Praise and Prayer

“Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him; bless His name.”

Praise and prayer is one of the most important elements that God has given us. In prayer and praise we grow, mature and we find God’s will and we receive His blessings.

I believe that out of praise and prayer that we then begin to be ministered to, and it helps us to minister to others. Our spiritual walk and our maturity MUST have praise and prayer.

1. God is good. (Psalm 135) Talks about praising God for all He has done.

(He is worthy and deserving of our praise)

2. Our obligation (1 Thess.5:18)

“In everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

Everything? When someone dies, we don’t give thanks that the person died, BUT that God can and will work through it to bring us comfort, strength and the knowledge that “And we know that God causes All things to work together for good, for those who love God and are called according to His purpose.”

Romans 8:28

We should use our spirit, soul and whole body to praise Him.

Lifting of hands, standing, dancing, kneeling, speaking, lifting our heads, singing, clapping.

Praising God - Our First priority!

Praising God makes every circumstance of our lives complete, essential, and eminently worthwhile.

Webster defines the word praise as to say good things about, and it is synonymous to words such as admire, commend, extol, honor, and worship.

A definition of Christian praise is the joyful thanking and adoring of God, the celebration of His goodness and grace.

This simply implies that the act of praising is rightfully due to God alone.

Why is praising God important? The reasons are countless. First, God deserves to be praised and He is worthy to receive our praise:

Praising God is useful and favorable for us. By praising God, we are reminded of the greatness of God! His power and presence in our lives is reinforced in our understanding.

"Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good; sing praise to his name, for that is pleasant" (Psalm 135:3).

Praise discharges strength in faith, which causes God to move on our behalf. "From the lips of children and infants you have ordained strength because of your enemies, to cease the foe and the avenger" (Psalm 8:2).

2 Chronicles 5:13-14 clearly illustrates the alteration that happened when the Levites gave praise and thanks to the Lord and the temple was filled with a cloud signifying the glory of God.

"The trumpeters and singers joined in unison, as with one voice, to give praise and thanks to the LORD. Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals and other instruments, they raised their voices in praise to the LORD and sang: 'He is good; his loving kindness endures forever.' Then the temple of the LORD was filled with a cloud, and the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled the temple of God."

God inhabits the atmosphere of praise.

Psalm 22:3 says, "But thou art holy, O thou that inhabits the praises of Israel”

If we want to see a clear manifestation of God's blessings and grace, all we need to do is to praise Him with all our heart, our mind, and our soul.

"Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD,"
(Psalm 150:6) (If we don’t praise Him, the rocks will cry out)

Singing songs and hymns, clapping our hands, lifting our hands and heads, even dancing and jumping for joy…the list is endless. We can give glory and praise to our God with the use of our physical bodies, with our hearts and minds, and with our deeds and actions.

There are many ways to praise God! No matter how you praise and worship God, it should result in an awe of God's power, love, and grace for all of us!

PRAISE HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH FEELINGS OR CIRCUMSTANCES, IT HAS TO DO WITH FAITH AND OUR LOVE FOR GOD.

(I don’t mean to judge, however, my heart is grieved when I see the way people respond or should I say the lack of response to praise and worship.)

I have personally heard:

Music – too loud, too many songs, we have to stand too long.

Too modernistic, not enough hymns, too many old hymns

Temperature : Too cold, Too hot)

Sometimes we are in a struggle, We don’t feel well, we are facing a loss or bad news. IT IS NOT ALWAYS EASY TO ENTER INTO PRAISE AND WORSHIP.

BUT. . . If we do, our spirit gets fed, and then God will change our hearts.

THE FOCUS SHOULD NOT BE ON US, OUR COMFORT, OUR LIKES, OUR NEEDS BEING MET, IT SHOULD BE ON GOD!

WHY DON'T SOME CHRISTIANS SING PRAISES MORE OFTEN, MORE FERVENTLY?

1. Are they that selfish?

2. Hasn't God done enough in our lives to prompt us to praise Him

3. What excuse can we possibly give for refusing to praise God

for His glory and goodness?

a. We cannot use the excuse that we cannot sing

b. God "commands" all to sing, and unless we are "mute" the

command applies to us. (Make a joyful noise.)

c. Fortunately, God is not concerned with how it sounds, but

that it is coming from the heart, therefore all who can speak can and should sing!

4. Heaven is described by John in the Book of Revelation as a

place where singing praises to God and Christ is an on-going activity

a. If we don't sing praises to God on earth, though able, can we really expect to praise God in heaven?

Singing praises to God is just as important as praying to God! Perhaps our prayers would be answered more often, if we would praise God more often!

1. a. Prayer and praise are very special privileges for the Christian

b. There is not a time in our life when we shouldn't be doing one or the other

c. We must be careful not to underestimate:

1) The importance of praise

2) The power of prayer

2. But to truly benefit from these two spiritual exercises, we need to be in a right relationship with God.

a. We must know God and have accepted Jesus Christ as our personal savior.

b. Being open to God's Word: Meditating, reading, studying.

“He that turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer [shall be] an abomination.” (Prov. 28:9)

c. And being a doer of God's will:

“Not every one that says unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of my Father which is in heaven.” (Mt 7:21)

The power of prayer should not be underestimated. James 5:16c-18 declares, "The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops."

God most definitely listens to prayers, answers prayers, and moves in response to prayers.

Sometimes God says NO
Sometimes God says YES
Sometimes God says WAIT

Jesus taught, "I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you" (Matthew 17:20).

2 Corinthians 10:4-5 tells us, "The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."

The Bible urges us, "And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints" (Ephesians 6:18).

The power of prayer is NOT the result of the person praying. Rather, the power resides in the God who is being prayed to.

1 John 5:14-15 tells us, "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us - whatever we ask - we know that we have what we asked of him."

God answers prayers that are in agreement with His will. His answers are not always yes, but are always in our best interest. When our desires line up with His will, we will come to understand in time that it is for our good. When we pray passionately and purposefully, according to God's will, God responds powerfully!

We cannot access powerful prayer by using "magic formulas." Our prayers being answered is not based on the eloquence of our prayers. We don't have to use certain words or phrases to get God to answer our prayers.

"And when you pray, do not keep on meaningless repetition like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him"
(Matthew 6:7-8).

Prayer is communicating with God. All you have to do is ask God for His help.

Psalm 107:28-30 reminds us, "Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and He brought them out of their distress. He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. They were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven."

God's help through the power of prayer is available for all kinds of requests and issues. Philippians 4:6-7 tells us, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

1. Unharmonious relationship with our spouse. (Our prayers will be hindered)
1 Pet.3:1-7

4. Unbelief (unstable man) Let not that man expect anything from the Lord. James 1:6,7

5. Known sin in the heart (“Your sins have hidden His face from you so He does not hear) Your iniquities have made separation between you and your God.
Isa. 59:1-2

“If I regard wickedness in my heart, the Lord will not hear.” Psalm 66:18

6. Lacking confidence (“Without faith it is impossible to please God, for those who come to Him must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him”) Heb.11:6

c. Pray on the basis of God’s Word 1 John 5:14-15 (“Ask anything according to His will, He hears us, then we have whatever we ask.”

d. Make prayer your springboard for obedience
Be doers of the word and not hearers only deceiving yourself
James 1:22

e. Look for the answer after you’ve prayed. (Listening for God’s voice or journal, keep a diary)

f. Never quit 1 Thess.5:17 (Pray without ceasing) Matt. 7:7,8 (Ask, seek, knock) Keep on asking, keep on seeking, keep on knocking.

If you need an example of a prayer, read Matthew 6:9-13. These verses are known as the Lord's prayer. The Lord's prayer is not a prayer we are supposed to memorize and simply recite to God. This is a pattern to follow.

It is only an example of how to pray and the things that should go into a prayer - worship, trust in God, requests, confession, protection, etc.

Pray for these kinds of things, but speak to God using your own words.

The Word of God is full of accounts describing the power of prayer in various situations. The power of prayer has overcome enemies (Psalm 6:9-10), conquered death (2 Kings 4:3-36), brought healing (James 5:14-15), and defeated demons (Mark 9:29).

God, through prayer, opens eyes, changes hearts, heals wounds, and grants wisdom (James 1:5).

The power of prayer should never be underestimated because it draws on the glory, the power, the grace, and the faithfulness of our God.

a. Praise (Our Father)

b. Supplications (to ask earnestly and humbly)

c. Intercession (prayers offered on the behalf of others)

Romans 8:26 “If we know not what to pray for as we ought, the Spirit makes intercession for us.”

(I pray every morning,)

“Father, for all the things I can not remember and all the things I have forgotten, for those who I said I would pray for and those I said I am praying for, and all those that I don’t know how to pray for

I pray in tongues and bring these requests before your throne.”

“If I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful.

What is the outcome then? I shall pray with the spirit and I shall pray with the mind also; I shall sing with the spirit and I shall sing with the mind also.”

"THE EPISTLE OF JAMES"

A Call to Prayer and Praise (5:13-18)

1. As is common in many of the New Testament epistles, we find various

commands and exhortations as we draw near to the end of the epistle of James.

2. In James 5:13-18, we find a call to pray, with

guidance as to what to do and when.

I. IN TIMES OF SUFFERING, LET US "PRAY"

A. WHAT KIND OF SUFFERING DOES JAMES REFER TO?

1. The word used refers to suffering of any kind.

2. Such as sickness, bereavement, disappointment, persecutions,

loss of health or property.

3. Later, James deals specifically with sickness.

B. FOR WHAT SHOULD WE PRAY?

1. For the REMOVAL of the suffering. (2 Cor. 12:8) Paul’s thorn

2. For the STRENGTH to endure the suffering. (1 Cor. 10:13) WITH the Temptation provides the way of escape.

a. God may not always remove the source of our suffering, he allows us to go through it for our ultimate good.

“Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep Your Word.”

“It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I may learn Your statutes.”

“I know, O Lord, that Your judgments are righteous, and that in faithfulness, You have afflicted me.”

(Ps. 119:67,71,75)

Romans 8:28 “For we know that all things work together for good, for those who love God and are called according to His purpose.”

GOD DOES NOT ALWAYS REMOVE THE TRIAL OR STRUGGLE, BUT WITH IT PROVIDES THE WAY OF ESCAPE AND EMPOWERS US TO HAVE THE VICTORY

C. FOR WHOM SHOULD WE PRAY?

1. Certainly for ourselves, as implied above

2. But also for those who may be the source of our suffering

Jesus taught in (Lk 6:28) “Bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.”

(Doing this can help greatly to endure the suffering)

God will change your attitude

So in times of suffering, let us pray! It is a wonderful privilege to

pray, and a great source of comfort when afflicted.

Prayer and praise should be a part of our daily time with the Lord.

It will intimately bring us into His presence and allow us to hear His voice.