Sacrifice thank offerings to God, fulfill your vows to the Most High, and call upon me in the day of trouble. (Psalm 50:14,15)Through the psalmist, God outlines the standard forms of worship: burnt offerings of bulls and goats. Then he reveals the worship he prefers: 1) be thankful and demonstrate gratitude; 2) keep your promises; and 3) call upon me when you're in trouble (vv. 14,15).
How often are we reminded that proper prayer proceeds with worship before going on to a shopping list of needs and concerns? And that's important. John Stott writes: It is always wise, before we pray, to spend time deliberately recalling who [God] is. Only then shall we come to our loving Father in heaven with appropriate humility, devotion and confidence. [1] In other words, beginning wth worship and a recounting of God's name and character emboldens us to approach the throne of grace with a right heart and an expectant attitude.
But here we find straight from God's heart that complete worship includes thankfulness, integrity (obedience) and dependence. We know from 1 Samuel: To obey is better than sacrifice (15:22), so the first two elements we understand. But the psalmist writes that even our prayer requests are received as worship. We should never be ashamed of presenting our needs before our loving heavenly Father. There is something about acknowledging our dependence on God that puts us in the right posture to receive.
For what do you need to ask God's help today?
[1] John Stott, The Message of the Sermon on the Mount (Downers Grove: IVP, 1978), 146.
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