“TEACH US TO PRAY”

Jesus gave His disciples an outline to use as they began their day with God.

(Matthew 6:9) This, then, is how you should pray: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name…”

PRAISING

The right way to begin our day is by praising God.

1. Recognize

A. What is praising God? (Praising God is recognizing Him for who He is.)

B. God is great.

(Psalm 145:3) “Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and His greatness is unsearchable.”

(Psalm 95:3) “The Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.”

(Psalm 95:4-6) “In His hand are the deep places of the earth: the strength of the hills is His also. The sea is His, and He made it: and His hands formed the dry land. O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.”

C. God is in heaven.

D. God is our Father.

2. Initialize

A. Why praise God? (Praising God helps us initialize our time with Him.)

(Psalm 46:10) “Be still, and know that I am God.”

B. How does praising God initialize our time alone with Him?

i. It clears our minds of our earthly problems.

ii. It stretches our understanding of God.

iii. It helps us recognize how powerful and loving He is.

3. Personalize

A. How do we praise God? (We praise God by personalizing our praise.)

i. Begin by saying “Father,…”

ii. Tell God why you think He’s so great.

iii. Thank Him for everything He did for you yesterday.

iv. Tell God why you love Him.

v. Tell God why you trust Him.