Honoring God In Prayer

Topic: Honoring God In Prayer

Text: Luke 11:3

Key Verse: Jesus said to them, “When you pray, say this: ‘Father: May your holy name be honored; may your Kingdom come. – Luke 11:2 GNT

Jesus taught a prayer model that turns our attention first to who God is, the one worthy of worship. Our first activity in prayer is to worship the Father, to honor his name. Even in all earthly kingdoms, the monarch is not approached except first to honor his name and celebrate his reign. People come into the presence of royalty-bearing gifts and special presentations to entertain the king. What do you come with; complaints, disappointments, or lamentations?

Worship the Lord with joy; come before him with happy songs! Acknowledge that the Lord is God. He made us, and we belong to him; we are his people, we are his flock. Enter the Temple gates with thanksgiving; go into its courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise him. – Psalm 100:2-4 GNT

Come to the Lord with happy songs focus on what he has done before! Approach the presence of the Father, giving him credit for who he is, a righteous God, faithful God, Covenant keeper, Holy one. Remember to give thanks for all he has done.

Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the Lord, and spake, saying, I will sing unto the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.

In prayer, giving honor to the Lord boosts our faith in what God can do. We confess our hope in Him for the future by acknowledging his miracles. The bigger more powerful a throne, the greater the ability of the king to meet the needs of his people. How big is your God?

God inhabits the praises of his people. We build him a throne to dwell on as we worship him. Praising God in the face of trouble releases his power. Battles have been won simply by inviting God’s presence through praise.

Then he explained his plan and appointed men to march in front of the army and praise the Lord for his holy power by singing: “Praise the Lord! His love never ends.” As soon as they began singing, the Lord confused the enemy camp – 2 Chronicles 20:21-22 CEV

Coming to God first by celebrating his works and the power of his name, we confess our faith in his ability to reward those who seek him.

No one can please God without faith, for whoever comes to God must have faith that God exists and rewards those who seek him. – Hebrews 11:6 GNT

There are different kinds of prayer, but no prayer must be without Thanksgiving to God. While on earth, as Jesus faced impossible situations, he stood before a hungry crowd and gave thanks. At the grave where Lazarus was buried, the first thing that came to his mind in prayer was to thank God for always hearing him.

What are your reasons for being thankful? Do you consider access to God’s presence a privilege? Praising God in the face of painful situations is a sacrifice that never goes unrecognized.

Let us, then, always offer praise to God as our sacrifice through Jesus, which is the offering presented by lips that confess him as Lord. – Hebrews 13:15 GNT

Return to the Lord and say, “Please forgive our sins. Accept our good sacrifices of praise instead of bulls. – Hosea 14:2

God expects our sacrifices of praise, the fruit of our lips, more than other things we focus on. Spend time in the Word to discover the wonders of his name and the power of his outstretched arm. Take stock of your life and note God’s mighty acts, deliverances, and provisions. Celebrate him and honor him, not because of religion, but because he is worthy.

Oh, that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! – Psalm 107:8 KJV

Prayer
Father, we honor your name today; we worship you for who you are. Your throne is from everlasting to everlasting; there is none like you on earth. Take glory for all your goodness in our lives, and teach us to honor you more all our days, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Pastor Ada

Photo by Joshua Earle on Unsplash