The Prayer of Praise and Worship

The Prayer of Praise and WorshipDr. Frederick K.C. Price Have you ever watched a talented mechanic or craftsman work? He always has the right tool. You or I might strain to reach underneath an engine or struggle with pliers to put together some little piece of furniture. But for a master mechanic or trained craftsman, it seems that no task is too great. The mechanic whips out a long instrument that has a ratchet on the end, slithers it up through the crowded engine compartment, and has a bolt out in seconds. A craftsman can affix the perfect-sized screwdriver head to an electric drill and assemble a complex-looking bookcase in minutes. If you talk to these people, they will always tell you that it is critical to use the right tool. A screw won't come off easily with pliers--if at all, and you can't drive in a nail with a screwdriver. This principle is critical when it comes to prayer. Many Christians aren't aware that there are several different types of prayer discussed in the Bible, and if you use the rules or tools from one prayer when you should be using the tools from another prayer for your needs or your request, it won't work. You would be applying the wrong spiritual tool to your needs or your request. Consider what Paul wrote to the Ephesians. He concludes a long section in which he urges the Christians at Ephesus to "put on the whole armor of God" (Eph. 6:11), then to "stand" (v. 14), saying this should be done by "praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit" (v. 18). Notice that Paul tells us to pray with "all prayer." This refers to all kinds of prayer, or to put it in a different way, Paul is saying there are different kinds of prayer.A failure to understand that there are different kinds of prayer and that they don't all do the same thing has let some ministers to claim we cannot pray correctly at all, or to conclude each prayer with "if it be Thy will." They frequently use Romans 8:26 as a proof text to show that we do not know what we need, so, in essence, we can't possibly pray correctly.It is for this reason that we must know from the outset what the different prayer tools are--to know a ratchet from a screwdriver, as it were, in the realm of prayer. We have no problem understanding that baseball, basketball, and soccer all have different types of balls, different paying surfaces, and different rules. Why is it so hard to think that prayer is any different? In fact, there are six different types of prayer mentioned in the Bible, and God intended them for different functions.THE PRAYER OF PRAISE & WORSHIPIn this prayer, you are not asking God to do something for you or to give you something. You are not even asking for direction and dedicating your life to whatever it is God has called you to do. Rather, you just want to praise the Lord, to thank Him for His many blessings and mercy. You want to tell Him how much you love Him. A good example of this type of prayer appears in Luke 2:20, discussing the reaction of the shepherds who had seen the baby Jesus:Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them. This means that it happened just as the angel of the Lord said it would. In Luke 18:43, we see the blind man "glorifying God. And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God." Ostensibly, they prayed prayers of thanksgiving.Look at how Jesus prayed in John 11:41 "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me," referring to His previous prayer regarding Lazarus. Paul wrote to the Philippians: "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God" (Phil. 4:6). This says that even when we pray the prayer of faith, we should always intersperse worship and praise.The prayer of praise and worship is the only prayer that you are permitted to direct to Jesus rather than the Father. It is perfectly acceptable to say, "Thank You, Jesus, for Your love, Your sacrifice, Your obedience, and Your perfection. Thank You for saving me." In John 15:16, Jesus said, "You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatsoever you ask the Father in My name He may give you." All petition prayers are to be directed to "the Father, in Jesus' Name." No exceptions!In the prayer of consecration and dedication, you are asking God for His direction--not Jesus. But in the prayer of praise and worship, you are free to address the Son directly and thank Him for His sacrifice, His courage, His consistency, His mercy, and His love