Praise and Thanksgiving! Our Privilege

PRAYER

(particularly Praise and Thanksgiving)

Tonight's message was on prayer. We talked about Supplications - Asking God for things we need. Intercessory Prayer - Asking for God to take care of the needs of others. Prayer in general - Praying that His will be done etc... And finally we talked about Praise and Thanksgiving - Praising God for who He is and what He has done. 

1 Timothy 2:1-4 Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, [and] giving of thanks be made for all men, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. 3 For this [is] good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. (NKJV)

It's this last type of prayer that I really wanted to make the focus tonight. In the Men's group last week we had this verse: 

“Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. “
Hebrews 13:15 NKJV

We don't "HAVE" to pray, we "GET" to pray! What an amazing privilege we have that we could offer praise and thanksgiving to the maker of the very ground we stand on.

We take much for granted, God is very good and even the simplest acts of His love towards us are amazing but we grow accustom to His goodness. It's good to be reminded from time to time of just how great our God is.

Tonight as we were closing, Emily P. had the privilege of offering the, "fruit of her lips" to the God of the universe. In Malachi 3:16-17 God says, "Then those who feared the LORD spoke to one another, And the LORD listened and heard them; So a book of remembrance was written before Him For those who fear the LORD And who meditate on His name. "They shall be Mine," says the LORD of hosts, "On the day that I make them My jewels. And I will spare them As a man spares his own son who serves him."

And so tonight, it was recorded that Emily came forth and offered to God her heartfelt thanks for His blessings to us and praised Him for who He is! Such an amazing opportunity.

And regarding our prayers He says,

"Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying: "You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth." (Revelation 5:8-10)

Our prayers make it all the way to heaven where God so cherishes them that He causes them to be saved up in golden bowls as a sweet incense, to be offered before the very throne of God! Offered up for a sweet smelling savor! And Emily's praise is there:)

Praise God!