Praying with Praise #2

Probably one of the biggest blessings I have received from being in leadership at BSF is their philosophy of prayer. At each leader's meeting we spend time in prayer...beginning with a time of adoration, moving to a time of praise, and ending with specific requests. It is a wonderful thing to be a part of 20 plus ladies chiming in randomly about God's greatness and giving Him thanks for a whole variety of things.

The idea behind praise/adoration is that of focusing on Who God is. It's different from thanksgiving which is generally regarding specific helps in our lives. I knew the ACTS (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) formula prior to participating in BSF, but had never actually used it as a tool. Seeing it in action (minus the confession) has encouraged me to be more diligent about it in my life.

After I wrote yesterday's post, I thought it might be helpful to give some more specific examples about adoration. Personally, most of my thoughts about that come from my readings. If I've been reading in the gospels, I may praise Him for His compassion, salvation, faithfulness, and power. If I've been reading in the Psalms, I may praise Him that He is my rock, my deliverer, and my hope. Genesis reminds me that He is creator, He fulfills His promises, and bad things work out for good. Revelation reminds me that He is triumphant, the King of Kings, and the Holy One.

Praying through His attributes or His names in scripture and their meanings is another way I spend time in adoration. Sometimes I will go through the alphabet and think of a description based on the letters: A-Almighty, B-Beloved, C-Creator, etc. Since we have a limitless God, there are a myriad of ways we can give Him glory. I hope you'll be seeking out ways and times to praise Him each day.