Ardor for Adoration

“. . . let us continually offer a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.” Heb 13:15

What image of God motivates your prayer life? Could it simply be the One whom we go to in order to supply what we need or the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ? The prime act of prayer should be loving adoration of God. Now, adoration has been defined as having two sides: thanksgiving and praise. What is the difference and does it matter?

At a glance, it is hard not to find a Psalm that does not rise to thanksgiving: “O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.” (Ps 106:1). The life of Christ or even the evidences through the apostle Paul’s writing testify that both were grateful people who lived in a spirit of thanksgiving. In fact, we can say that the signature of the Christ filled life is thanksgiving (1Thess 5:16).

If we were to make a distinction, however, praise lies at a higher plane than thanksgiving and if we examine our prayer life we might find that, unfortunately, it is not as frequently practiced. So, take this week’s prayer message as a coaching encouragement rather than a guilt trip! In his classic work, “Prayer”, O Hallesby states that “when we give thanks, my thoughts still circle about myself to some extent. But in praise my soul ascends to self-forgetting adoration, seeing and praising only the majesty and power of God, His grace and redemption.” Praise to God means loving Him for who He is and not just for the benefits He bestows on us personally.

This might interest you: when a person gets caught up in praise the Bible speaks of this euphoric or intense praise as “blessing”.   When we “bless” God we express jubilant praise. One notable example is found in St Luke’s gospel which concludes with the crescendo of the thrilling words of the people remaining in the temple “blessing God”. It must have been like a revival meeting where God was so real to the people, and His loving heart so tangible, that they were caught up in ecstatic praise. We were made to, “Bless the Lord, O my soul and all that is within me bless his holy name.” (Ps 103:1) Spend some time in adoration this week!