When he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who should sing to the Lord, and who should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army and were saying: “Praise the Lord, For His mercy endures forever.” Now when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated. (2 Ch 20:21-22 NKJV)
How much adoration is there in our prayers? Recently, God has reminded me repeatedly to come to fix my eyes on Him, and to focus my prayers on praise and worship. Just like the battle between king Jehoshaphat and people of Moab, Ammon, and Ammonites, God told Jehoshaphat that the battle is not his, but His. Later, what Jehoshaphat did was simply putting up a worship team before the army to praise God, and the enemies were defeated.
A lot of times people use “prayers” to mean “supplications” as if they are interchangeable ideas. However, if prayer is a way we communicate with God, aren’t adoration, confession, and thanksgiving also equally significant? I can’t imagine if one day, when I have my own kids, all they have to say to me is what they want and need. Sadly, we often do that to our Heavenly Father.
I’ve also observed that adoration is the weakest aspect in most Christians’ prayers—we’re always making requests; we don’t have much problem counting God’s blessings; as followers of Christ, we even don’t feel it too difficult to confess our sins and ask for forgiveness. But we have so less to say in our prayers about who God is—to acknowledge His beauty, His sovereignty, His majesty, His justice, His holiness, His faithfulness, His almightiness and greatness, mercifulness and loving kindness… etc. etc.
I say so not because I am doing a good job, but exactly the contrary. However, in all kinds of circumstances, I know that God has never failed me when I decide to come adore Him, and be awed by His characters. Not that He always “solve our problems,” but through our praises, we’ll meet God Himself and be humbled, comforted, sunk into His presence, and lifted up. So, no matter what kinds of situation we are facing now, how about sparing a substantial portion in our prayers today, just to acknowledge our great God, and be renewed?