BEGIN WITH PRAISE
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy.
Matthew 6:9 NLT
TODAY’S THOUGHT
When Jesus was incarnate, the disciples watched His miracles and listened to His teachings. Not once did they ask Jesus to teach them how to perform miracles. Not once did they ask Jesus to teach them how to speak with authority and clarity. They did ask Jesus to teach them how to pray.
I believe the reason for this was that the disciples realized the power behind everything that Jesus said and did was in His personal prayer life. They saw Jesus leaving early in the morning and late at night to pray. The Son of God, who was without sin, had a regular habit of getting away to pray.
In response to their request Jesus gave what we normally refer to as The Lord’s Prayer. I personally have found this to be a great outline for prayer.
Jesus says our prayers should begin with a time of praise — “Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy.” From the King James Version, “Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name.” From the NIV translation, “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.”
This is where we focus our attention not on our needs, wants, and problems but on the person and character of our Heavenly Father. The names given to Jehovah God in the Bible are descriptions of Who He is and what He does.
He is Jehovah-Tsidkenu, the Lord is my righteousness. I give God thanks that He took my sins and placed them on Jesus and declared me to be righteous. I am righteous in the eyes of God because of Jesus’ death on the cross.
He is Jehovah-shalom, the Lord is my peace. Through Jesus God has given me peace with God, with myself, and with others. He has removed every wall of division.
He is Jehovah-shammah, the Lord is present. I am thankful that I am the temple of God, and the Spirit of God dwells in me. The Holy Spirit is my Teacher, Guide, Intercessor, and nature of God in me. He is always with me and always working in me.
He is Jehovah-rapha, the Lord is my Healer. By the stripes of Jesus, I am made whole. He purchased physical, emotional, spiritual, and mental healing for me on the cross.
He is Jehovah-Jireh, the Lord is my Provider. Jesus was willing to become poor that I through His poverty might be made rich. It is His desire that I would prosper and be in health even as my soul prospers.
This is only a partial list of the names of God. When we begin our prayer time declaring His name and thanking Him for Who He is and what He has done we discover our faith is enlarged. Our faith grows because we realize the power of our God.
TODAY’S PRAYER
Holy Spirit help me begin each time of prayer by declaring Your name over my life, family, church, and world. Help me remember to begin with praise instead of problems.
“Scroll down to share what you feel God is saying based on today’s reading.”
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