Prayer Of Adoration Pt. 2

Prayer of adoration, praise and worship…
“HALLOWED BE THY NAME”
ADORATION, PRAISE, WORSHIP
(REMEMBER “ACTS” PRAYER)

Learning how to adore GodIntroduction
A desire to praise God is great, but it is only the beginning point. You must then move to developing a lifestyle of praise.
You should strive to adore God on a daily basis. This is not something that will come easy. You must work it.
Erwin Lutzer once said, “You don’t learn to praise in a day, especially since you may have been complaining for years! New habits take time to develop. But you can begin today, practice tomorrow, and the next day, until it becomes a part of you.”

What is adoration?
To adore – means to love deeply and devotedly
Or to be very fond of (someone or God)
When you adore God, you focus on how holy and perfect God is. You focus on some attributes of God. Psalm 42:1 (as the deer song)
Our adoration of God comes from our heart and it expresses our love, admiration, reverence and awe of Him. This can be expressed through our actions (worship – like bowing down, kneeling, prostrating oneself) as well as by our words (praise).

What is adoration?
This kind of prayer is focused on worshiping the Lord out of deep love, respect, and admiration. Ps 84:1-2, 4-5, 10-12; 89:5-8;115:1-3

Adoration includes both worship and praise in the bible…Is 29:23; Ex 15:11; 2 Sam 22:31-32; 1 Kn 8:23-24; 1 Chron 17:20; 2 Chron 6:12-14,18; Jeremiah 10:6-7

How is praise different from worship? Neh 8:6

How is praise different from worship? Neh 8:6
In the OT (Hebrew), the word used for worship was “shachah” (Ps 95:6-7) and it means “to bow down, to prostrate oneself” or “to lay flat on the ground” or “to touch the forehead on the ground.”

The NT or Greek word for worship is “proskuneó,” which means “to bow before or to revere”; the root word means “to kiss,” so the idea of proskuneó is “to kiss the ground in reverence before someone.”

How is praise different from worship?
When you worship, there must an associated change of your posture… or you bring something to offer to God… Ps 96:7-9; Ex 34:5-7, 8; 2 Chron 20:18-19; Matt 2:11
Praise and worship has nothing to do with the pace of the song or music we play during congregational worship, even though it helps our minds to believe so. It is more of what you do and what you say…
What we have made of worship is becoming a joke at times… Remember the song: “When the music fades” Rev 5:8-14; 7:9-12; Ps 104:1-4; Neh. 9:5-6; Exodus 15:1-2; 1 Sam 2:1-2; 2 Sam 22:47-51

When the music fades (Matt Redman)
When the music fades, all is stripped away, And I simply come; Longing just to bring something that’s of worth; That will bless Your heart.
I’ll bring You more than a song, For a song in itself; Is not what You have required.You search much deeper within; Through the way things appear; You’re looking into my heart.
I’m coming back to the heart of worship, And it’s all about You, All about You, Jesus.I’m sorry, Lord, for the thing I’ve made it, When it’s all about You, All about You, Jesus.
King of endless worth, no one could express; How much You deserve.Though I’m weak and poor, all I have is Yours, Every single breath.

Worship or respect of man or MOG or WOG should be evaluated
To worship anything or anyone else the same way we are to worship God is idolatry. We are forbidden from “bowing” to any image except God – Lev 26:1; Ex 20:5; Rev 4:8-11
(We are to respect elders Lev 19:32; 1 Pet 5:5; but the way we respect some of our elders in the church is almost like god worship – which we are supposed to accord only to God) – Paul and Barnabas Acts 14:8-18

JUDAH MEANS PRAISE
So, what is praise and what are the forms of praise described in the bible?

What is praise?
“Praise” was first mentioned in scripture in Gen 29:35. (Leah and Rachel). Leah bore her last son and decided to call him “Judah” or “Praise”… Judah became the most significant of her children Gen 49:8-12 (through his lineage, David came, and Jesus came).
The Hebrew word that is translated as “praise” in Gen 29:35 means “to acknowledge . . . God’s character and works, or man’s character.”
In the NT, Matt 11:25 (first time praise mentioned) – it means “to profess or to confess.”

What is praise?
Both words have the idea of declaring God’s greatness, His attributes (holy, good, just, righteous, infinite, all-knowing, all-powerful, etc.), or glory to others.
Praise is the recognition of another’s character or works. To praise God is to declare who God is and what He does. Praise honors God because of His divine deeds and character.
Words that are often used as synonyms or in parallel with “praise, ” and so help point to its meaning, are “bless, ” “exalt, ” “extol, ” “glorify, ” “magnify, ” “thank, ” and “confess.” To praise God is to call attention to his glory.

Expressions of Praise
SO HOW DO YOU CONFESS OR DECLARE OR ACKNOWLEDGE GOD’S CHARACTER OR DEEDS TO GOD HIMSELF AND TO OTHERS?

How is Praise expressed in the Bible?
The Scriptures offers a unique language of praise and how expressions of praise might be formulated. 
There are 7 examples of expression of praise and worship conduct in the bible: Strong’s concordance

Halal (haw-lal’) – to shine, boast, rave about, celebrate or even to be clamorously foolish
Halal is the root word of “hallelujah.” Fun fact: “hallelujah” is the only word that is the same in all languages across the world. If you combine the word halal with the word jah (a derivative of the name Yahweh) you get “hallelujah.“
The essence of halal praise is loud enthusiasm, joy, jumping, and spinning in celebration of the Lord. Each time halal appears in the Bible, it is in celebration of the overwhelming realization of God’s immeasurable greatness.
Halal is not quiet praise. Halal praise is seen and heard and is contagious. God is great and greatly to be praised!
2 Sam 6:13-16; 1 Chron 16:4; 23:5; 2 Chron 5:13; 20:21; 29:30; Ps 48:1, 8; Ps 148

Barak (baw-rak’) – to bow down to, or kneel before, the Lord
Barak is translated as “praise” in English, but occasionally as “bless.” ”Barak worship involves the physical act of kneeling like you would before a king, with your head bowed to express gratitude, submission, reverence, and humility. In barak praise, we bring ourselves low to lift Him high.
The main purpose of barak is to bless the Lord. But it goes much deeper than that! Depending on how it is used in Hebrew, barak can be an action we do to God, or one that God does in return to us.
In Gen 22:17 the Lord says, “…I will barak you.” This is repeated in Heb 6:14. When we barak God, He is faithful to barak us in return. It is this simple: we bless Him, and He is faithful to bless in return.
Your blessing is in your barak! I Chron 29:20; Ps 95:6; Ezra 9:5; Matt 4:9; Acts 10:25-26 (we should not do this); Rev 22:8

Yadah (yaw-daw’)– (to cast down or shoot) to extend your hands vigorously as in complete surrender in praise and thanksgiving
The most frequently used word for “praise” in the Bible is yadah. The root of the name Judah (“praised”), whose birth initiated the tribe from which Jesus Christ would be born, is yadah. Jesus is the Lion of the Tribe of Judah (Rev 5:5).
When you yadah the Lord in worship, you specifically make a confession about God with your mouth and raise your hands in thanksgiving.
Be intentional and specific about what you are thankful for. Psalm 136 is a great example of yadah praise. Translated as “give thanks” in this chapter, the yadah confession is “His mercy endures forever” along with a list of God’s greatness and wonders.
But if you don’t raise your hands while you’re praising Him, it’s not yadah. They go hand in hand.
Yadah throws thanksgiving toward God : Gen 29:35; 1 Kn 8:35; 2 Chron 20:21; Ps 9:1

Shabach (shaw-bakh’) – to shout loudly (loud praise) or commend; to adore; to glory in something; to still, quiet or pacify someone.
Shabach means “to shout with the voice of victory.” In praise, shabach is a triumphant shout lifted to the Lord from people overwhelmed by His mercy in agreement with His victory over enemies. So, is it appropriate to shout in worship? Yes! However, an ill-timed shabach can be disrupting of a worship service. I Cor 14:26-32
Shabach shouldn’t be chaotic or out of control, but rather, it should be used as a tool of power to minister to the Lord at the right time. It’s the least used word for “praise” out of all seven Hebrew words. This suggests that while it absolutely should be part of your praise, it has a specific time and purpose.

Shabach
Shabach is an enthusiastic, powerful, verbal witness, specifically designed to tell others (for example, your children) what He has done for you. 
Psalm 145:4 says, “One generation shall shabach Your works to another, and shall declare Your mighty acts.”  Let them see you shabach God and see your passion for His greatness.
Shabach is your shout of testimony.
This encourages us to praise God with a loud voice…
1 Chron 16:23; Ps 63:1-4; 106:47; 138:1-2

MIZMOR OR ZAMAR
Mizmor (meez-mohr) or Zamar (zaw-mar’) – which means “to play or make music while singing, to sing psalms, sing forth praises.” or touch the strings, mostly rejoicing Psalm 3
This is an instrumental song; a song with words accompanied by musical instruments. Every Mizmor requires musical instruments.
It is possible to sing songs (shirim) without instruments, or to speak praises (tehillah or tehillim) without any musical accompaniment, but it is impossible to fulfil the scriptural commands for praises that require music
Ps 98:5; Ps 33:1-3; 71:14-16; 144:9; 149:3; Is 12:5

Zamar
Zamar is the “praise” word that turns our instruments into vehicles of worship, flowing from our hearts to the heart of God. There is definitive scriptural evidence for the use of instruments in praise: zamar.
We don’t just have worship services with instruments because they sound nice and we like the accompaniment. We zamar because God has infused each instrument with a specific purpose and power. And, because He inspired people to craft each one, we know He wants to be worshipped this way.
One of the enemy’s most effective tools of attack for disconnecting the worshipper from the Spirit of God is to redefine and counterfeit zamar worship. And even within the church, the power of zamar can turn worshippers into rock stars and lure hearts away with the pull of pride.
Have you ever noticed how some songs in a worship service aren’t actually worship or are more focused on the human condition than God’s greatness? Just because it speaks to you, doesn’t make it worship. Worship is ministry to the Lord.
Zamar is your zealous song.

Towdah
Towdah (to-daw’) – to extend or raise your hands in thanksgiving for something that hasn’t yet occurred or that you haven’t yet received (advance praise):  “express visible thanks or adoration to God by extending the hands to God in reverence, coupled with offering a sacrifice of praise to God through audible confessions of thanks.” Lev 22:29; 2 Chron 29:31; Neh 12:27-31; Ps 42:4; 50:14, 23; 100:4
Towdah praise is related in its roots to yadah and the lifting of the hands in thanksgiving, but with an additional layer of complexity and depth: sacrifice. In fact, towdah is most frequently translated as a “sacrifice of thanksgiving” (Psalm 107:21-22).
In Psalm 50:14 the Lord says, “Make towdah your sacrifice to God…” Further, in Psalm 50:23, He says, “Whoever offers towdah glorifies Me…” and, in Psalm 100:4, “Enter into His gates with towdah.“
What is a sacrifice for you? That is between you and the Lord. Raising your hands, singing, clapping, kneeling, dancing—you won’t always feel like bringing a sacrifice of yourself to the Lord in your worship, but that’s a good thing! If your inhibitions are in the way, sacrifice them in towdah praise, and God is glorified in you and through you.

Tehillah (teh-hil-law’)- it means a prayer or song of praise – to sing unrehearsed, unplanned praises:
The Hebrew word for “praise,” tehillah, is the only word God refers to in possessive terms: His tehillah. “This people…shall declare My tehillah”, the Lord says in Isaiah 43:21. Isaiah 42:8 says, “…I will not give…My tehillah to graven images.“
In Ps 22:3, David wrote that the Lord inhabits the tehillah of His people. Tehillah is His chosen dwelling place. So, what is it?
Tehillah is the intimate, spontaneous, unique, spirit-born praise that you write from your heart to His in the midst of worship. Sometimes tehillah is called a “spiritual song” (Eph. 5:19) or a “new song” (Ps 40:3). It will be different every time you sing with thanksgiving in your heart because there’s always a new reason or verse to praise the Lord.
The Lord wants you to sing a tehillah to Him with a heart of thanksgiving every day so He can come and make His dwelling place within it.
Your tehillah is His tabernacle.
Ps 40:3; Is 42:10-12; Ps 71:8; 145:1-20; Ex 15:11; 2 Chron 20:22; Neh 12:46 (mentioned 57x in OT).

Why do you need each of the seven words in your praise?
Each of these words are physical and verbal and we cannot express them without fully expressing them in word and action. Their actions are what defines them. For example:
You cannot halal or shabach the Lord quietly. 
You cannot barak the Lord by bowing “in your heart.”
You cannot zamar the Lord without an instrument (or a CD).
You cannot tehillah the Lord without spontaneous, unique words written by your spirit in praise.
Just like faith without works is dead, and the wisest words without love are nothing—praise without expression isn’t praise. And He is worthy!