pour out praise

As Christians, we are taught to pray. We know Jesus taught us to pray.  Prayer is very important. I want to be better at praying. I try to start my day with prayer because that tends to give me a better outlook for my day. My days tend to run smoother and my attitude tends to be better when I have taken time to pray in the morning.  I am learning that prayer is also not just a one time a day activity. It is also a lifestyle.  1 Thessalonians 5:17 says, "Pray without ceasing."  We need to have an attitude or life style of prayer. This means we are ready and able to quickly turn to prayer at any moment, in any circumstance. I can go through my day and be talking to God as I go. This is changing my responses to struggles, trials and difficulties. I am trying to talk to God first, rather than letting the fear, emotions and other things take over. Is it easy? no.  Am I good at it? No. Am I getting better at it? Yes.

One thing, though, that God has been working on me about prayer is that I often turn it  into a list of requests. I make lists of needs and rattle them off asking and asking for answers. This is not necessarily wrong  as the Bible teaches us to make our petitions known and in 1 Peter 5:7 to cast our cares on Him.  We all have needs and we all have concerns. We know people that have needs and concerns. We can bring these needs to God and make them  known. He knows what we need before we even ask (Matthew 6:8).

He wants us to come to Him.  He has the answers already in mind.  

The one thing God wants me to remember in my prayer is praise.  I need to focus on the praise, not the worry.  We often have a lot to ask for and may forget to spend time in praise.  We have access to the Almighty God through prayer. He is worthy of all praise. Praise is how we should begin and end prayer. Jesus, himself, taught this in the Lord's Prayer.  "Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be your name."  (Matthew 6:9) When we focus on praise, we begin to focus more on who He is, what He can do, and is doing, rather than our problems.  We recognize His power and authority rather than our fear.  We see how small our circumstance is in comparison to His greatness.  The perspective of praise changes how we pray and how we approach God.  

Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come before him: worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.

1 Chronicles 16:29 KJV

We can approach God in worship and praise rather than in request of help and fear of not getting what we need.  Praise creates faith and boldness to declare victory. Praise creates peace in the storm. Praise creates knowledge of how good God is. 

King David wrote many Psalms with this perspective. He did come with some complaints and concerns. He poured out his heart to God.  But, he always turned to praise of the great, good God.  You can read through Psalms and find many examples of how we need to approach prayer as praise.  We can pour out praise over our concerns and circumstances and find that God is good and He is working out all things for our good.  We can praise Him before the storm, through the storm, and after the storm.  He deserves more praise than I can ever give.  I want my lifestyle to be one of prayer. I want my prayer to be filled with praise.  I want praise to become my first thoughts and my first words each day, rather than words of fear and worry.  May praise pour out of us daily, minute by minute.  May praise be my response to all things. May God hear my praise and find it as sweet incense before his throne.  May we always recognize His greatness and His goodness in every moment. I want to pour out praise. 

Make a joyful noise unto the Lord , all ye lands.  Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing.  Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.  Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.  For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.

Psalms 100:1‭-‬5 KJV