The Value Of Praying With Praise

Good morning and welcome to our daily walk!

Audio version at http://tinyurl.com/yrbktm

This devotional by Justin Morton.

Will Rogers once said, “The trouble with our praying is, we just do it as a means of last resort.” Too many times I am afraid that we are guilty of only praying to God when we or someone we love is in need. Often times it seems that people today use prayer as a last resort.

This morning I would like for you to see the value of praying with praise. When we pray, many times we are making request to God about issues that are on our hearts. I want to challenge you this morning to offer up more prayers of praise to God. Think about all the wonderful things God has done for you. He is there to listen and answer our prayers. He is there to help us when we or a loved one is sick. He is even there to help us when we find ourselves in critical moments of our lives. God deserves for us to pray prayers of praise.

Not only has He been there for us, but He also has delivered us. God delivered us from the depths of sin when He sent His son Jesus to die in our place (Jn. 3:16). He sent His son to pay the price for your sin. He sent His son to die in your place. Why you ask? All because of His great love for you (Rom. 5:8). God deserves to be praised.

David has left us a great example of praise in the book of Second Samuel. In chapter 22, we see David’s praise for the deliverance God has given him from his enemies. It appears that there was not just one event in his life that produced this psalm of praise. It appears that there were many because of the phrase “all his enemies” (v.1). It was during this prayer of praise that David thanked God for his deliverance, having recognized God was the one who gave him victory and deliverance.

How many times have we prayed for something that God has provided? Perhaps more times than we are able to count. Yet, with each passing answered prayer, it seems that little praise is offered to the one who made everything possible. I want to challenge you this morning to be people who understand the value of praying prayers of praise to God. He deserves it.

Many times throughout the book of Psalms, we read the phrase, “Praise the Lord.” The reason we read this phrase so much is because the psalmists understood that God was the one who brought about deliverance, help, hope and strength. It was because of God that the psalmists had reason to rejoice. It’s the same way for us today. When you look deeply inside your life, you will see all the wonderful blessings that God has provided for you. James said, “Every good gift and every perfect gift comes from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning” (1:17). The wonderful blessings you and your family enjoy each and every day are no coincidence. They are blessings that have been provided by God the Father.

This week we have tried to look at the value of prayer in a different light. We looked at how praying for yourself is of great value because it allows you a chance to speak to God about your personal issues and struggles. We saw how valuable it is to pray for others because the “effective fervent prayer of a righteous avails much” (Jam. 5:16). It is also of great value to pray during critical moments of your life. Jesus did and so should we.

We have also seen the importance being steadfast in prayer and praying for the right results. It is my hope and prayer that this study has been of some value to your prayer life. As we close this week though, I hope that you will see the value of praying prayers of praise. God has done so much to bless your life. As the song says, “God is so good.” You owe it to Him to offer up prayers of praise from time to time.

Thought for the day: “Don't pray when it rains if you don't pray when the sun shines.”

- Satchel Paige, 1974

May God bless you in your daily walk!