Two of the most wonderful and powerful ways to draw closer to the Lord are through prayer and praise. Prayer allows us to speak to God in an intimate way sharing our adoration, thanksgiving, and of course our requests. And when we praise God we get to not only be emotionally excited about our relationship with Jesus but we get to bring Him glory. Charles Spurgeon summed up this thought so well when he said: “Prayer and praise are the oars by which a man may row his boat into the deep waters of the knowledge of Christ.”1
Prayer
Praying to God allows us to talk to Jesus one on one and is our chance to get to know our Savior intimately. According to E. M. Bounds: “Prayer honors God, acknowledges His being, exalts His power, adores His providence, secures His aid.”2 And the more we honor, acknowledge, exalt, and adore the Lord in prayer the more we will draw closer to Jesus and secure His aid. It’s in prayer that we can learn the heartbeat of God and carry out His will in our lives.
The more we develop a strong, vibrant, and consistent prayer life not only will we get to know Jesus better but every area in our life will be blessed. Hopefully prayer will be our most enjoyable and treasured activity of the day. John Bunyan once said: “In prayer, it is better to have heart without words, than words without heart. Prayer will make a man cease from sin, or sin entice a man to cease from prayer. The spirit of prayer is more precious than treasures of gold and silver. Pray often, for prayer is a shield to the soul, a sacrifice to God, and a scourge for Satan.”3 And David Jeremiah adds this insightful comment on prayer: “Prayer is the way you defeat the devil, reach the lost, restore a backslider, strengthen the saints, send missionaries out, cure the sick, accomplish the impossible, and know the will of God.”4
If Jesus spent so much time in prayer with the Father don’t you think we should follow His example? After all prayer produces intimacy with God and power to prevail.
Praise
Did you know when you praise the Lord you glorify His name. (Psalm 50:23) tells us: “Whoever offers praise glorifies Me…” Glorifying Jesus is the highest form of worship and praising Him is one of the best ways to exalt His precious name. Praise also opens up a whole new dimension of intimacy with God because it ushers us into the very presence of the Lord. I love what Francis Chan said about praise: “Let the very fact that you cannot know Him fully lead you to praise Him for His infiniteness and grandeur.”5 While we can never fully know God, since we are finite beings and God is infinite, praise is one of the best ways to just bask in His presence and let Him know how much we love Him.
(Psalm 147:1) says it so wonderfully: “Praise the Lord! For it is good to sing praises to our God; For it is pleasant, and praise is beautiful.” And the most wonderful thing about praising God is that it is not just based on our feelings. In fact, when things are going difficult and we are emotionally down, we can still praise God because we don’t praise God based just on how we feel but based on who He is. And since God is always awesome, praise is always the frame of mind we should be in.
As we praise Jesus and pray to Him we will be blessed beyond our wildest dreams. Praise and prayer will help us to always be in tune with God and His will for our lives. And what a privilege to know that God has a wonderful plan for our lives and that He wants to use us to do His will and bring Him glory.
In closing I pray you will take time to reflect on these precious words from Pastor Charles Swindoll: “To be used of God. Is there anything more encouraging, more fulfilling? Perhaps not, but there is something more basic: to meet with God. To linger in His presence, to shut out the noise of the city and, in quietness, give Him the praise He deserves. Before we engage ourselves in His work, let’s meet Him in His Word… in prayer… in worship.”6
1 TOP 25 CHARLES SPURGEON QUOTES ON PRAYER & JESUS | A-Z Quotes (azquotes.com)
2 TOP 25 PRAYER QUOTES (of 1000) | A-Z Quotes (azquotes.com)
3 TOP 25 PRAYER QUOTES (of 1000) | A-Z Quotes (azquotes.com)
4 TOP 25 PRAYER QUOTES (of 1000) | A-Z Quotes (azquotes.com)
5 49+ Irresistibly Praise And Worship Quotes That Will Unlock Your True Potential (quotlr.com)
6 49+ Irresistibly Praise And Worship Quotes That Will Unlock Your True Potential (quotlr.com)
Random quotes regarding prayer:
“Prayer is not a preparation for the battle; it is the battle!”
“When asked, ‘What is more important: prayer or reading the Bible?’ I ask, ‘What is more important: breathing in or breathing out?’” – Charles Spurgeon
The Tear Bottle
Unanswered petitions are not unheard. God keeps a file for our prayers—they are not blown away by the wind, they are treasured in the King’s archives. There is a registry in the court of heaven wherein every prayer is recorded. Tried believer, thy Lord hath a tear-bottle in which the costly drops of sacred grief are put away, and a book in which thy holy groanings are numbered. By and by, thy suit shall prevail. Canst thou not be content to wait a little? Will not thy Lord’s time be better than thy time?
Spurgeon
“The greatest tragedy of life is not unanswered prayer, but unoffered prayer.”