6 Devotionals On What Our Prayers Are To Include #1
Ready, Set, Go!
I Chronicles 29:11 – 14: “Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all. Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. And now we thank you, our God, and praise your glorious name.”
How do you pray? Do you need a plan? Many years ago, I was introduced to the A.C.T.S. method of praying by my wife. When our kids were in elementary school, Amy led a group called Moms in Touch. These women gathered and prayed every week of the school year for the students, teachers, and administrators of our neighborhood school. I remember hearing these ladies as they cried out to God together, working through these four areas of emphasis. Each letter of the A.C.T.S. acrostic stands for one key element of prayer: Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication.
Today, we are focusing on “Adoration,” a term that is synonymous with the word “praise.” In fact, in most translations of the Bible, the word “adoration” is not found. However, the words “praise” and “praises” are used over 200 times in the Bible.1 The words occur 160 times in the Psalms of David alone. In I Chronicles 29:13, David uses the word “praise” in one of the greatest celebrations found in the Old Testament.
In I Chronicles 29, we see David’s challenge to the leaders and people (Vv. 1 – 9), and a prayer that is filled with gratitude and adoration (Vv. 10 – 19). The setting for David’s incredible prayer of praise is Solomon’s coronation. What a day that was as David witnessed his son take the throne! Solomon was being put in place by God to fulfill the dream of building the temple that his father David wanted so much for the Lord and His people.
In David’s prayer, there are several declarations of adoration. David was known for being a man after God’s own heart because 1) David listened to God and did what He wanted him to; 2) He was resolute in his faith in God; 3) He was an open book (see the Psalms); 4) He was very thankful to God for all He had done; 5) Authentic repentance was a staple in his life; and 6) He lived out his faith consistently, committed to following the Lord after success and failure.2
David was a man of gratitude, and in his final public appearance, he begins to pray, and that gratitude leads him to declarations of adoration focused on a God Who was there for him in the ups and downs of his life. In his prayer, he had used every adjective he could possibly think of at the moment to proclaim God’s greatness throughout the heavens and the earth. David knew that God had placed His hand on his life, and the Spirit had led him to this moment, and now he was able to praise the God he loves in a major historical moment for the nation he loves. Think about this: David’s prayer of adoration has been read by millions of people for centuries.
So, as you begin to pray this week, start with praise. Start by praising God for His presence in your life, praising God for His power on display throughout your life, praising God for the wisdom He gives you every day. Praise him for the nature of His character. Praise Him for His protection and favor in your life on a daily basis. I want to warn you — Once you get started, you may not be able to stop! You would be in good company — David couldn’t get enough of praising God either:
“Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands” (Psalm 63:3 – 4).
Pastor Chuck
1 The words “praise” and “praises” are found 272 times in the ESV translation. (accessed October 10th @ biblegateway.com)
2 This list was developed after reading the online article, “How could David be considered a man after God’s own heart?” Found at https://www.gotquestions.org/man-after-God-heart.html (accessed October 11, 2020)