Prayer of Praise

It’s recorded in the story that Daniel and his friends praised God after he revealed the dream to Daniel. However, it’s important to note here that when pleading, they pleaded for mercy, not for answers. They weren’t just asking God to give Daniel the interpretation of the dream; they prayed based on what they knew God’s character to be - merciful (Exodus 33:19, Deuteronomy 4:31, Psalm 69:16), and God provided an interpretation.

"Without immersion in God’s words, our prayer may not be merely limited and shallow but also untethered from reality. We may be responding not to the real God but to what we wish God and life to be like." - Tim Keller, Prayer, page 62.

Praise is the habit that reminds us of who God is (here, namely, his great mercy and faithfulness). So, we praise before the breakthrough and after!

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
- Philippians 4:6-7

Praise towards God in scripture typically follows this kind of criteria (in any order):

• Remembrance of who God is.
• Remembrance of what he has done.
• Thankfulness for what he is doing.

There are countless Psalms that follow this pattern (Psalm 9; 33; 103; and 145, to name just a few).

There is no actual petition without praise. We can see in Psalm 103 how David is bursting with praise. It’s quite easy to imagine him coming out of this place of praise in Psalm 103, to then call upon Yahweh’s name in petition to bring him deliverance from his enemies.

Prayer for today

Father, I thank you that you are to be high and lifted up, glorified and praised. I thank you that you would teach me in the prayers of petition to praise: to remember who you are as God, remember all you have done, and to give thanks for all you are doing.