8. Praise and Prayer

Download: Session 8 Notes Matthew 6:9-13 the Lord’s Prayer (disciple’s prayer) begins and ends with praise. o Address God personally: “Our Father in heaven” — He is our Father. o Acknowledge His holiness: “Holy is Your name” — respect and awe. o Prioritize God’s will: “Your kingdom come, Your will be done” — prayer aligns us with God’s purposes. His kingdom is coming. o Depend on Him for needs: “Give us today our daily bread” — trust God for each day. o Seek forgiveness and extend it: “Forgive us… as we forgive…” — prayer involves relational restoration. o Rescue us from temptation: “Lead us not into temptation” o Seek spiritual protection: “Deliver us from the evil one” — acknowledge our need for God’s guidance. o Praise: For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever, Amen. Two Psalms believed to be David’s first: Psalm 59:16-17 But as for me, I shall sing of Your strength; Yes, I shall joyfully sing of Your lovingkindness in the morning, For You have been my stronghold and a refuge in the day of my distress. O my strength, I will sing praises to You; For God is my stronghold, the God who shows me lovingkindness. Psalm 7:17 I will give thanks to Yahweh according to His righteousness and will sing praise to the name of Yahweh Most High. David’s final recorded prayer – 1 Chronicles 29:1-23 Praise belongs to God alone: Psalm 150:1-6; Revelation 4:11 All creation is called to honor God because He is the Creator and Sustainer of life. Praise is not for human recognition, but for God’s glory: Psalm 115:1 – Not to us, O Yahweh, not to us, but to Your name give glory, because of Your lovingkindness because of Your truth. Hebrews 13:15-16 Through Him [Jesus] then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name. And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. We can only come to God and offer true worship through Jesus, because of His sacrifice, intercession, and priesthood. The word sacrifice implies giving up something valuable. Genuine praise often involves surrendering our time, comfort, circumstances which all seems very small in comparison to the Old Testament. Let us continually offer up – Praise is not occasional, rather it is meant to be a continual practice of believers’ lives. Just as priests in the Old Testament offered continual sacrifices, believers now offer spiritual sacrifices. 1 Peter 2:1-5 Psalm 69:30-32 I will praise the name of God with song and magnify Him with thanksgiving. And it will please Yahweh better than an ox or a young bull with horns and hoofs. The humble have seen it and are glad; You who seek God, let your heart revive. Praise expresses gratitude and remembrance: Psalm 103:1–22 Praise is a personal habit and a shared experience among believers: Psalm 34:1–3 – I will bless Yahweh at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul will make its boast in Yahweh; The humble will hear it and rejoice. O magnify Yahweh with me and let us exalt His name together. 2 Chronicles 5:13–14 – in unison when the trumpeters and the singers were to make themselves heard with one voice to praise and to glorify Yahweh, and when they lifted up their voice accompanied by trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and when they praised Yahweh saying, “He indeed is good for His lovingkindness is everlasting,” then the house, the house of Yahweh, was filled with a cloud, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of Yahweh filled the house of God. Praise is powerful and brings God’s presence: Psalm 22:2-3 O my God, I cry by day, but You do not answer; and by night, but I have no rest. Yet You are holy, O You who are enthroned upon the praises of Israel. Praise can bring deliverance and spiritual breakthrough: Acts 16:25-26 But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them; and suddenly there came a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison house were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were unfastened. Praise will continue forever: Revelation 5:11-14 Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.” And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, “To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.” And the four living creatures kept saying, “Amen.” And the elders fell down and worshiped. Speaking in Tongues gives thanks well: 1 Corinthians 14:2-4 when a person prophesy, they are speaking on behalf of God to the people that will provide edification, exhortation and consolation. 1 Corinthian 14:13-18 the word “bless” comes from the Greek “eulogeo” meaning gratitude, honor and praise to God. We get the English word “eulogize” directly from this Greek word. Eulogize means to speak well of. When we interpret tongues it is addressed to God not to men and it will eulogize and give thanks well. Acts 2:11 …we hear them in our own tongues speaking of the mighty deeds of God. Acts 10:46 For they were hearing them speaking with tongues and exalting [magnifying] God. The post 8. Praise and Prayer first appeared on Living Hope.