Catechism: Prayer and Worship - RelationshipSample

A Matter of Perspective (Prayer of Adoration). If you stop for a moment to think about prayer—really think about it—you’ll realize that prayer is a part of a relationship that God started. He’s the one who gave us the reason to pray and asked us to practice this conversation with him. It’s mind-blowing to consider that the Creator of everything asks us to stay in close and continuous communication with him.

So when we pray, we’re responding to God’s invitation. And when we start a new conversation or pick up on an old one, where should we begin?

When you look at the patterns of prayer in the life of Jesus and in the Psalms and prayers of the Old Testament, you’ll often see a person praising God or speaking their love back to him as a way to begin or end the prayer. Because it’s an amazing blessing to talk to Almighty God, their prayers would include celebrating his character, power, and glory, and they would often worship the very name of God.

Why did they do this? Because when you purposefully proclaim God’s worth as a way to honor him, it resets your perspective. It is also affirming truth to yourself.

You see, when we praise God, we’re celebrating that we’re in a relationship with him and humbling ourselves because we need help!

His power and love in our lives can transform our circumstances, but more importantly, it can shift our perspective into seeing him truly for who he is. As you pray today, choose to praise him and allow who he is and what he’s done to change your point of view.

Consider: When someone accomplishes something big or shows kindness to us, why is it important to praise or thank them? Take a moment to list two parts of God’s character that encourage you and two blessings he’s given that you are thankful for.

Reflect: Pray for one minute and practice this type of prayer. Focus on praising him for those two characteristics and thanking him for those two blessings; and then quiet your heart and listen for his response.