Prayer and praise
Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth! Worship the Lord with gladness. Come before Him, singing with joy. Acknowledge that the Lord is God! He made us, and we are His. We are His people, the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving; go into His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him and praise His name. For the Lord is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and His faithfulness continues to each generation. (Psalm 100:1-5 NLT)
Have you ever considered how you pray to our Lord? Some people repeatedly lift up prayer requests yet fail to express admiration, praise, and gratitude. Perhaps they expect God to fulfil their needs and desires without demonstrating any love for Him. But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God's very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for He called you out of the darkness into His wonderful light. (1 Peter 2:9)
God created us to praise Him. Our worries and concerns are of great importance to Him, but He also wants us to come to Him with a worshipful heart, not an attitude of self-centeredness.
When we praise our Lord, our focus shifts to Him - then we will recall His greatness, grace, goodness, mercy, love, and faithfulness. We are told to praise Him joyfully (Psalm 100:1), continually (Psalm 34:1), corporately (Psalm 108:3), and wholeheartedly (Psalm 111:1). Remember Paul and Silas praised God in the midst of pain and imprisonment (Acts 16:25).
Take some time to reflect on God's mighty work of salvation in your life. Instead of approaching our Lord with a list of requests, simply praise Him for His grace, faithfulness and righteousness. When your heart is full of praise, worries dissipate and you will trust God to provide for your needs in His own timing.
