuals who walked through this path, endured these trials. So maybe really know the scriptures and know the precious truths of them, the promises of them. Peter especially is very helpful, very encouraging. And I've personally been blessed through his word in persecutions at work in that way. In 1 Peter and chapter 3, we read there, if you suffer, For righteousness sake, happy are ye, be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled, but sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, or set him apart. Be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear. He says, having a good conscience that whereas they speak evil of you as evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.

And he leads on then to Christ And to his example, on their part is evil spoken of, on your part is glorified. In these ways, the apostle is doing what the Lord said, when they are converted, strengthen thy brethren. The apostle who said, though all men forsake thee, yet will not I, and yet denied his master three times, he is strengthening the people of God with these truths.

maybe really know the scriptures, especially relating to the practical walk of God's people in an ungodly world. Our Lord says in John 17, I have given them thy word and the world hath hated them. That's all you need for the world to hate and persecute is to have the word of God and to set it forth. So not only is a preparation for days of persecution to know the word of God, but it's actually a way that persecution will come in a righteous way, a right way. It's a solemn thing, isn't it? If we say, well, we've never been persecuted, we've never had anything against us. Well, have you ever brought the word of God to bear? in the situation, or do you keep it away, away from your work, away from your employment, away from your friends? Or does the word of God so much with you?

You know, with Daniel, those that accused him, they knew about his religion. They knew about how he served his God. They knew also, thinking of our afternoon subject, of his righteous, godly, upright life, the fruits of righteousness. They could see that they couldn't find a fault. So they sought to find something to trip him up in his serving of his God.

Another preparation is to develop habits, good habits. Our text says this. He kneeled upon his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God as he did aforetime. If we didn't know what we were to do in persecution, the answer really is continue doing what you were doing before. And if you were to say, well, I didn't have any regular set worship times, I didn't have any places where I went that now I won't go, it's a good thing to have regular, regular times of prayer, regular times of worship, regular times of coming to fellowship in the house of God. Things that you actually marked out beforehand, so that you don't ever ask, what do I do in persecution? You do what you are doing a full time. It's a good thing. You think of even a parent train up a child in the way that he should go, that when he is old, he will not depart from it. And in one sense, with our own devotions, our walk, our practice, instead of it being haphazard, there's a discipline to it. There's that which we could walk in our text and do just what Daniel did, doing what we did a full time.

Another preparation is, even in times when we're not persecuted, to not be quick at jumping to our own defense. We are like that, aren't we? Someone does something against us and our reaction is, I'm going to reward him. I'm going to go against that person. I'm going to defend my honour, my reputation. That's our thought. You think of the contrast with David. At one time, he went and asked Nabal for provisions for his men. And Nabal wouldn't give them. So David says to his men, you all get on your sword, and he was going to kill everyone of Nabal's household. And Abigail heard what had happened, and she went and stopped him. And David blessed her for preventing him from going and shedding blood. A very quick spirit he had then to avenge what he saw as an injury to him. And he'd watched over all of his neighbor's shepherds, and this was reward. He wouldn't give him his food.

But you contrast that with this same David under the chastening hand of God. Now he is king. Now he has had the reprieve from death, and yet he has the sword that shall not depart from his house. He's under the chastening hand of God, you might say the rest of his life. An Absalom has risen up against him, and David is fleeing up out of Jerusalem, and as he goes along the way, there is Shimei casting stones and dust. and saying all manner of evil against him, and saying that God is bringing all this evil against him. And Abishai says, let me go over and take off his head. But David says, let him curse. For the Lord hath bidden him. It may be the Lord will requite me good for his cursing this day. Is that the same David? Is that the same David? What grace, what a difference, bowing. under the chastening, disciplined hand of God. God had humbled him, and it's good discipline for us. Our own nature, old nature, always wants to avenge, always wants to rise up for our defense. But grace is humble before the Lord. Let him curse. The Lord hath bidden The Lord will requite me good for his cursing. And that's a good preparation.

If we are to have a meek and lowly spirit, a spirit like our Lord, it doesn't come just as a switch on when persecution comes. It's a lifelong, it's learned, as the Lord teaches through smaller, say, trials and tribulations and dark paths.

Therefore our instruction, Maybe also know and love the truth of God. Very often with persecution, it can be averted if we give way to the truth. You think of those that were put to death for their faith from the Roman Catholics. If they'd had accepted the mass, then their lives would have been spared. Those who have been killed by Muslims, if they had denied their Lord and their Christian faith, then they would have been spared. If we don't have a very clear knowledge of the truth and what is vital, what is precious, then we'll easily give it away. We're to love the truth and hold fast to it. That is good preparation for times when that truth is assailed, that we know what is to be held fast.

And then there's the living, like we said this afternoon. Like Daniel's life was known as living righteous, Godly lives. If you suffer for righteousness sake, happy are ye. But if we're not living righteous lives, that's not a preparation for that.

Now years ago when it came in that we had to have no smoking signs put on our chapel doors, There were some that said, ridiculous, no one smokes in our chapel. We don't need to do that. Don't put up the signs. And I said, no, we put up the signs. Yes, none of us smoke. And it seems to be not necessary. But they have made that a law. However much we might disagree with it, we're going to obey that. There'll come a day, one day, when the government will make laws of which we cannot go along with them. They contradict God's laws. And then we'll say, no, we're not doing it. The government will come down on us and say, you're not obeying, you're not doing what we told you to do. And we'll say to them, now look. You gave us this law, you gave us this no smoking sign, see that sign there? We complied with this health and safety, we complied with this, we complied with that, but this we cannot. So you've got to track record that they can't accuse you of being anti-government, anti-law, and it's focused on this is different. This is against the law of our God. And so in preparation for persecution, May we lay up in store, as it were, a track record of obedience to them that are in authority over us where we can, and walking godly lives so that it can be said, like with Daniel, we cannot find any fault with this man. Nothing except in the law of his God will we trip him up. We cannot trip him up in anything else. What a witness, what a preparation for times of persecution.

No doubt there are many other things that you could think of and there are those that I want to join with in our second point which of course is also vital. And so secondly where we are to look and continue looking We have with Daniel, when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God as he did before time.

His windows toward Jerusalem. What was in Jerusalem? Well, 47 years before this time, the temple had been destroyed. And it was that temple that Solomon had made, and when dedicated, he said, heaven of heavens cannot contain thee, how much less this house that I have built. Will God in very deed dwell upon earth, he said?

Well, God did come. Earth came to the second temple when the second temple was built the prophets encouraged those who were downhearted That the Lord said the glory of this latter house shall be greater than the former And in the latter house our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ Came to that temple. He walked in that temple, but he said destroy this temple and And in three days I'll raise it up again. And he spake of the temple of his body.

The temple was setting forth our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He that was to come, Daniel, who spoke of him that was to come, and our Lord who spoke of those that looked for salvation in Jerusalem. It was the expected. that this is where the seed of the woman, this is where the son of David should come and where he should suffer, where he should die, where he should rise again. And this is where Daniel is looking, not at the type, the type had been destroyed, but the great antitype. That is where he's looking to the Lord.

How vital we look in the right place. And this, of course, is part of that preparation, looking, looking to what the temple set forth, looking to the Lord Jesus Christ. One vital preparation is to look that we be saved. No man they can kill the body, but they cannot kill the soul. But when persecution comes, what comfort will it be if we do not personally know the Lord?

Now we know that we cannot give ourselves faith, we cannot give ourselves eternal life, but dear friends, oh, hear the word. Those of you who do not know the Lord saving thee, do seek him while he may be found. Call upon him while he is near. Before these evil days come, that we enter upon them knowing that our soul is safe.

We do not just know about the Lord Jesus Christ, but we truly do know him ourselves and walk with him. To know that he came and suffered, bled, and died for us. In Isaiah 53, we have him as a root out of dry ground. There's no form or comeliness that we should desire him. If one in that condition suffers persecution because they have attended a chapel or because they've been brought up under the sound of the truth, are they going to be willing to lay down their life for one they do not know and do not value and do not love? And of course, we read of Paul writing to the Corinthians though I give my body to be burned and have not charity, then that is nothing. It is empty, it is worthless.

We cannot, by our standing, by our works, purchase heaven at all, but it is to know him who did suffer, bleed and die for us, who was persecuted, who did lay down his life. That is a vital thing. Daniel is looking there. And in all these days, these days that we have, days of freedom of association, freedom of worship, freedom of gathering, free to have the word of God, may that really be impressed upon us. Those of you who know not the Lord, you'll cry, be Lord that I might know thee. Teach me about thee. Show me thyself. How vital it is.

I always think of my dear mother. She brought us up under the sound of the truth. She died of cancer when she was 61. I was 25. And I believe she had been blessed when she was 19. She wouldn't let go of what she had that hope. But she didn't have assurance. And in the last week or two of her life, She was blind. She was praying out loud throughout the night, used to creep down the corridor, write down some of her petitions. The most urgent petitions I've ever heard someone put up, crying that Lord would open the ark and take her in. One of the hymns that she had referred to in letters quite a few years before was one of the hymns that speaks of how the earth can quake. All things show some sign except this unfeeling heart of mine. And that's what she had felt, felt for many years. Maybe some of you feel like that.

But when faced with death and faced with eternity, the Lord had given her such urgent crying and such constant prayers. When the Lord came and he blessed her, And then there was this quiet, and all she could say was that he is altogether lovely. And she said, there's a line in one of our hymns, I'm a miracle of grace. You'll find it, I think, in the second verse of hymn 158, I'm a miracle of grace. And that was her testimony. And such a difference between her cries out to the Lord to save and to bless her and then the peace and the speaking of the Lord and the preciousness of the Lord. Very big difference.

But may the Lord give us that and we ask the Lord for that. You say, I can't without the Spirit. The Lord says, If ye being evil know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?" Ask him. Ask him for the Holy Spirit. Ask for his teaching. I will be inquired of by the house of Israel to do it for them. Ezekiel 36, and you look at those things in that chapter, to take away the hard heart, to cleanse us, to renew us. All of the things that we need as guilty sinners, and we're seeking unto the Lord.

You know, Daniel here, times of persecution, he's looking to the Lord, but he'd been looking to the Lord all along, and that's where we need to look, all of us. Continually, none can save us but the Lord Jesus Christ. None can do what he can do. Other refuge have I none, hangs my helpless soul on him. If you believe not that I am he, you shall perish in your sins. There's none other name given among men whereby we must be saved.

It is in the preaching of the gospel that poor sinners are to be drawn unto Christ. You know, our Lord is set forth in the scriptures so, so beautifully, so lovely, so gently, such a contrast to the law. The law and terrors do but harden, says the hymn writer. And in Hebrews 12, we have it, you not come unto the mount that might be touched or burned with fire, you come unto Mount Zion. And the gospel is so different. The law by Moses came, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. And the blessings of the gospel is that poor sinners come and the Lord does everything. And they look to him for everything.

And in lifting up the Lord, we would show forth his praise. We would show his character. He came not to destroy men's lives, but to save them. And he welcomes poor sinners. The blessed thing it would be, through the preaching of the word, you're drawn to the Lord Jesus Christ. You want to know him. You want to love him. You would serve him. You want to be with him forever and ever. And this the spirit gives, to please God through the foolishness of preaching, to save them that believe. That's why we preach. That's why we set forth Christ. I hope that's why you've gathered, that you might hear of Christ and be drawn to him and to be saved, not in a fatalistic way, well, if I'm being saved, I'm saved, if I believe, I believe not, but to be of real earnest. Lord, save my soul, deliver my soul. Leave me not to go from one Thanksgiving to another in just the same careless, indifferent state and condition, if that has been like that for the last year. May the Lord stir you up to be in need and to really cry. I cannot do it for you. Parents cannot do it for you. You cannot do it for yourself, but God can. And he can and he does through the preaching of the word and through the word of God. And the Lord touch your heart and bring you into concern. That is all to his honor and glory.

What a solemn thing, if not. If our souls are lost eternity and banished from the Lord, It's a terrible thing to contemplate what it is to not know the Lord, to not be saved. If we are to be prepared for persecution, prepared for death, prepared for anything here below, we must know the Lord, savingly know the Lord. I want to come to our last point. and gave thanks. How did Daniel give thanks? In this situation with death facing him, how can he add this? And gave thanks. It's not even mentioning, Lord deliver me from the lions. He's not even saying, save me. He's not making any petition that is written in the inspired word, but just thanks. How can that be so? We're thinking of what we've just said about the soul. If we truly are saved, man cannot touch that soul, that precious life he cannot touch. And we are to give thanks for that. Give thanks for that. Our Lord says, as a heavenly shepherd, none can pluck them out of mine hand. My father is greater than I. None is able to pluck them out of my father's hand. Is not that a cause for thanksgiving, in persecution, in trial?

Another cause is a remembrance of Romans 8, verse 28. know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them that are the called according to his purpose. Many of us have found that those all things is not working together to give us a nice home and health and strength and wealth. Remember the first time the Lord dealt with me, and after I'd been through this trial, I thought there's been no profit materially whatsoever. But then I discerned there had been spiritual profit. There had been blessing for my soul, and that so humbled me. I thought, Lord, thou dost think so about my soul, that has brought through all of these providential things, all these things, only to teach me about thee, and to give me spiritual blessings. That was worth more to me than any worldly thing that could have been given or done. That the Lord was teaching me. When the Lord begins to teach and brings a person into his school, he'll never leave that person.

Another reason to give thanks is that intimated in lamentations. He has not dealt with us after our sins deserve. When the Lord really shows us what we deserve, we say, yes, though it's a black, a great trial, a deep trial, it's not really what I deserve. He's been so lenient, so gentle, so kind, so forbearing. The lass is steeped, he on me lays, yet softened in his blood. the balancing of those clouds.

Another reason for thanks is that God does not change. He's the same when things were bright and cheery, same when we're under blessing, as when we have his frown, as when providence frowns, when we're in the furnace and the trial, he's still the same. Jesus Christ, the same yesterday and today and forever. And we can give thanks for that. We can also give thanks, like we've sung, that here is a coming into fellowship with him. We might hear of people going through operations, going through pain, going through bereavement, and we're sorry for them. But then we're brought into the same path. And then how different we feel. And the Lord will have his people have fellowship with him in his sufferings. If they've done these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry? If they have persecuted me, they will persecute you. These are the Lord's words. And we're then to give thanks that the Lord has brought us into paths that have unlocked to us Some think of his sufferings, given us some fellowship with him in his sufferings. We're not strangers to him. We mentioned of the apostles as they went from the council in Acts 5, and they rejoiced, they gave thanks that they were counted worthy to suffer for his namesake. They gave thanks, may we give thanks. And here is the knowledge of the scriptures as well. Knowing what God has recorded of his people also suffering and giving thanks in that suffering and in the persecution. These are cause for thanksgiving.

There's also that expectancy that through these things, and is partly joins with Romans 828, that we shall grow spiritually. It will be for our profit, that he for our profit.

Who is he that shall harm you? He be followers of that which is good. The thanks then, is also to be given for his promised help, his promised grace. My grace is sufficient for thee. Whatever he brings his people through, he will not lay upon men more than they can bear or more than he'll give them grace to bear.

Those martyrs, Daniel, those who've gone before, The Lord gave them grace to help in time of need. And when we have, as Imreiter says, each Ebenezer I have in review, that is cause for thanks. He is the same gracious God. He is the God who is our God. Daniel's God.

Daniel, even under this threat of death, this persecution, and he goes. And he looks toward the Lord. He comes before his God. And he does the same as what he did aforetime. And we read of how the Lord delivered him, how the Lord saved him. May this be then a cause of thanksgiving for us.

I know there are some times in our lives that we really struggle. We struggle. And we struggle to give thanks. And if there are any of you walking through paths like this now, maybe a help to you, a strength to you. Those dark clouds, those things that seem so mysterious and so dark, that which we sang of in our first hymn. We need these helps or the hymn 320. We need those helps. We need those blessings to realize the Lord is in control. and he will deliver us and he will save us.

May we help to go on giving of thanks. With thanksgiving, like Daniel here, gave thanks before his God as he did aforetime. Amen.