Someone said recently that she didn’t know how to pray. I remember that happened to me when my mother was very sick. I ran out of words to pray!
After all, isn’t God sovereign? Surely nothing catches Him by surprise.
He also says He is working on our behalf (Isa 64:4), and that He will fight for us (Ex 14:14.) Why then do we need to keep asking Him to do things for us? Isn’t He already doing them? I think we should BY FAITH claim these promises, and PRAISE and THANK Him for what He is doing.
The Bible says to praise and give thanks:
Hab 3:17-18; Acts 16:19-40; Ro 1:21; Phil 4:4-7; Col 4:2; 1 Thess 5:16-18; 1 Peter 2:9.
Praise is faith in action, faith in its most vigorous form.
True praise and thanksgiving actually bless and magnify God.
Heb 13:15 “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise – the fruit of our lips that openly profess His name.”
In the Sacrifice of Praise, we are sacrificing our right to the blessings we think are due us. We are also sacrificing our human desire to understand everything.
When we praise by an act of will, by our own free choice:
We “Resist not evil”. We accept the present circumstances. Resentment and self-pity are replaced by the right (God’s) perspective. We trust that God will bring eternal good out of this situation.
Then we focus on God:
We begin to praise God, taking our less-than-good situation and taking it into the presence of God. We are acting out our belief in the character of God – His goodness, His love.
Then we wait, continuing to praise, while the Spirit does the work. We are acting out our belief in the present power of God – in His participating Presence.
And as we praise and wait, often unable to see any changes in the exterior circumstances, we understand what Paul meant when he wrote, “I am become a fool in glorying.” (i.e. onlookers think we are crazy or irresponsible because we seem happier than we should be under the circumstances)
Thankfulness enables us to live in the present moment, and consciously enjoying it.
In God’s time, what He had intended all this time, will come to fruition.
A story was told about a missionary who prayed “Prayers of Praise” for her brother, Clem. She said, “5 months of praising God for Clem just as he was, was more effective than 20 years of begging God in prayer to rescue my brother.”
-Lin Chu
