Life is a Garden Party

Thursday, March 9, 2017

Adoration Praying

The Lord's Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done on earth,
as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts,
as we forgive our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory,
forever. Amen.

Matthew 6:9-13

Adoration Praying

Prayer is often expressed regarding requests or petitions.
Today we'll learn another way to pray - a prayer of adoration.
The Lord's prayer in Matthew 6 will be given as an example -
concentrating on its 5 points, using our 5 fingers as a model.

The basis of prayer is to worship
through growing our personal relationship.
By giving God glory for who He is,
we mature in what we know about who God is.

1. Our Father, who art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.

God, who is our personal Creator,
longs to be our personal Father.
Our Father...hallowed be Your name.
There are many facets to God's name:

as this verse reminds us, God is Holy.
His ways are true and pure - always, only.
His name is to be revered or worshiped,
not taken in vain as commonly heard.

He is our God Who Sees Us, our Healer,
Immanuel or God With Us, our Provider,
our Peace, our Rock,
our Shepherd, our Hope.

Isaiah uses these names for God:
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Prince of Peace, Everlasting Father.
And just think, God had a plan to become our Savior!

When you pray, thank and praise God for His names.
Just saying God's hallowed, holy names,
brings blessed peace, assurance, and comfort
to whatever causes turmoil or hurt.

How great is the love the Father has lavished on us,
that we should be called children of God!
And that is what we are!
I John 3:1

2. Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done on earth,
as it is in heaven.

Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, "not my will, but thine be done."
As we mature in our faith journey, one of our daily prayers will become
a prayer for God's will to prevail in our personal life.
Seeking God's will will prevent much anxiety, angst, and strife.

When we pray, we should pray that our desires or will,
including our fickle emotions, line up with God's will.
Our prayers should include thankfulness that God is in control
no matter what daily burdens trouble the soul.

Our God is in control
though troubles may burden your soul
He allows both major and minor
in His perfect harmony... (Andre Crouch)

Thank God that He knows what is best,
even those times that feel like a test.
Those are times when God is maturing you,
growing your faith and developing trust too.

Many are the plans in a man's heart,
but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails.
Proverbs 19:21

3. Give us this day our daily bread.

Thanking God for our daily blessings is another reason to pray.
What an honor to give God, the Creator, glory throughout the day.
The Bible gives us many examples where people prayed and God answered.
The Bible also contains verses that simply state, "Praise the Lord!"

Verses of petition
and verses of adoration.
May our daily prayers be filled with praise and worship,
more so than prayers of constant asking from our lips.

Thanking God comes from a heart of gratitude.
Gratitude greatly affects one's mood.
Others will see our joy
which thankful hearts employ.

Point 3 begins with "Give us."
God's desire is to bless us.
One way is through daily provisions.
Not just our needs, but our wants are given.

We expect others to say "thank you."
What a privilege to tell God "thank you."
God delights to hear from you.
He's waiting to hear your view.

Counting our blessings should be a continual dialog
as we commune each day with our heavenly Father, God.
Our first thought is the morning should be worship or praise
and our last thought before sleep should be thanking God for our day.

The eyes of all look to you,
and you give them their food at the proper time.
You open your hand
and satisfy the desires of every living thing.
Psalm 145:15-16

4. And forgive us our debts,
as we forgive our debtors.

We just learned to praise our giving God for our daily blessings.
Now we'll learn to thank our compassionate God for His gift of forgiving.
When we recall how God has forgiven us,
it will make it easier to forgive and trust.

Point 4 states "forgive us" and "as we forgive."
No one is immune, it means all of us who live.
All of us need daily forgiveness.
Thankfully God is a God of grace.

We are to imitate Christ
by becoming Christ-like.
That means forgiving those who have knowingly and unknowingly wronged us.
It's a matter of the heart, otherwise bitterness will consume us.

The next verse right after the Lord's prayer talks about forgiveness.
Over and over in the OT, God's people asked for forgiveness.
Because God is abounding in love and compassionate,
He graciously forgave each time His people asked.

When was the last time you thanked God for forgiveness?
Or His gifts of endless mercy and amazing grace?
Do we find it easier to worry and complain
or to offer a sacrifice of praise in Jesus name?

But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God,
slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.
Psalm 86:15

For if you forgive men when they sin against you,
your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
Matthew 6:14

Let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise -
the fruit of lips that confess his name.
Hebrews 13:15

5. And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.

Have you ever thought to thank God for temptations?
Keep on praising God will help you to overcome giving in.
A temptation is an opportunity to prove our faithfulness.
Resist that temptation through prayer, then watch how God will bless.

Remember you are at war
with the enemy of your soul.
God has given you the arsenal needed to win.
Prayer and God's Word will keep you from giving in.

Thank God for His leading,
His Holy Spirit within,
who warns us of dangers
and protects us from trouble.

Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.
James 4:7-8

In conclusion, prayer should become a doxology of praise.
A time to give God glory, for He is the Creator of all our days.
Prayer: a time of worship,
to grow in relationship.

For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory,
forever. Amen.

For from him
and through him
and to him
are all things.
To him be the glory forever.
Amen.
Romans 11:36

Once we learn the 5 points of adoration,
our every breath will become appreciation
as we daily grow in personal relationship -
developing a lifestyle of an attitude of worship.

Praise the Lord, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits -
who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,
who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagles.

Psalm 103:2-5

You may attest after learning to pray prayers of adoration,
that God will multiply blessing upon blessing.

Datura

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