Prayer and Praise: Finding Joy in God40 Days of Prayer, Week One

Welcome to 40 Days of Prayer! We’re going to spend the next six weeks learning about the power of prayer and how to pray for breakthrough!

And here’s what I’m praying happens during this series…

I’m asking God to show us more about himself – his power, his love, his might, his will, his holiness, etc.

I’m praying for you to experience breakthrough in your life in areas where you may feel stuck. We declared 2017 as “the year of breakthrough” and we’ve seen a lot of it! But I hunger to see even more.

We’re praying for direction as a church. We’re asking God to be both our Guide and our Provider, knowing that our lease here ends in a year and we already don’t fit in this building very well.

I’m praying that we become a house of prayer – a church that enters the throne room of God regularly to ask big things from him for ourselves, for our community, for our nation, for the lost around us.

And Jesus is going to be our model. Many of you have heard of “The Lord’s Prayer,” which I would probably rename as “The Model Prayer,” and we’re going to read it out loud together each Sunday of this series…

Matthew 6:9-13 NIV9b Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name,10 your kingdom come,

your will be done,on earth as it is in heaven.

11 Give us today our daily bread.12 And forgive us our debts,

as we also have forgiven our debtors.13 And lead us not into temptation, 

but deliver us from the evil one.

Each week, we’re going to look at one of the six major parts of this prayer and together, they provide a framework for how to pray on a regular basis. The late Andrew Murray wrote a classic on prayer called With Christ in the School of Prayer, and that’s where we’re going.

We’re going back to school with Jesus and learning to pray the way he taught the disciples to pray. And on week five, we’ll talk about what one great pastor called “Jesus’ College Course on Prayer.”

Today, we’re talking about the power of prayer and praise.

Jesus starts his model prayer with…9b Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,

Effective prayer starts with worship, partly because God just simply deserves it, and partly because worship changes our whole perspective on life.

We often say that God planned you for his pleasure.

Question # 1 in what is called the Westminster Shorter Catechism is this…

Q. What is the chief end of man?A. Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.

God made you so he could enjoy you.And God made you so you could enjoy him.

And God is glorified when you find your greatest joy in him.

And nothing changes your perspective about life like realizing that God is fully in charge and worthy of praise. Worship is getting to know and value God.

Worship doesn’t erase our problems, but it completely changes how we handle them.

So how do you do that? How do you cultivate a life of praise and worship?

We worship in our prayers when we recognize 1.) who God is, and 2.) what God has done.

One of my favorite psalm is Psalm 103. It’s like a guide to praising God that shows us the why and the how of worship.

Psalm 103:1-22 NLT1 Let all that I am praise the LORD; with my whole heart, I will praise

his holy name. 2 Let all that I am praise the LORD; may I never forget the good things he does for me. 3 He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. 4 He redeems me from death and crowns me with love and tender mercies. 5 He fills my life with good things. My youth is renewed like the eagle’s!

6 The LORD gives righteousness and justice to all who are treated unfairly. 7 He revealed his character to Moses and his deeds to the people of Israel. 8 The LORD is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. 9 He will not constantly accuse us, nor remain angry forever.

10 He does not punish us for all our sins; he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve. 11 For his unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth. 12 He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.

13 The LORD is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him. 14 For he knows how weak we are; he remembers we are only dust. 15 Our days on earth are like grass; like wildflowers, we bloom and die. 16 The wind blows, and we are gone—as though we had never been here.

17 But the love of the LORD remains forever with those who fear him. His salvation extends to the children’s children 18 of those who are faithful to his covenant, of those who obey his commandments!

19 The LORD has made the heavens his throne; from there he rules over everything. 20 Praise the LORD, you angels, you mighty ones who carry out his plans, listening for each of his commands. 21 Yes, praise the LORD, you armies of angels who serve him and do his will! 22 Praise the LORD, everything he has created, everything in all his kingdom. Let all that I am praise the LORD.

This psalm is filled with so much truth to celebrate! God is sovereign and in charge and wins in the end. God is a healer who cares deeply about each of us. God shows grace and forgives us for our sins. God is compassionate and loving.

God wants to do big things in your life and in your world.

But he first wants to BE big in your eyes!

And if you struggle with praise, if you struggle to worship, it’s possible it’s because you don’t know him personally yet – you may not have experienced the forgiveness of God for your sins by trusting him as Savior.

Let’s start there!