Adoration

Adoration

Scripture: Matthew 6:9-13

Key Verse: Matthew 6:9

As a Christian, prayer is crucial in our relationship with God. It is how we communicate with Him about all of our needs and thank Him for all He has done. When we look at the model prayer, which can also be found in Luke 11, God wants us to take note of what is happening. He recognizes that many of us are nervous that we will pray wrong or that others of us even compare our prayers to those around us. However, He wants us to be proud of the fact that we are praying to strengthen our relationship with Him and not for show. As you continue to grow in your prayer life, God wants you to take the first step of starting your prayers with adoration towards God. 

At the opening of the Lord’s prayer, we recognize that Jesus says, “Our Father in heaven” (v. 9a).  One of the first things we should do when we are praying is identify who we are praying to. It seems kind of evident, but the world has identified other gods and in our subconscious there may be many idols that have our attention. Therefore, it is important to vocalize who exactly you are praying to. For example, it may mean that you start your prayer by calling on the name of Jesus or by calling God by one of His other names that are listed all throughout the Bible: Wonderful Counselor, Prince of Peace, Alpha and Omega, Yahweh, Jehovah, etc. By doing this, there can be no confusion in your spirit. If you choose to call God Father, then you are recognizing your relationship with God and your inheritance that you are given because of the sacrifice of Jesus. 

Another benefit to identifying who you are praying to is the fact that you are honoring God for just being who He is in your life. The second part of verse nine says, “hallowed be your name.” Hallowed means greatly revered and honored. We should be holding the name of God on a high pedestal. We must recognize that it is a name that should be treasured as holy. How do we treasure God’s name as holy? Well, it starts in the heart. When I think about all that God is and all that He has done for me and those around me, I get really excited. My heart cannot help but to rejoice. Other times, I can listen to gospel music and it will cause my heart to focus in on Him. What am I saying? You have to prepare your heart for prayer. You have to make sure that you are giving God the respect He is due, whether that includes a song or quoting scripture, before you can begin making your personal requests. It may not be an easy habit to break, but you must put the name of God first in your prayers. 

God wants to hear from you. He wants to know that He is the one that you are calling on when you pray. God doesn’t need our attention, but He wants to have it. More importantly, He wants to have a reciprocal relationship with each of us, and that begins by us recognizing His almighty power when we pray. 

Prayer: Heavenly Father, today we have come to say thank you because you are so awesome Lord. Thank you for being who you are at all times. Thank you for never giving up on us. Thank you for constantly trying to build a relationship with us. Thank you for being the Lord over my life. Lord please help me to honor you first when I pray. I want to treasure your name. It is in Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.