Praying with Praise

I was part of a brief conversation the other day on the topic of prayer. It was mentioned how hard it is to take the time to praise and adore God prior to jumping into requests. I can totally understand how natural it is to do that, especially if you have a lot of hurting people/trials in your life. But, I've come to see that prayer isn't so much about us as it is about God.

If you ever come across a prayer in the Bible, the prayer often begins with exalting the Lord. When we spend time in praise, thanksgiving, and adoration, we give God glory which is our primary purpose. We also change our perspective when we reflect on how great our God is. As we marvel about Who He is, our trials and hurts are reduced because we see God rightly - He is big enough to take care of what concerns me, He is strong enough to overcome the obstacles that are in my way, He is wise enough to lead me along the right path, He is loving enough to desire my perfection rather than my ease.

So, if you only have a short time to pray, I encourage you to spend most of it in giving glory to God...and trust that He knows and can accomplish what concerns you even without your asking. But, of course, the ideal would be to have plenty of time for both. :)