Bryant Wright, Founder

“[Jesus] said to them, ‘When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come.’” Luke 11:2

The Bible tells us that when we pray, it is important that we praise God. What is praise? First, what it’s not: it is not flattery. Flattery is when we say something good about another person just because we want them to do something for us. It may or may not be true. But praise is very different. It simply acknowledges, with no self-serving desires, the good qualities in another.

Jesus teaches us to praise God. We want to acknowledge the fact that there is a difference between God’s character and our sinfulness. Praise simply affirms who He is and reminds us what we’re not.

But there’s also a wonderful by-product of praising God. It helps us focus on the greatness of God. This lifts us above our troubles. You see, when we begin to focus on how great God really is, we realize that no matter what trial, what difficulty, what hardship we are facing, God is bigger than all of that.

When we remember that God is all-powerful, all-wise, and all-loving, our hearts find strength in Him. Praise reminds us that He is holy, righteous, and merciful. Praise clears our perspective—it takes our eyes off ourselves and our problems, and places them back where they belong: on the Lord– who is greater than them all.

So, when you pray, don’t just bring requests. Beginning with praising our great God makes our problems seem small.

DIG DEEPER
Read “The First Step in Prayer” also by Bryant Wright