2 A Prayer of Praise What's a name you associate with greatness? QUESTION 1 BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 75
THE POINT Our prayers are driven by the desire to honor God. THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE We associate one name with the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln: John Wilkes Booth. Most people have forgotten Booth had co-conspirators, but one American family can t forget. The descendants of Dr. Samuel Mudd are still attempting to clear their family name. When Booth shot the president, he jumped from the balcony to the stage and broke his leg. He escaped and made it to Dr. Mudd s farm in Maryland. Dr. Mudd set his leg and allowed Booth to rest and regain some strength. Mudd learned of the assassination the next day and alerted the authorities. Unfortunately, Dr. Mudd became a suspect. He was convicted of conspiracy and sentenced to life in prison. President Andrew Johnson later pardoned him, but a question lingered and still does. Was Dr. Mudd innocent? Samuel Mudd s descendants believe his name and theirs has never been cleared. In fact, our language now has a phrase for someone who is unpopular or questionable: His name is mud (Mudd). Our names are important to us, and we understand the importance of an honorable name. Without question, one name above all others deserves honor: the name of God. Jesus taught us to honor the name of God when we pray. 76 SESSION 2
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY? Matthew 6:9b; Psalm 96:1-3 (CSB) Matt.6:9b Your name be honored as holy. Ps. 96:1 Sing a new song to the Lord; let the whole earth sing to the Lord. 2 Sing to the Lord, bless his name; proclaim his salvation from day to day. 3 Declare his glory among the nations, his wondrous works among all peoples. Some forms of prayer are easier than others; most of us find it easy to ask for our own needs or to pray for our kids' safety. But not everyone feels as confident when it comes to offering praise. A church member sheepishly confided to me that praise was the most difficult part of prayer for her. I m sure she was relieved when I agreed! Unfortunately, praise doesn t always come easy. In the Model Prayer, Jesus directs us to place praise at the beginning of our time with God. Jesus could have said more, but He chose only one core value of praise: honoring the name of God. These words serve as a model for all future praise. Since Jesus started with this phrase, we should dive as deep toward the bottom of this ocean of truth as possible. When Jesus taught us to praise, He exalted God whose name is holy. Rather than praying God s name be made holy, His name is already holy. Our prayers are to acknowledge His voice is already holy. Praise exalts the attributes and qualities of God. When we recognize what praise is and practice it, praising God begins to flow more freely. Psalm 96 is a good example of a declaration of praise that exalts God s name. We exalt His name in three ways. 1. Sing a new song. In the opening, we see the psalmist's exuberance as he praised the Lord. What is exuberance? The psalmist said to sing a new song to the Lord." This is a call for the whole earth to praise. How does acknowledging God's name as holy make a difference when we pray? QUESTION 2 BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 77
THE POINT Our prayers are driven by the desire to honor God. 2. Bless His name. Praising God entails more than singing. We bless his name. The word bless is related to the Hebrew word for "kneeling," and can be translated as "praise, salute, or adore." We also read that God blesses His people (such as in Genesis 22:17; Numbers 6:24), implying bestowing His favor and benefits. We bless God worship and adore Him because of His greatness, power, and love. We praise and honor His name. How can we praise His name? Our names bring to mind our personalities and character. Think of the name of someone you love deeply, and a smile comes to your face because you recall something of his or her character or a shared experience that fuels your love. In the same way, God s name reflects His character. Consider the names and titles given to God. For example: God Almighty (Genesis 17:1) The Lord Will Provide (22:14) The Lord Is Peace (Judges 6:24) The Lord Is Our Righteousness (Jeremiah 33:16) We bless and honor His name for all the things His wonderful name captures: all that He is and all that He does. 3. Proclaim His salvation. God loves us so much that He reaches down to us and brings us back into a right relationship with Him. He saves us! We honor Him as we declare his wondrous works among all peoples. Psalm 96:4-6 (CSB) 4 For the Lord is great and is highly praised; he is feared above all gods. 5 For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the Lord made the heavens. 6 Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary. Where do you see God's splendor and majesty at work in the world today? QUESTION 3 78 SESSION 2
Which one of these qualities of God mentioned in verses 4-6 motivates you to worship Him? QUESTION 4 It doesn t take many news talk shows, images of terrorism, or stories about injustice to feel discouraged. Discouragement can lead to a sense of being overwhelmed by the problems surrounding us. God has given us a way to remain hopeful despite bad news by praising Him. Praising God not only honors God, it lifts our spirits, too. When we focus on the One who is greater than all, we gain the proper perspective and lose our discouragement. Praise the greatness of God. God, the Creator of all things, is greater than any trouble we encounter. Honoring and praising Him for His greatness puts every trouble in perspective. Gaze at God, but glance at my problems, rather than the other way around. It always works! Praise the beauty of God. God is surrounded by such beauty. In a world of ugliness and broken things, God is splendid. That image of Him should seep deeply into our consciousness. God is full of majesty, strength, and beauty. He is welcome relief for our weariness. He is full of splendor! Seeing God for who He is leads us to praise because no one else is like Him! Praise transforms us! In our world full of troubles, seeing God as beautiful and majestic elevates our faith as we pray. We are reminded and assured that no matter how bad our world gets, it cannot diminish our God. He is even at work in the midst of it! God is powerful and majestic, and He is worthy of our honor. BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 79
THE POINT Our prayers are driven by the desire to honor God. Psalm 96:7-9 (CSB) 7 Ascribe to the Lord, you families of the peoples, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. 8 Ascribe to the Lord the glory of his name; bring an offering and enter his courts. 9 Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness; let the whole earth tremble before him. How do we respond to the greatness of God? We give to Him the glory and strength His name deserves. He is worthy of worship. He is draped in holy splendor. His greatness should cause us to humble ourselves before Him. When you come to God with your needs, ask Him to meet those needs in a way that honors Him. When you come to Him in repentance over sin, do so with a desire to honor Him. When you ask God to guide you in a decision, ask Him to lead you to the decision that honors Him. When you come to God about a relationship, ask that God would work so that He is honored. God will answer all our prayers that lead to His glory. Whatever you ask in my name, I will do it so that the Father may be glorified in the Son (John 14:13). Visitors in Jerusalem can see the original southern steps of the temple mount, the last steps one used before entering the temple courts. These steps welcome everyone and lead up to the house of prayer. But the steps are deliberately irregular in size. One step has a depth of approximately one foot, while the next requires two footsteps because it is at least twice as deep as the previous one. The steps most likely were engineered to keep a person from rushing thoughtlessly into God's presence. Staggered steps intentionally slowed the pace of a worshiper. Before simply rushing into prayer with our needs, let s reflect on the One to whom we pray. The Model Prayer calls us to focus on God in prayer. Praise is the perfect place to begin, and it sets the tone for all our prayers to be offered with a desire to honor Him. 80 SESSION 2
How can we ensure our prayers are offerings that honor God? QUESTION 5 "Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness; let the whole earth tremble before him." PSALM 96:9 LITTLE-G GODS OR BIG-G GOD? Answer the following. Potential "gods" in my life: Why these "gods" might distort how I think God sees me: Ways these "gods" distort how I think God sees me: BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 81
THE POINT Our prayers are driven by the desire to honor God. LIVE IT OUT How will you seek to honor God with your prayers? Offer praise. Every day this week, allow a specific praise to God be your first words of the day. List attributes. List every attribute of God you can think of. Take time this week to praise Him using the list. Evaluate your requests. Write your prayer requests and evaluate them on whether they are focused on God s honor or simply on what you want. As needed, adjust the way you pray so you are seeking to honor Him. Praise elevates our own awareness of God as few other activities can do. For this reason and because God deserves it we should excel in the prayer of praise. Honor the name of God when you pray. My thoughts 82 SESSION 2