“Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest, so is my beloved among the young men. In his shade I took great delight and sat down, and his fruit was sweet to my taste. He has brought me to his banquet hall, and his banner over me is love.” Song of Songs 2:3-4.
I cried out to Him with my mouth, and praise was on my tongue. Psalm 66:17.
Today your LORD (יהוה) God says:
Your prayer should be founded on praise. The praises of the people is what brings victory. Why? There is strength in praise. Any marching band knows that. Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings I have perfected praise. Psalm 8:2. Jesus translated that word in Psalm 8 as “praise,” but in the Hebrew it is “strength,” which is the word “עֹז” which is pronounced “oz.” And do you know the first time that word is used in the Bible? In a song of praise! It is the song the Israelites sang after I had parted the Red Sea and then closed it after they had escaped Pharaoh’s army, drowning Pharaoh’s mighty army in one strategic battle move. And how did they use it? “The LORD is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation! This is my God, and I will praise Him; my father’s God, and I will exalt Him.” Exodus 15:2.
The Hebrew title for the Book of Psalms is “Tehillim” which means “praises.” They make you strong. My Word is life to those who find it and health to all their flesh. A cheerful heart does good, like a medicine, and good news makes the bones strong. But a depressed spirit dries up the bones.
Your prayer, if you want peace and victory, must be more praise than supplication. Petition can be praise if it is used to enforce My Word, that is, the perfect law of liberty. It is like an attorney that writes a Petition, he quotes all the law to the Judge that shows why his client must win. Once you have found the law of My Word on healing, provision, prosperity, salvation, and freedom you need only declare it, confess it, and thank Me for it coming to pass. I have to rule in favor and perform it for My Word is truth. All the universe has to listen. And My angels hearken to obey the voice of My Word.
People think of prayer as the last resort in an emergency situation. They see it as begging Me for help when they need things quickly in dire straits. Certainly, it can be that. I am present as your helper, your deliverer, your healer, and your savior. But what I mean by prayer is much more than that. It is a continuous flow of oneness with Me where we each walk in the knowledge of who the other one is and rejoice in that. It is fellowship, but a fellowship of you resting in My love and I resting in your love. In Song of Songs the bride sings, “Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest, so is my beloved among the young men. In his shade I took great delight and sat down, and his fruit was sweet to my taste. He has brought me to his banquet hall, and his banner over me is love.” Song of Songs 2:3-4. And she goes on to sing, “His left hand is under my head, and his right hand embraces me.” Song of Songs 2:6. And in My left hand are riches and honor, and in My right hand is long life and length of days. Proverbs 3:16. This is prayer. “The king has brought me into his chambers.” Song of Songs 1:4.
In a King’s chambers there is counsel and authority but there is also reverence, and reverence is thankful praise for being honored to step into the confidences of the King. I am enthroned on the praises of My people. Psalm 22:3. Enthrone Me in your heart, in your life, in your living room by songs of thankful praise for the wonders I am doing in your life. I am your strength and song and I have become your salvation.
Jesus told you about how to pray effectively. He said, “Therefore, I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be yours.” Mark 11:24.
If you really believe My Word in this most of your prayer would be thanksgiving and praise once you had made your request known to Me. Paul said the same, of course, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all people. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:4-7. Make the request known and then thank Me for answering and praise the great result. Name it, lift it up, sing it, shout it. And you can even teach a very young child to do that. Teach them to pray to Me as they would talk to you, their loving father and loving mother who would lay down your life for them. You will give them all the good things they need when they ask. You do not give them a stone if they ask for a piece of bread or a scorpion when they ask for an egg. I do not either.
Part of your prayer time should be shouting out thankful praises of the result of what you have asked. Say you had asked for healing, you then want to shout out that you are healed, blessed, beloved and forgiven. You might want to sing Psalm 103 to your own heart tune. And of course declare your healing is done using Isaiah 53:5 and 1 Peter 2:24! Say you had asked for the conversion and return to Me of a straying loved one, such as your child, hand it over to Me and then thank Me for having heard you and start shouting in praise that your child is taught by the LORD and great is the peace (shalom) of your child. Shout about the mighty champion that child has become for My Kingdom, like I called Gideon while he was still hiding in fear and in the shadow of a very poor self-image, and all the excellent exploits they are undertaking for My glory. And I might add that Gideon became the mighty champion that I called him after not too long a time and did amazing exploits.
And when Jesus prayed, He praised, have you never read, “At that very time He rejoiced greatly in the Holy Spirit, and said, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants. Yes, Father, for doing so was well pleasing in Your sight.” Luke 10:21. And at Lazarus tomb, His prayer was thanking Me for having heard Him before He even saw the result. And when He multiplied the bread and the fish He first lifted it up to Me in grateful thanks. The praise comes first, like lightening before thunder. You praise, I thunder. David sang, “Ascribe to the LORD sons of the mighty, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength. Ascribe to the LORD the glory of His name; worship the LORD in holy attire. The voice of the LORD is on the waters; the God of glory thunders, the LORD is over many waters. The voice of the LORD is powerful, the voice of the LORD is majestic. The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars. Yes, the LORD breaks the cedars of Lebanon in pieces. He makes Lebanon skip like a calf, and Sirion like a young wild ox. The voice of the LORD divides flames of fire. The voice of the LORD shakes the wilderness; the LORD shakes the wilderness of Kadesh. The voice of the LORD makes the ewes give birth and strips the forests bare; and in His temple everything says, “Glory!” The LORD sat as King at the flood; yes, the LORD sits as King forever. The LORD will give strength to His people; the LORD will bless His people with peace” Psalm 29:1-11.
The greatest projects and adventures are born out of worship. “Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch), and Saul (later known as Paul). While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them. And after they had fasted and prayed, they laid their hands on them and sent them off.” Acts 13:1-3. And maybe you never noticed but the redemption of the Israelites out of the slavery of Egypt began with worship before any of the ten plagues or the parting of the Red Sea. “Then Moses and Aaron went and assembled all the elders of the sons of Israel; and Aaron spoke all the words which the Lord had spoken to Moses. He then performed the signs in the sight of the people. So the people believed; and when they heard that the Lord [w]was concerned about the sons of Israel and that He had seen their affliction, they bowed low and worshiped.” Exodus 4:29-31.
And do you remember Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah facing three attacking armies united to take down Jerusalem? What did they do? Jehoshaphat called all to My temple and they worshipped Me. In worship they got the Word of victory from My prophet and they let loose with the Voice of thanksgiving falling to the ground in worship and rising up to praise the victory with loud voice in joyful songs. And nothing had changed yet except their hearts. And that was all I needed to move.
David sang, “Praised be the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.” Psalm 18:3. And again, “For who is God, but the LORD? And who is a rock, except our God, the God who encircles me with strength, and makes my way blameless! He makes my feet like deer’s feet and sets me up on my high places. He trains my hands for battle, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You have also given me the shield of Your salvation, and Your right hand upholds me; and You have stooped to make me great. You enlarge my steps under me, and my feet have not slipped.” Psalm 18:31-36. Yes, there is the way to pray.
When the king of Israel and the king of Judah united once in battle against the enemy, the king of Judah sought a prophet to hear My Word on the strategy to take. They called on Elisha. And what did he do to get the Word? You know, he worshipped. Elisha said, “But now bring me a minstrel.” And it came about, when the minstrel played, that the hand of the LORD came upon him. And he said, “This is what the LORD says . . .” 2 Kings 3:15-16. And I gave Elisha the battle plan that worked to conquer the enemy by a wonder.
I love you. Do you want great adventures for My Kingdom? It may be time you stepped aside and worshipped. Make the foundation of your prayer praise. Praise should always be on the tip of your tongue.
Instead of bronze I will bring gold, and instead of iron I will bring silver, and instead of wood, bronze, and instead of stones, iron. And I will make peace your administrators, and righteousness your overseers. Violence will not be heard again in your land, nor devastation or destruction within your borders; but you will call your walls salvation, and your gates praise. No longer will you have the sun for light by day, nor will the moon give you light for brightness; but you will have the LORD as an everlasting light, and your God as your glory. Isaiah 60:17-19.