If you would like to view, download, and print the complete transcript, click here.
Lord Teach Us to Pray: Adoration!
Luke 11:2-4, “He said to them, “When you pray, say:
“Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. 3 Give us each day our daily bread. 4 Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.”
This, you recognize as the Lord’s Prayer. Slightly different from the words of Matthew 6 which is what we typically recite. The passage in Matthew comes from Jesus’ sermon on the mount. What we find here in Luke is a private time Jesus had with His disciples.
If we look at that passage, we find a question from the disciples. Take a look:
Luke 11:1, “One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”
The disciples recognized that they needed to be taught to pray. And if they needed to be taught, how much more do we need to be taught?
But before we dive in, I have a story to share.
George, age 92 and Edith, age 89 are all excited about their decision to get married. They go for a stroll to discuss the wedding and on the way, they pass a drugstore. George suggests they go in and he addresses the man behind the counter.
“Are you the owner? “The pharmacist answers, “Yes”. We are about to get married. Do you sell heart medication?” “Of course, we do.”
“How about support hose for circulation?” “Definitely.” “What about medicine for rheumatism, osteoporosis and arthritis?” “All kinds.” “How about waterproof furniture pads and Depends?” “Yes, sir.”
“Hearing aide, denture supplies, sleeping pills, Geritol and Ensure?” “Absolutely” “You sell wheelchairs, walkers and canes?” “All kinds and sizes. Why all the questions?” George smiles and replies to the pharmacist, “we’d like to use your store for our Bridal Registry.”
In the Lord’s prayer there are several elements that Jesus teaches His disciples. There is adoration, obedience, confession and supplication.
Today we are going to look at the role of adoration in our prayers. Adoration focuses exclusively on God’s character and attributes.
It’s not confessing or asking, it’s simply declaring who God is.
Adoration isn’t thanksgiving either. In giving thanks, it is for what God has done for us. Adoration centers on who He is regardless of what He has done for us.
The Hebrew word for adoration is “shachah” which appears 172 times in the Old Testament. It means “to bow down” or “prostrate oneself.”
The Greek word is “proskuneo” which appears 60 times in the New Testament. Both words paint a picture of complete surrender.
Prayers of adoration may contain any of these three components:
- Acknowledgement of God’s nature! Such as His holiness, power and eternal existence.
- Declaration of His deeds! Such as creation, redemption or miraculous works.
- Expression of reverent awe! This might be demonstrated by one’s physical postures like bowing or lifting hands.
The elders in heaven are a great example of beings who worship in adoration.
Revelation 4:11, “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”
Now, to be in heaven with God in your presence, it is probably pretty easy to pray a prayer of adoration. But what about when your world is falling apart?
Do you remember Job? He lost 10 children and his wealth in one day. How do you think he responded? Check out this prayer of adoration spoken immediately following the loss of his wealth and his children.
Job 1:20-22, “At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship 21 and said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.”
22 In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.”
This is the way of a godly man! When tragedy falls he turns to the Lord and praises Him!
The Scriptures are full of prayers of adoration. I’m going to ask _____ to come and read the prayer of Moses which took place following God’s provision in the Red Sea crossing. As ___ comes you may have seen recent archeological findings of chariot wheels on the bottom of the Red Sea.
Exodus 15:1-18, “Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the Lord:
“I will sing to the Lord, for he is highly exalted. Both horse and driver he has hurled into the sea. 2 “The Lord is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him. 3 The Lord is a warrior; the Lord is his name.
4 Pharaoh’s chariots and his army he has hurled into the sea. The best of Pharaoh’s officers are drowned in the Red Sea. 5 The deep waters have covered them; they sank to the depths like a stone.
6 Your right hand, Lord, was majestic in power. Your right hand, Lord, shattered the enemy. 7 “In the greatness of your majesty you threw down those who opposed you. You unleashed your burning anger; it consumed them like stubble.
8 By the blast of your nostrils the waters piled up. The surging waters stood up like a wall; the deep waters congealed in the heart of the sea. 9 The enemy boasted, ‘I will pursue, I will overtake them. I will divide the spoils; I will gorge myself on them. I will draw my sword and my hand will destroy them.’
10 But you blew with your breath, and the sea covered them. They sank like lead in the mighty waters. 11 Who among the gods is like you, Lord?
Who is like you—majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?
12 “You stretch out your right hand, and the earth swallows your enemies. 13 In your unfailing love you will lead the people you have redeemed. In your strength you will guide them to your holy dwelling.
14 The nations will hear and tremble; anguish will grip the people of Philistia. 15 The chiefs of Edom will be terrified, the leaders of Moab will be seized with trembling, the people of Canaan will melt away; 16 terror and dread will fall on them. By the power of your arm they will be as still as a stone—until your people pass by, Lord, until the people you bought pass by.
17 You will bring them in and plant them on the mountain of your inheritance—the place, Lord, you made for your dwelling, the sanctuary, Lord, your hands established.
18 “The Lord reigns for ever and ever.”
Hannah, who had waited so long for a child, prayed a prayer of adoration upon the arrival of Samuel.
1 Samuel 2:1-10, “Then Hannah prayed and said:
“My heart rejoices in the Lord; in the Lord my horn is lifted high. My mouth boasts over my enemies, for I delight in your deliverance. 2 “There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.
3 “Do not keep talking so proudly or let your mouth speak such arrogance, for the Lord is a God who knows, and by him deeds are weighed. 4 “The bows of the warriors are broken, but those who stumbled are armed with strength. 5 Those who were full hire themselves out for food, but those who were hungry are hungry no more. She who was barren has borne seven children, but she who has had many sons pines away.
6 “The Lord brings death and makes alive; he brings down to the grave and raises up. 7 The Lord sends poverty and wealth; he humbles and he exalts. 8 He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes and has them inherit a throne of honor.
“For the foundations of the earth are the Lord’s; on them he has set the world. 9 He will guard the feet of his faithful servants, but the wicked will be silenced in the place of darkness. “It is not by strength that one prevails; 10 those who oppose the Lord will be broken. The Most High will thunder from heaven; the Lord will judge the ends of the earth. “He will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed.”
Throughout the Psalms we have psalms of adoration. For example:
Psalm 103:1, “Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.”
And this Psalm goes on for 22 verses.
Psalm 145:1, “I will exalt you, my God the King; I will praise your name for ever and ever.”
And this Psalm goes on for 21 verses. You can simply read these Psalm’s back to God.
In the New Testament we find a 15-16 year old girl, who had just been told by an angel that she would give birth to the Messiah. Her response was a song of adoration.
Luke 1:46-55, “And Mary said:
“My soul glorifies the Lord 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48 for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, 49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me— holy is his name.
50 His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. 51 He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. 52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble.
53 He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. 54 He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful 55 to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he promised our ancestors.”
Mary’s song focused on 3 of God’s attributes, His power, holiness and mercy.
Paul, in his letters would slip into the most beautiful phrases of adoration.
Romans 11:33-36, “Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!
34 “Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?” 35 “Who has ever given to God, that God should repay them?” 36 For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.”
Or in his letter to his young disciple, Timothy.
1 Timothy 1:17, “Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.”
We have already seen one example out of Revelation in which the elders around God’s throne prayed. Here are a few more:
Revelation 5:9-10, “And they sang a new song, saying:
“You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation. 10 You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.”
In Revelation 7 there is the song of the redeemed and then this one:
Revelation 15:3-4, “and sang the song of God’s servant Moses and of the Lamb:
“Great and marvelous are your deeds, Lord God Almighty. Just and true are your ways, King of the nations. 4 Who will not fear you, Lord, and bring glory to your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.”
Those are just some of the examples of prayers of adoration in Scripture and to them we add our prayers of adoration.
Adoration is so important that we begin every staff meeting and every elder meeting first with prayers of adoration before we even mention a single prayer request. Only after we have spent time in adoration do we turn to bringing our requests to God.
So, one key is to set times when you pray a prayer of adoration. Some people set aside times in the morning, at noon and in the evening. Set times always bring you back to that point of adoration.
You might also use triggers to remind you to pray in adoration. It might be a view of the lake or a cluster of trees that remind you of Him. For me it’s when I take Maisie out at night that I am reminded of the greatness and glory of our creator. When I see the stars in the sky I can’t help but declare His glory.