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The Lord's Prayer begins and ends with praise. Giving praise to God helps us
to understand just how awesome He really is! We should praise Him for how powerful
He is. We should praise Him for how giving He is. We should praise Him
for how loving He is. We should thank Him for all that He has done, is doing
and will do for us as His children. And the list goes on....
In the New Testament Paul tells of giving thanks to God:
"We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we
pray
for you, ... and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you
to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For he
has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom
of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." -
Colossians 1:3,12-14
"For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord
Jesus
and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you,
remembering you in my prayers." - Ephesians 1:15-16
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the
Father of
compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles,
so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves
have received from God." - 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
We are actually commanded to give praise and thanksgiving to God:
"Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a
sacrifice of
praise - the fruit of lips that confess his name. And do not forget to do
good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased." -
Hebrews 13:15-16
"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all
circumstances,
for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." - I Thessalonians 5:16-18
"Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be
shaken, let
us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our
'God is a consuming fire.'" - Hebrews 12:28-29
"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
Let your
gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about
anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving
present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all
understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." -
Philippians 3:15
In the Old Testament one can find passage after passage of praises to
God; especially in the book of Psalms which is packed with chapters on the
praise of God and His power and glory. Here are two examples:
"O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have
set your glory above the heavens. From the lips of children and infants you
have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the
avenger. When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon
and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful
of him, the son of man that you care for him? You made him a little lower
than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You made him
ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet: All
flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the
fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas. O Lord, our Lord, how
majestic is your name in all the earth!" - Psalm 8
"Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy.
How
awesome is the Lord Most High, the great King over all the earth! He subdued
nations under us, peoples under our feet. He chose our inheritance for us,
the pride of Jacob, whom he loved. God has ascended amid shouts of joy, the
Lord amid the sounding of trumpets. Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing
praises to our King, sing praises. For God is the King of all the earth;
sing to him a psalm of praise. God reigns over the nations; God is seated on
his holy throne. The nobles of the nations assemble as the people of the God
of Abraham, for the kings of the earth belong to God; he is greatly exalted."
- Psalm 47
In John 16:6-24, Christ prays for his disciples -
that God would protect
them from the evil one as they went out into the world to spread the Word -
and for those who would hear their message and come to believe that God had
sent his son to save the world. Christ prayed for others and so should we.
We are commanded to pray for others:
"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate
your
enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute
you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven" - Matthew 5:43-45a.
"Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.
And pray for
us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim
the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it
clearly, as I should" - Colossians 4:2-4.
"I urge, then first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession
and
thanksgiving be made for everyone - for kings and all those in authority,
that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.
This is good, and pleases God our Savior who wants all men to be saved and to
come to a knowledge of the truth. ... I want men everywhere to lift up holy
hands in prayer, without anger or disputing" - 1 Timothy 2:1-4, 8.
We are also given examples of praying for others:
"Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends
his
greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm
in all the will of God, mature and fully assured" - Colossians 4:12.
"I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my
prayers.
I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father,
may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him
better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order
that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his
glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us
who believe" - Ephesians 1:16-19a.
"For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole
family in
heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches
he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so
that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you,
being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the
saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,
and to know this love that surpasses knowledge - that you may be filled to
the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do
immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is
at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus through
out all generations, for ever and ever! Amen" - Ephesians 3:14-21.
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