The Strand Study Bible

LUKE “MINI” SERIES Seven Steps To A Better Prayer Life

I. Learning to communicate with God on His level (Psa 145:2)

Lesson #1. Learn to praise God daily (Luke 11:1-2 – “ Hallowed be thy name” )

According to the Bible, we are to praise the LORD daily for fifteen things, which deal with His natural and moral attributes: 1. His goodness ( faithfulness – Psa 107:8,15,21,31 and Mt 5:45 ) 2. His greatness ( omniscience – Psa 145: 1- 3 , Job 5:9) 3. His glory ( outward manifestation of His holiness – I Chro 29:9-14) 4. His holiness ( that which separates God from us – Isa 6:3 c ) 5. His loving kindness (Psa 63:3) 6. His majesty ( omnipresence – I Chro 29:11) 7. His mercy ( not giving us what we deserve – II Chro 7:3-6, Psa 106:1 and II Pet 3:9 ) 8. His power ( omnipotence – I Chro 29:11) 9. His provision ( omnipotence – Joel 2:26 ) 10. His righteousness ( justice – Psa 7:17 & 48:10 and Rom 1:20 b – point #5) 11. His salvation ( eternal immutability – Psa 9:14 ) 12. His Word ( truth – Psa 119:164 & 56:4,10 & 138:2 and Jn 17:17) 13. His ability to deliver ( omnipotence – Judges 5:3, I Chro 16:35,36 and Rom 1:20 b – point #4) 14. His desire to encourage ( kindness – I Sam 30:1-6) 15. His creation ( omnipotence – Psa 139:14) NOTE – Some of His attributes, like His omnipotence , are referred to more than once (See point #1 under ‘God’s Four Natural Attributes’). Sadly, there are some who would vilify God by making Him out to be some kind of ego-eccentric glory seeker (one who needs a pat on the back for being God). However, the reason we are told to praise God is not because He needs it, but because we need to recognize what He has that we don’t, so we can learn to trust Him. God has four natural attributes ( omnipotence, omniscience, omnipresence, and eternal immutability ) and seven moral attributes ( righteousness/justice, goodness/faithfulness, desire to encourage/kindness, holiness/ glory, mercy, love, and Word/truth ): God’s Four Natural Attributes 1. His ability to deliver – God’s ability to deliver is connected to His omnipotence

His creation – God’s creation is connected to His omnipotence His power – God’s power is connected to His omnipotence His provision – God’s provision is connected to His omnipotence 2. His greatness – God’s greatness is connected to His omniscience 3. His majesty – God’s majesty is connected to His omnipresence 4. His salvation – God’s salvation is connected to His eternal immutability God’s Seven Moral Attributes 1. R ighteousness – God’s righteousness is connected to His justice 2. F aithfulness – God’s faithfulness is connected to His goodness 3. K indness – God’s kindness is connected to His desire to encourage

God’s loving-kindness (Neh 9:17, Psa 25:6 & 89:33,49 & 103:4, Isa 63:7 & 54:8-10, Jere 16:5, Hos 2:19, Joel 2:13, Jonah 4:2, Jn 14:6-11 and Gal 5:22 ) is the “icing on the cake” of His mercy (Hos 6:6/Mt 12:7); it’s the “peace” after the storm. 4. H oliness/glory – God’s holiness, by definition, is a separation from that which is “common” (man) or “unclean” (man’s old nature) ( Isa 6:3 c ). Thus, man is unable to stand in the presence of God ( Heb 12:14 b ) without some kind of help from the Lord (II Chro 20:20-25). God’s glory is connected toHis holiness ; it is the outwardmanifestation of His holiness (I Chro 29:9-14). 5. M ercy – God’s mercy has nothing to do with how He feels towards us, and every-thing to do with how He doesn’t want to give us what we deserve ( II Pet 3:9 ), which is Hell (II Chro 7:3-6 and Psa 106:1). 6. L oving-kindness – God’s loving-kindness is connected to His love 7. T ruth – God’s truth is connected to His Word IN CONCLUSION – We cannot praise God properly until we first: *learn to fear Him (Psa 22:23 & 112:1) *learn to show ourselves meek (Psa 22:26) 1707