Praise in Personal Worship

How can we incorporate praise into personal worship?  Praise honors God for who He is. He is worthy of our praise. With so many distractions that bombard us everyday, it’s hard to focus and remember to praise God.

Here are some helpful thoughts from Pastor Jack Hayford’s book Moments with Majesty to guide your praise. He was prompted to express praise to God using every letter of the alphabet. Let this be stimulus for your own personal worship.

First, begin with this prayer:

Lord God, I lift my heart to You because the richness of Your person commands my highest devotion. I praise You because You are…

Almighty–There is no power that exceeds Yours.

Beautiful–The loveliness of Your Being is displayed in Your handiwork in Creation and Your heart-gift of the Lord Jesus.

Creator–You are never limited by what is. You can always do more than seems impossible.

Dependable–I never face a situation without the assurance that You are there.

Everlasting–You encompass my very being with Your breath of life and love.

Fulfiller–Your Spirit causes me to overflow with hope and enable me for living.

Glorious–You pour radiance into the ordinary.

Holy–The awesome completeness of Your Being brings new dimension to mine.

Immutable–Your unchanging nature comforts me in a world of constant change and decay

Jehovah–Your chosen Name expresses Your all-sufficiency given to me.

Kind–As a loving father takes time for his children, so do You.

Loving–Beyond human description or grasp, this is true.

Mindful–Your Word says You are always thinking about me. I’m overwhelmed.

New–Your gift of mercies are new every morning and in Your working of constant “new things.”

Omnipotent–Whatever tests my faith,Your limitless mightiness is my reservoir of strength.

Precious–Your Word is like gold, and Your presence is treasured.

Quick–You do not unnecessarily delay, but always answer me at the best time.

Righteous–Your justice, fairness, and evenhandedness deal life to us all with faithful lovingkindness.

Sensitive–Your heart is touched with my feeling…You care.

Terrifying–Not to me, Lord, to the enemy–he flees before You.

Undergirding–Your strong arm supports me always, in all ways.

Victor–The triumph You have won over all life and death is given to me, too!

Wonderful–Not only in character, but in Your full-of-wonder doings.

Ex-cellent–Your ways and Your Being transcend my highest imaginings.

Yesterday, today and forever–Assuring me that every issue of my past, present, and future is under Your covering.

Zestful–Life has no dull moments when I live it with You.*

God is so awesome and worthy of our praise!  Can you think of more words to express praise and worship? Both our alphabet and our vocabulary run out long before our reasons to worship Him.

“Praise the Lord, O my soul.

I will praise the Lord all my life;

I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.”

Psalm 146:2

 

*from Moments with Majesty, Jack Hayford, Multnomah. 1990. pages 180-182.