“Why does Daniel switch from ‘I’ to ‘we’?”

September 2019 – Grace & Truth Magazine

QUESTION: Why does Daniel switch from “I” to “we” in Daniel 2:23?

“I thank You and praise You, O God of my fathers; You have given me wisdom and might, and have now made known to me what we asked of You, for You have made known to us the king’s demand” —Daniel 2:23 NKJV

ANSWER:To put this verse in its setting, we must notice that at the end of chapter 1 the LORD had rewarded Daniel and his friends for their faithfulness as they were being trained to serve the Babylonian king. He had even given Daniel understanding in all visions and dreams. At the beginning of chapter 2, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, the mightiest monarch of his day, had summoned his wise men in various occult fields of heathenism – magicians, astrologers, sorcerers and Chaldeans – to himself. He had ordered them to interpret a dream he had dreamed which had so troubled him that he had not been able to continue sleeping. When they asked him to tell them his dream, he ordered them to tell him both the dream and its interpretation. They replied that they could not interpret the dream without being told what it was. The king then told them that if they would not do so, all the wise men would be executed.

Daniel obviously had not been included among the king’s wise men, yet he and his friends were among the first ones that were to be executed. Faced with this information, in verse 16 of this chapter, Daniel asked the king for time so he might tell him what his dream had been and its interpretation. Daniel then went to his house and shared the situation they were in with his three friends, asking to “seek mercies from the God of heaven concerning this secret, so that Daniel and his companions might not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon” (v.18).

Daniel and his friends prayed together. The LORD answered their prayer by making known to Daniel both what the king’s dream had been and what it meant. Before running to the king, Daniel paused to give thanks to the LORD for graciously answering not only his prayer but their prayer, for they had prayed together. Daniel, of course, could share what the LORD had made known to him with his friends.

We have a wonderful, prayer-answering God. As Christians, we can speak to the Lord Jesus directly. Also, we are privileged to address God the Father, coming to Him in Jesus’ name. This we can do individually or together with other believers. When we pray individually we of course would say, “I pray ...” “I ask ...” or “I thank You.” When several Christians are in agreement and desire to pray together, one person should pray at a time. Since he is praying not only on his own behalf but also on behalf of the others in the group, he should say, “We pray ...” “We ask ...” or “We thank You”; and when he finishes, all should together express their agreement by saying “Amen.”

We repeatedly find believers praying together in the Acts of the Apostles. The Lord also gives us instruction in 1 Corinthians 14 about how things should be done in a godly manner when we are together as an assembly gathered to the Lord Jesus. This instruction is certainly appropriate for any time when Christians pray together. They should pray one at a time in an orderly, understandable manner, so all can join together in expressing their agreement, by saying “Amen,” with what has been spoken in prayer.

It is a privilege to be able to pray together with others. Let us follow Daniel’s example and thank the Lord for answered prayer, recognizing that He has answered not merely my prayer, but our prayer. Thank God that He hears and answers the prayers of those who belong to Him!

Answered by Eugene P. Vedder, Jr.

When wicked King Herod had John the Baptist beheaded, the disciples of the wilderness preacher had to find an outlet for their deep sorrow. They thought of the one person who would be most interested and immediately sought His sympathetic ear: they “went and told Jesus” (Mt. 14:12).

We too need to realize that when we are faced with grief or confusion we must go at once and unburden our hearts. Many a burden would be lifted if we would immediately confide in the Lord and prayerfully seek to discover the answer to our problems in His Word. —Fred Niemeyer