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.”