Remembering Jehovah’s Mighty Deeds
Lord, you have been our dwelling place for all generations. — Psalms 90:1
Who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light; whom no man has seen, nor can see: to whom be honor and eternal power. Amen. — 1 Timothy 6:16
Author
Dr. Roberto Miranda
Summary: As we draw near to the Father, we may ask with confidence and boldness, but first we must humbly acknowledge his lordship and submit to his will, even if it leads us down a different path. As Psalm 90 teaches, prayer should begin with worship, reverence, and awe before God’s power, holiness, and eternity. After surrendering to his sovereignty, we present our needs. Giving him glory before expressing our desires affirms that he holds first place, strengthens our faith, and grounds our hope. The Lord’s Prayer confirms this priority: hallowing his name, seeking his kingdom, and desiring his will. Our whole life, prayer, and service should be for his glory.
When we approach the Father, we should ask confidently and boldly, but first of all, we must acknowledge His lordship. We must humbly submit to His will if He decides to lead us down a different path.
"Lord, you have been our dwelling place from generation to generation. Before the mountains were born and you formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting, you are God." With those beautiful words of worship, the psalmist begins the wonderful Psalm 90. This entire psalm overflows with a sense of reverence and awe before the power and holiness of God.
With that same sense of worship and reverence, we should begin our prayers. Before asking the Lord for anything, the first thing we must do is bow down before Him in spirit, acknowledge His power and lordship, and surrender ourselves to His sovereign will. Once that total surrender has been made, we can bring our own agenda and our needs before Him.
It is important that we begin our prayers by giving glory and honor to the Lord. In this way, we declare that He is far more important than our personal longings and needs. We put Him first and acknowledge that our hopes are grounded in Him alone. Moreover, beginning by focusing on Him and His glory increases our faith and enables us to believe that with God all things are possible.
In the Lord’s Prayer, the model prayer Jesus offered to teach His disciples how to pray, the Lord begins, “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name” (Mt 6:9). In this way, the Lord implicitly established the principle of beginning our prayers by giving glory to the Father. He also established the overriding principle that God’s will should be done before our own (“Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”)
Our entire life—our prayers, efforts, and service—should be saturated with that sense of reverence reflected by the psalmist. Everything is for His glory. If we live this way, we will be pleasing to Him. If we pray this way, our prayers will touch His heart, and we will receive the things we ask of Him.