My Prayer Is An Offering To God

I. EXORDIUM:

How often do you pray?

II. AUDIENCE PROFILE:

Believers

III. OBJECTIVES:

To show that being busy is not an excuse not to pray, because we don't need to neglect offering to GOD thru our prayers and uplifted hands.

IV. TEXT:

Psalms 141:2 (Amplified Bible)

141:2 Let my prayer be set forth as incense before You, the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.

V. THESIS:

Praise, worship and thank You very much, LORD JESUS, for my prayers and uplifted hands are offerings and sacrifices to you and because of You I am made a living sacrifice.

VI. TITLE:

My prayer is an offering to GOD

VII. EXPLICATION:

A. Authors: Authorship of many is uncertain, generally attributed to King David.

B. Date written: c. 1440 to 450 B.C. ( From Moses to Ezra)

C. Purpose: 150 songs to praise and worship GOD

D. To whom written: Sometimes to GOD, sometimes to author

E. Main Themes: praise and worship, prayer and praise

VIII. MAIN BODY:

A. My prayers as incense before GOD

"Let my prayer be set forth as incense before You,"

Our prayers are offerings to GOD, that He will accept.

Proverbs 15:8 (Amplified Bible)

15:8 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination, hateful and exceedingly offensive to the Lord, but the prayer of the upright is His delight!

Prayer or "tephillah" in Hebrew meaning:

1. intercession, supplication

2. a hymn, prayer

Incense or "qetoreth" in Hebrew meaning:

1. fumigation - the act of smoking or applying smoke.

2. sweet incense, perfume

GOD's perfume are our prayers, the righteous prayers, so let us not hesitate in lifting our hands to GOD and offering Him prayers every moment of our lives, because He is pleased by them.

Psalms 5:3 (Amplified Bible)

5:3 In the morning You hear my voice, O Lord; in the morning I prepare [a prayer, a sacrifice] for You and watch and wait [for You to speak to my heart].

When you pray you offered GOD already a morning offering, when you lift your hands you offered GOD evening sacrifices, if this can all be done in the Old Testament how much more if we do it in the New Testament of grace. I believe GOD allows tribulations and trials to pass our life so that we will pray to Him and ask Him for help by our prayers GOD is well-pleased. Don't think that GOD is like a man who does not want to be disturbed but He is not a man, He wants our prayers.

Numbers 23:19 (Amplified Bible)

23:19 God is not a man, that He should tell or act a lie, neither the son of man, that He should feel repentance or compunction [for what He has promised]. Has He said and shall He not do it? Or has He spoken and shall He not make it good?

1 Timothy 2:8 (Amplified Bible)

2:8 I desire therefore that in every place men should pray, without anger or quarreling or resentment or doubt [in their minds], lifting up holy hands.

Revelation 8:3-4 (Amplified Bible)

8:3 And another angel came and stood over the altar. He had a golden censer, and he was given very much incense (fragrant spices and gums which exhale perfume when burned), that he might mingle it with the prayers of all the people of God (the saints) upon the golden altar before the throne.

8:4 And the smoke of the incense (the perfume) arose in the presence of God, with the prayers of the people of God (the saints), from the hand of the angel.

B. Uplifted hands as evening sacrifice

"the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice"

Lifting up or "maseth" in Hebrew meaning: raising it all up, collection, burden.

Believers that lack in prayers or not prayerful are stressful people because they carry their own burden.

1 Peter 5:7 (Amplified Bible)

5:7 Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully.

Philippians 4:6 (Amplified Bible)

4:6 Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition (definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God.

Sacrifice or "minchah" in Hebrew meaning:

1. apportion

2. bestow

3. a donation

4. bloodless and voluntary present or sacrifice

Ezra 9:4 (Amplified Bible)

9:4 Then all those who trembled at the words of the God of Israel because of the offensive violation of His will by the returned exiles gathered around me as I sat astounded until the evening sacrifice.

Daniel 9:21 (Amplified Bible)

9:21 Yes, while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the former vision, being caused to fly swiftly, came near to me and touched me about the time of the evening sacrifice.