Praying ROM 15:13- ACTS- Adoration

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. -Romans 15:13

For the longest time, I had the hardest time figuring out how to adore God (adoration is the A in ACTS). Basically its just to praise God. As a matter of fact, singing is a great way to do this. If you desperately need God, try praising Him. It reminds you of who and what He is. When you tell Him what's great about Him, you build your faith in Him because you remind yourself why He's worthy to be praised- this brings comfort and confidence. Wow- THE God of the universe loves me.

Christian author Rick Warren wrote that worship is one of the five purposes God created and designed us for. Genesis says we're "created in God's image," I've always figured that part of what that means is that we reflect His character. He IS hope. He IS joy. He IS peace, and 1 John 4:16 even says God IS love.

So let's take a minute to tell Him how great that is!

Lord, 

You are the God of all hope-

You give us Hope- those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles (Isaiah 40:31)

To be with You brings us joy-

You give us Joy- the joy of the Lord is our strength (Nehemiah 8:10)

You're the Prince of peace-

You give us Peace- Lord, you establish peace for us; all that we have accomplished you have done for us. ( Isaiah 26:12)

You are love-

You love us, show us how to love others, and give us others to love- Your love endures forever (Psalm 136)

In Jesus' name we pray,

Amen

ACTS; Adoring God for who He says He is

If you're like me, and it's easy to confuse Adoration with Thanksgiving, maybe it will help to think about God is like, not just what He's given us. A great way to review who God is and what about him is praiseworthy is to listen to what He says about Himself.

In the book of John, Jesus announces His Godhood by using His name, Yəhōwāh ("I am that I am") seven times. Seven times he says "I Am..." and then He gives us a powerful metaphor for who He is. Pray with me though these-

1. The Bread of Life (John 6:35)- Jesus You are our spiritual sustenance and nutrition. Like manna in the desert, God gives us His Word (the Bible) and His Word (Jesus).
2. The Light of the World (John 8:12)- Thy Word is a light unto my feet, Jesus , You enlighten and reveal God's character, His will and His ways. Your light exposes sin, corruption and imperfection, and  leads us into God's glory, love, and forgiveness.
3. The Gate (John 10:9)- Jesus, you protect us from thieves and wolves within the safety of Your corral.
4. The Good Shepherd (John 10:11)- Jesus, you lead us beside still waters, even in the valley of the shadow of death, we don't have to fear because You're with us and comfort us. When we're lost, You finds us.
5. The Resurrection and the Life (John 11:25-26)- just as You  raised Your friend Lazarus, You promise that we too will share in Your new and eternal life.
6. The Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6)- Lord, You don't want anyone to perish, You don't want anyone to be alone without You, all we have to do is accept the free gift of Your love and forgiveness.
7. The Vine (John 15:5)- Through You, Jesus, we are attached to God the Father. You and the Father live in us and through us and unite us. You graft us into Your family and prune us when we need it. You produce Your fruit in us.

ACTS: Adoration; What's God like?

Last week our congregation hosted a day of prayer. We had a prayer service (with litany) in the morning, followed by a prayer-walk, and then volunteers taking shifts during an all-day prayer vigil. The morning service was organized into four parts based on the acronym, A.C.T.S. which stands for Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication. ACTS has long been a simple pattern which people can use to help them begin to have a more meaningful prayer-life, in some cases to even begin to speak to God.

Throughout the course of the rest of the summer, I'd like to post a number of essays exploring these ACTS. Hopefully, together we can grow closer to God and deepen our relationships with Him.

For many Christians, Adoration is a toughie. Is adoration the same as praise? Sort of. What does it mean to adore God? Personally, I usually end up in Thanksgiving when I mean to be in Adoration.

What makes God adorable? What makes Him worthy of praise? A good place to start might be what He calls Himself and what Old Testament Judaism called Him. These names reveal His character, who He is and what He does. Consider some of the following:

• Adonai- "my Lord,"  or "my Master," that is, one to whom we bow, surrender, and obey
• HaShem- a less formal, more familial version of "Lord," who is with us
• Ehyeh-Asher-Ehyeh- "I will be," He is not just the god of now, but He will be the same today, tomorrow and forever (Hebrews 13:8)
• Elah-avahati, God of my fathers, (Daniel 2:23)
• Elah Elahin, God of gods (Daniel 2:47)
• Elah Yerushelem, God of Jerusalem (Ezra 7:19)
• Elah Yisrael, God of Israel (Ezra 5:1)
• Elah Shemaya, God of Heaven (Ezra 7:23)
• Elohim- "He who is the object of fear or reverence", or "He with whom one who is afraid takes refuge" the mighty one.
• Elyon- Supreme
• Roi- All seeing
• Shaddai- "God who is sufficient," our supplier
• Shalom- "the name of God is 'Peace'" (Judges 6:24)
• Shekhinah- the presence or manifestation of God which has descended to dwell among humanity.
• Yəhōwāh- He is who He is (emphasis on IS) the name God called Himself to Moses, the point being that He IS alive and here and now, not just the god of our dead forefathers.
• HaMakom- "The Omnipresent"
• Tzevaot- "the Lord of Hosts," king of the angels

So this is a great way to pray, to simply tell God who He is- meanwhile, you're reminding yourself who God is. As a matter of fact, this is an act of worship, invoking God, entering His presence. When we pray this way, we get perspective, we remember that God is God and we are not. Something we would do well to remember every day.