Let’s Give Him a Standing Ovation
Several years ago, I was introduced to a format of prayer that altered my way of approaching the Lord. The format, called ACTS, may be one that you’ve heard of or use too. But for those who are unfamiliar with this acronym it stands for Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication.
The first part, adoration, is what truly shifted my heart posture. I begin each of my prayers simply telling God how amazing He is by audibly declaring to Him several of His attributes. By applying qualities that I, a simple human, understand to a perfect, holy God, allows me to relate to Him in a new way. I feel closer to Him…connected.
It reminds me of a practice that takes place at the school which my children attend. It’s called a Standing Ovation and is basically a time when a particular student, on any given day, is placed in the middle of a circle and each classmate begins to tell him/her, one-by-one, all the things they like about them. I’ve witnessed a few of these precious times and have heard comments as simple as, “You are kind,” to more detailed expressions such as: “When you see someone alone on the playground, you go over and talk to them so that they don’t feel lonely.”
To see and hear this form of adoration from children towards one another is truly heartwarming and encouraging to say the least. I believe students on the receiving end come away from this experience feeling confident and uplifted as well as more connected with their peers. It is a real-life example of how words can change the way we feel about ourselves and maybe even inspire us to raise our personal bars of character excellence.
So, as I listened and made note of the fifteen attributes of God which Pastor Dan described during last Sunday’s sermon, I thought, “Yes, we should give God a standing ovation every time we pray!” HE IS WORTHY! He certainly doesn’t need our encouragement or positive affirmation, but because He is God, we somehow benefit from giving Him praise! Each adjective spoken raises both our minds and hearts to a more devoted, more intimate level. The divine attributes of God are endless and truly have the ability to draw us into closer communication with Him. There is NO ONE like HIM!
Our minds have to deliberately stay on what is TRUE about the Lord lest we slip into an evil false narrative that minimizes His majesty. As Pastor Dan mentioned, we should never change our view of the Holy Creator to become more acceptable to the world’s standards. The secular view is in stark defiance of the Christian view.
Ephesians 6:12 reminds us that we are in a spiritual battle between good and evil:
“We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”
Satan does not want us to revere God as the all-powerful, perfect King of Kings that He is, and his plan to deceive and destroy anyone who loves God will continue until Jesus returns.
It is a daily battle for believers to keep our hearts aligned with the things of heaven. The chasm between sin and Savior is growing wider and wider. The pit of godlessness and depravity is sinking deeper and deeper. But…Jesus. We have Jesus! He is the only bridge that will connect sinner to salvation. He is the only One deserving of our adoration.
Will you give Him a standing ovation today?
~ Tara Dye is a longtime member of LIFE Fellowship. She and her husband Paul have three children.