While we wait? We Praise.

Prayer requests/Praises

I have numbly walked through the routine of racking my brain to find something to say whenever asked if I have any prayer requests/praises. Growing up in church, it's all I have known. Sharing what we must ask God for. Another thing to ask God to fix. 

Recently, I have started writing down on a list things I feel like I need to pray for. It could include friends, situations, friends prayer requests, personal spiritual help, etc. It has really helped me to be more intentional about my praying about specific things recently. (I would encourage it if you aren't already)

Reading and praying over my list tonight, I noticed something that God had answered or improved and I naturally wrote "praise" beside it. So, now I can start praising God for that one answer to prayer. Check it off the checklist? Awesome! No no no this is the burden God placed on my heart tonight. In the middle of writing what I should do in response to that answer to prayer, God showed me that I/we tend to only praise God for either seeing improvement in OUR situation, or an answer to OUR prayer. Preparing for our upcoming trip to Uganda this summer, Mrs. Sherry encouraged us to look at our lives and figure out a time when we talk to God, praising Him JUST for who He is. When was the last time you actually sat in awe of a great and awesome God rather than waiting for Him to answer our prayers?

You see, that's the beauty of it! Waiting. Beautiful, patiently waiting. And while we wait? We praise. We respond to all that God IS, not all He does for our checklist. Praising God based on His response to our circumstances traps us in a mindset of a servant God. Once He does this serving me this way, THEN I can pray.

No no no. The exact opposite. We praise God in our waiting. We will praise God in the NO and in the YES. We will praise Him in the confusion and silence, but also in the answers and response. But no situation should stimulate in us a desire to praise Him MORE or LESS for something He has/hasn't done for us. 

Praise Him, no matter what. Just praise Him.

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