Adoring Our Lord and Maker

Before we even begin to pray, we need to remember who the partners are in the conversation of prayer. First, we must remember who God is as our Sovereign, as the Ruler of heaven and earth who sustains all things (Heb. 1:1–4). Second, we must remember who we are as creatures who are dependent on the Lord for our continued existence and all other good things, as well as sinners who need His forgiveness (James 1:17; 1 John 1:8–10).

There is more we need to say about prayer, however, particularly because so many Christians find the discipline of prayer so difficult. Believers frequently confess that it is hard for them to know how to structure their prayers and have the right priorities in prayer. With this in mind, we should note that many believers have found it helpful to structure their prayers around a four-point acrostic: ACTS. In this acrostic, prayer has four major components: adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and supplication.

Today we will talk about adoration, the process of expressing our love for our Creator and our awe at His majestic character. First, we should note that adoration is part of recognizing who God is. When we know who God is in His mercy, holiness, justice, truth, goodness, love, righteousness, and so forth, we cannot help but adore His name. And if we are approaching Him in prayer, the first thing we want to do is acknowledge that we are coming before Him in humility. We do that by adoring the Lord and praising His character. We do that by approaching Him in worship.

In His infinite wisdom, God has actually given us an entire book of inspired prayers in the Bible—the book of Psalms. We can learn much from how the psalmists pray, and when they pray they commonly exalt and praise the name of the Lord (Ps. 34:3). They also frequently list His attributes specifically. They declare that He is holy (22:3). The psalmists extol the strength and might of God (18:17). Adoration of God for His steadfast love can frequently be found on the lips of the inspired hymn writers (36:7). We could go on, but the point is that the psalmists know who God is, and they praise Him for who He is. That serves as a model for us. If we reflect on the attributes of God when we pray, we will be moved to adore Him for all that He is and all that He has done for us.