We often hear the phrase, prayer, praise, and worship but do we really consider what that means? Do we interpret what God is saying when we are instructed to pray, praise and worship Him?
Let’s break this phrase down because it is the foundation to building a healthy relationship with our God.
PRAYER
We are instructed to ‘pray,’ or ‘enter into prayer.’ Prayer is the way we submit our praise and petitions to God. It is carried out through the same way Christ used to communicate with God. To pray, we must have faith that the Word of God is real and applies to us.
According to Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary, Prayer is to be offered in the Name of the Lord, Jesus, John 14:13, that is, the prayer must accord with His character, and must be presented in the same spirit of dependence and submission that marked Him, Matt 11:26; Luke 22;42. (pp. 481)
Faith is essential to prayer, Matt 21:22; Mark 11:24; Jas 1:5-8, for faith, is the recognition of, and the committal of ourselves and our matters to the faithfulness of God. (pp. 481)
PRAISE
We are instructed to ‘praise.’ Throughout the Bible, we are told that God loves music, Paul loved to sing praise to our Lord, we are instructed to sing our praise to God as well. There are many ways to accomplish this, but in this context, it is by using scriptures in the same way as hymns and gospel music. We are to sing back God’s scriptures to Him. It is singing God’s heritage to us, as told in scripture. (pp. 479) Many expand the method by creating their own songs through the use of scriptures.
WORSHIP
Worship in context of ‘Prayer, Praise, and Worship,’ denotes that we recognize God’s authority over our lives through our praise, actions, and deeds. When we worship, we are acknowledging our dependence upon God and are being obedient to His Word.
According to Vines, worship is not confined to praise; broadly it may be regarded as the direct acknowledgment of God, of His nature, attributes, ways, and claims, whether by the outgoing of the heart in praise and thanksgiving or by deed done in such acknowledgment. (pp. 686,687)
My last Post – Divine Influence, further explains our relationship with God. To quote, “we were made for God. God loves us and wants to spend time with us. He is a loving Father and loves to hear the human voice in worship and prayer”, in short we spend time with God each time we pray, praise and worship Him. It pleases him and builds us up.
Through Prayer, Praise, and Worship, we are acknowledging His divine influence over our lives, not as doctrine but as applied action. When we use the scriptures as our guide we learn how we are to act as Christians in our daily lives, we are learning to walk in the Word.
Walking in the Word is a lifelong learning process. The earlier we begin, the more effectively we demonstrate our walk in our daily interactions.
When we understand the commitment we are making, we are better able to train our children how to live their lives as Christians. Our children will emulate the characteristics of Christ, taking them on as their own. As young, deliberate Christians grow in number and become prevalent in our society, they will advance the Kingdom of God. Their actions will change the atmosphere.
My earlier posts give direction on how to inspire our children to build a life living the Word of God. Through training our young people we will be preparing them to become Young Christian Warriors.
September
- Children Armor Up
- Helping Children Put on the Armor of God Through Prayer
- Activating the Fruit of the Spirit in Children
- Children – Fruit of the Spirit
- Core Values Early in Life
- Children – How Do You Define a Friend
October
- Children Model After Christ
- Prayer for Peace
- Children – Protected by Angels
- Children Navigate Difficult Times
- Children – New Mercies Everyday
- Children Expect God’s Blessings and Favor
- God Urges the ‘Why’ in Children
- Children Model After Christ
November
- Learn to Thank God as Part of Prayer
January
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- Protection, Freedom, The Word
- Personalize God’s Word, Psalm 91
- God’s Divine Influence
I Invite You to Join Our Community and advance the Kingdom of God.
Definitions from: Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of the Old and New Testament Words. W.E. Vine, et al. Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1996