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Prayer


RETIREDFAN1

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Prayer

 

The past few weeks, we’ve been studying worship. God has shown us how He wants to be worshipped.

John 4: 24

 

In the New Testament from Acts on, we are shown by the Apostles teaching and First Century examples what God requires of us in worshipping Him. So far, we have studied singing and the Lord’s Supper.  In this lesson we will study prayer as worship. Worshiping God in prayer involves several things.  In prayer, we should recognize that God is the one to receive all glory and honor.  We should always acknowledge our dependence upon God. We should ask for our daily needs. Finally, we should accept all of the blessings that God has provided for us by thanking Him for them. Our goal today is to understand why prayer is considered worship. Let’s start by what Jesus taught about how to pray.

Matthew 6: 9 - 13

 

Jesus is in the midst of instruction regarding prayer. He wants the disciples to understand that the traditions of the Pharisees regarding prayer are sinful. He instructs both positively and negatively. On the negative side, prayer is not to be showy, nor should it contain vain repetitions. 

 

Don’t be like the Pharisee, gloating about how much better you are than anyone else. Be like the publican, acknowledge you are a sinner and in desperate need of God’s forgiveness and mercy. 

Luke 18: 9 - 14

 

Don’t be like some people and repeat the same phrase over and over again. Prayer should be a simple talk to God. 

 

On the positive side, Jesus gave us an example of how to pray. Most people call this the Lord’s prayer. However, it is simply a model for us to follow, not something that we must repeat word for word in order to pray to God. He was instructing his disciples how to pray at that time. This gives us the basic outline for prayer today. 

 

Unlike the Lord’s Supper and the collection for the saints, prayer can be done anywhere and at any time. However, remember that worship is bending the knee in reverence to God. It is those attitudes and actions in which we dedicate and devote ourselves to God in respect and honor. In prayer we are dedicating and devoting ourselves to speaking to God.

 

When we speak to God, we must ascribe praise to Him. The word ascribe means to attribute, assign, or credit. We are to address God as our Father and attribute unto him the honor he deserves. God is honored when we call Him our Father for several reasons. We acknowledge Him as our creator. 

We acknowledge Him as our sustainer. We acknowledge Him as our provider. We acknowledge Him as our protector.

 

We are speaking words of glory and honor to God when we pray. God is worthy of our praise to Him in prayer. Note some of these great examples of praise in prayer in the Old Testament.

Isaiah 12:4-6

1 Chronicles 29:10-13

Nehemiah 9:5-6

 

When we ascribe to God glory and praise and honor we are worshipping Him.

 

Next, we acknowledge in prayer that God is the ruler of the universe and we rely upon Him. As creator of the universe, He deserves our recognition. 

Jeremiah 51:15

 

As the continued sustainer of all things, He deserves our recognition.

Colossians 1:17

 

We acknowledge God’s power in providing for our lives.  We acknowledge His power in giving us food and gladness.

Acts 14:17

 

We acknowledge His power in providing us shelter and clothing. Matthew 6:33

 

We acknowledge God’s power in providing for our salvation.

John 3:16 

 

We acknowledge His power by accepting that perfect sacrifice for our sins. 

Titus 3:4-7 

 

We acknowledge His power in providing the plan through which man can be saved. 

Romans 1:16-17 

 

We acknowledge His power in giving us His living and eternal word, so we can have the pattern to follow in our lives. 

1 Peter 1:23

 

When we acknowledge God has done these things for us, we are worshipping Him.

 

Next, we ask for things because God tells us it is ok to ask Him for things.

Matthew 7:7-8 

1 John 5:14-15


 

We ask because we know that God loves us and wants to give us good things. 

Matthew 7:9-11

 

We ask because we truly have needs for things that only God can provide.

Philippians 4:19 

Matthew 6:30-33

 

We ask because we understand that God has the power to fulfill our requests.

Jeremiah 32:17 

Ephesians 3:20-21

 

Not only do we ask God for things, we accept those things. There is a difference between taking and accepting. In accepting the great gifts that God has given us, we are thankful. We are to be thankful in everything.

Philippians 4:6 

 

When we come before God in worship to Him, we are to be thankful.

Psalm 100:4




 

God considers thanksgiving  to be our sacrifice of praise. Hebrews 13:15 

 

Thanksgiving is certainly worshiping God.

 

This morning we looked at prayer as worship. When we pray properly we ascribe to God all glory and honor. We acknowledge God as the one true and only God. We ask for the things that we need. We accept the great blessings that God has given us in thanksgiving.

 

If you are a Christian but have fallen away, ascribe to God the honor that he deserves by repenting of your sins. Ask for forgiveness. God will forgive those who ask.


 

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