Entering Into Prayer

Psalm 100:4

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise; be thankful unto Him and bless His name.

This word from the Bible tells us how to approach God.

Symbolically in your own home you can do the same.

As you prepare to meet the Lord in prayer, ( as He sits in His Holy Temple) you will enter the gates that surround the temple, with thanksgivng in your heart for all He has done for you, for all He is going to do for you. 

Name those things He has done for you, out loud.  Tell Him how appreciative, grateful and thankful you are for each thing He has given you, or done for you. 

Do you have a partner, a sibling, a relative, mother or father or friend, a pet? It's every little thing you would not have if He did not exist. Thank Him.

Then begin to praise Him for His Creation - the work of His hands, for His Law that holds all things together, for His Omnipotence and Omnipresence, for the Cross, for Salvation and the new work He is doing in you.

There is so much to praise Him for. He has a Plan for evil and it will be carried out in His time.  He is a God who is good all the time.  Perfect Justice will be carried out in all our lives.  No-one can escape it.

The Bible says that we can bless his name.  It is Jesus the Son of God, the Christ, Jehova God. How amazing that a worm such as we are, has been given the right to bless Him.

The Bible says that He is worthy to be praised.

Revelation 5:11 the Disciple John says he saw the following, in a vision while imprisoned on the Isle of Patmos.  

And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders:and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands and thousands.

Verse 12.  Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.

Verse 13 (an excerpt). Blessing, and honour, and glory and power be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb forever and ever.

These are the same words we can use, if we find none come to us because we wouldn't know where to start.

After these formalities or protocol for addressing the King, we can then make our desires and petitions known to Him.  We would have His full attention because we have shown Him we understand who He is and who we are.  His love for us is activated to help us when we approach Him this way.

We will not be able to say the words if we do not believe.  That's just how it is. I knew someone once, many years ago who said, " I would never raise my hands in church to a God who needs my praise."

Yet this person had no problem going into a Christian church and standing when the songs of praise were sung, and listening to the sermon, bowing his head when we prayed.  He was a proud man - for him God would love him for his proudness, because in his eyes he was perfect and in no need of a Saviour, especially a humble one who went to the Cross so willingly. 

This man was a warrior type and his god had to be a magnificient warrior.  Yet, my God is a Magnificient Warrior and he could not see it.  I pray that as time goes on, he will come to know the Saviour of the world.

Friend, be the humble pray-er.  See the difference this type of prayer makes in your life. Be open to what He does for you, don't expect something your way, just ask Him to do all things according to His Will for your good.

Then leave it in His hands.  Be in this mode of praise and thankfulness all day and every day. Stay in the courts of the temple even while you go to work or go about your daily chores. 

This is the secret key to entering into prayer.

Bless you.