The apostle Paul understood what it means to recognize our place, relative to God, in prayer. As we extol His virtues and praise Him for His power, His wisdom, His love, and His ability to bring ultimate good from any situation, we can see our own circumstances for what they are-that is, firmly within His grasp. Prayer, in its most potent form, is a daily (or twice-daily or hourly) acknowledgment of God’s place in our lives-and of our place in His will.įocusing our attention first on God helps us maintain a pleasing (to Him) sense of humility and obedience. However, when we pray in such a shortsighted way, we limit prayer’s potential in our lives. God is gracious He will respond to “emergency requests,” though not necessarily in the ways we want Him to. In such cases, prayer becomes an “assignment.” We give God a job and wait for Him to complete it. More often than not, we have a pretty clear idea of what we want Him to do. We pray in times of desperation, imploring God to do something on our behalf. Often when we turn to God in prayer, it’s in response to circumstances in our life-a medical crisis, a broken relationship, a job loss, a sense of helplessness or hopelessness. Prayer helps us recognize our place-and our purpose. We can draw from their example or use our own experiences and creativity to place our primary focus on God when we pray.
#PRAYERS OF WORSHIP TO GOD FULL#
“The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger and great in mercy” ( Psalm 145:8). “We give thanks to You, O God, we give thanks! For Your wondrous works declare that Your name is near” ( Psalm 75:1). “But You, O Lord, are a shield for me, my glory and the One who lifts up my head” ( Psalm 3:3). The psalmists offer a master class in extolling the virtues of God. Ideally, then, the bulk of our energy, passion, and creativity will go toward praising God and thanking Him for His work-in our lives and in the world around us. The first fruits of our prayer belong to God. Understanding who we’re talking to-and what a privilege it is-helps us keep our priorities straight when we pray. For best results, the boldness that the author of Hebrews recommends for approaching God in prayer should be mixed with a deep sense of awe and appreciation. It’s an astonishing opportunity, when you think about it.
Prayer grants us a personal audience with the One who created the universe, who parted the Red Sea for the Israelites, who kept Daniel safe in the lions’ den, who sent a great fish to swallow Jonah, who sacrificed His only Son, and who raised Him from the dead. If we don’t take a moment to absorb the implications of that, we can’t fully appreciate the magnitude of the event. Prayer ushers us into the throne room of God. He urges us to make the most of our access by approaching God in prayer with a sense of confidence and boldness, knowing that our prayers will be heard and answered.īy the same token, we should not be so bold that we lose sight of our surroundings. His point is that because of Christ’s sacrifice, we have direct access to God. The author of Hebrews writes, “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16). Understanding these reasons can help us maximize the impact of our worship. There are several reasons that prayer plays such an outsized role in worship. “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” ( 1 Thessalonians 5:16–18). The apostle Paul places prayer at the center of the Christian discipline of maintaining a continuous spirit of worship. What are the worship choruses we sing, if not prayers set to music? What are the praise-filled Bible passages we read aloud on Sunday morning, if not prayers recited in unison?
Prayer plays a key role in our worship of God.
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