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Praise the LORD!
Praise the LORD, O my soul!
While I live I will praise the LORD;
I will sing praises to my God
while I have my being. (Psalm 146:1,2 NKJV)
In all of
scripture, God honors genuine prayer and praise. When we get
honest with ourselves and with God, we will see results from our
prayers. But if we waste time mumbling words that mean little or
nothing to us, how can we expect the Lord of heaven and earth to pay any
attention?
Why should
we sing or worship the Lord when we pray? Because it is good for
us to open our hearts to God's presence. The cares of the day do
not automatically leave us when we turn to the Lord in prayer.
When we worship, we allow our minds and hearts to remember how great and
wonderful the Lord truly is.
Real
worship is not empty flattery, expressed in the hopes of a better
response to our prayers. It is a genuine acknowledgment of who and
what God really is. Because our needs and concerns may at times be
overwhelming, we need to train ourselves to stop and remember just how
wonderful a gift prayer is: that the God and King of the universe should
pay any attention to mere human beings.
God hears
us because He loves us. God delights, Jesus said, to give us good
gifts. It is in His heart to help us because we are in His heart.
He is moved by compassion when we call out to Him, just as Jesus was
moved by compassion when the people approached Him with any need.
Worship
and song in private prayers is a fitting response to God's love and
kindness toward us. Expressing our gratitude and love for God is
not only natural and good, it is an effective way to combat our own
doubts and fears. As we respond in faith to God's love and
kindness, our ears become closed to the lies and mockery of the forces
of darkness that resist every good thing.
Let us
learn from David, who knew from his youth the value of song and praise
to God in meaningful prayer:
Bless the LORD, O my soul:
and all that is within me, bless his holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits:
Who forgiveth all thine iniquities;
who healeth all thy diseases;
Who redeemeth thy life from destruction;
who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;
Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things;
so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
(Psalm 103:1-5, KJV)
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