Whenever we approach God in prayer we should always start by giving Him thanks and praise for the wonderful things He has done for us. But when our hearts are hurting or we're in desperate need, often times we bombard God with our petitions and we forget that He is worthy of praise.
Learning to express our gratitude to God can take our relationship with Him to a new level of intimacy. Lifting up our voices in praise and worship creates a beautiful atmosphere that welcomes God’s presence into our day.
One morning during my prayer time as I started singing a song of praise to the Lord, I was taken aback by His response. He spoke to my heart and said, “Not that one.” I assumed He wasn’t pleased by my choice of songs, so I began to sing another familiar song. But once again, He said, “Not that one." Then He said, "Sing to Me a new song.”
God desires to hear something new, fresh and authentic coming from His children. Something special that we've never offered Him before. When we stop and consider that each new day is a gift from God, we can clearly see that He is worthy of a new song.
Songs of praise should be filled with love and adoration for God. And while worship and praise music is a wonderful tool to help us set the atmosphere for prayer, we cannot rely on what others have written and composed to be effective in conveying our own authentic worship to the Father, and touch His heart like only we can as individuals.
When God told me to sing a new song, I must admit, at first it felt a little awkward. I had to come into the awareness of my heart towards Him. You see, our praise and worship is very personal. And it is birthed out of two things - A revelation of who God is to us. And remembering what He has done for us.
When I began to sing my new song that day, I opened my mouth and allowed words to flow from my heart. They were spontaneous words proceeding from my love, adoration, and gratitude towards God. I could sense the joy of His heart, and I knew He was pleased. That day I realized just how much God enjoys our individual uniqueness and creativity in giving Him what only we can offer.
When the woman at the well encountered Jesus, He taught her what real authentic worship is when He said,
"The hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is a Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth." (John 4:23,24)
God isn't looking for great voices when we sing to Him. He just wants to hear a new song flowing from the sincereness of our hearts. Whenever we take time to sing we offer a beautiful gift to the Father. It is our own unique song flowing from our hearts to His.
Have you cultivated a heart of worship or does it seem like you're just going through the motions in prayer?
Have you ever created a new and spontaneous song for the Lord?
If so, how has it changed your prayer life?
If you haven't sensed God's presence in a while, maybe it's time for something new. Start by singing a new song to the Lord.
- Kathy