Lift 'em up! (Empower Me! Prayer Series 7 of 15)

The Prayer of Praise and Worship.

Prayer is much more than asking God to do or give us things, or change circumstances (known as the prayer of faith).  An example of another kind of prayer is the prayer of praise and worship.  

Now in the church that was at Antioch there were certain prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.  As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”  Then, having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away.  So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus.  Acts 13:1-4 NKJV

In this passage, look at the phrase "as they ministered to the Lord and fasted."  Ministering to God is not asking for something, not seeking for Him to change something, or wanting Him to do something.  That word in the original Greek comes from a word that means to be a public servant.  To minister to someone (or God), according to Merriam Webster dictionary, means to give aid or service.  

The prayer of praise and worship is how we minister to God.  No, this is not the same as when we go to church and praise and worship.  When we go to church for praise and worship, we are usually wanting to receive.  In the prayer of praise and worship we are there to serve (through praise and worship) our God.  To serve, means that we are sing praise and worship solely for the Glory of God, not for ourselves.  

This does not mean that God will not speak to us through the Holy Spirit during this time.  Look at the passage above.  After they ministered to the Lord and they fasted, the Holy Spirit spoke.  

The prayer of faith is scriptural.  God's Word tells us to ask and receive.  However, there is also a place for the prayer of praise and worship.  

I saw a cartoon once of a man sitting at a desk in heaven, sort of like a secretary.  On each side of his desk sat a basket.  One basket was labeled 'requests,' and the other was labeled 'thanks'.  The requests basket was so high that I could not see the top of it.  Bags of letters on the floor surrounding the desk were overflowing with requests also.  On the other side of the desk sat the basket for the letters saying thanks.  This basket had just a few letters sitting within it, not even enough to fill the basket.

Our circumstances and our life needs are right in our face most of the time.  Therefore, they are first and foremost on our minds when we go to God.  How much more important is it to say Thank You, and go to Him with only praise and adoration, sharing with Him our love.  

What if your best friend came to you everyday, day and night, asking for this and asking for that;  never saying thank you, never spending time with you developing a relationship, never having good times with each other.   Your best friend would not be your best friend for long.  

Often times, there are circumstances well beyond our control, and we do not seem to understand why we do to see the answer to our fervent prayers of faith.  

Take a moment to think of a situation where you did not see the answer to what you asked.  When this happens, take a look at the amount of quality time you spend with God, in His Word, and ministering to Him through praise and worship.  Just like with the church in Antioch, after a time of ministering unto the Lord, the Holy Spirit manifests.  It is during this time that can often see answers to our previous prayers, and even answers to prayers we have not even asked yet.  

God wants to fellowship with His children and meet the desires of our hearts.  However, He will not force us to spend time with Him.  It is a decision we make.