Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Prayer Pointers


How do you pray?  What do you pray for?  Why do you pray?  Many pray for protection for their loved ones.  Others pray for help for themselves or others when faced with difficulty.  Most certainly, people pray for forgiveness for their sins against God and their fellow man.  As Christians, we ask God for a lot.  Many of us, out of faith, lay all of our burdens at his feet because we know in our heart of hearts that the Lord will provide for us and protect us according to His will. 

What about praise?  Praise is the most important, yet the most overlooked, part of prayer.  Praise means giving back to the Lord for all of the blessings He showers into our lives every day.  The definition of praise is “to express warm approval or admiration of.”  But in the case of God, our praise should look more like exaltation.  Make it a heartfelt expression of respect, gratitude, adoration, and reverence. 

 In the NIV Bible, the word praise appears 296 times.  The Lord desires our praise and wants to hear how much we love Him.  Let Him know you love Him and how thankful and grateful you are for all that He has done for you.  Personally, I like to start my day with a prayer of praise and thanksgiving for all He has blessed me with and for the new day and new opportunities ahead. 

Finally, when you are spending time with the Lord, don’t do all of the talking.  Prayer should include quiet time where you can be still and listen to what God has to say to you.  This marvelous time in the presence of the Almighty God is best spent as a communication, not a list of requests. 

Many Blessings      

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