Praying His Praise

It’s easy to forget that when we sing together in church, more often than not we’re praying, too. Thinking of our worship as sung, communal prayer can radically change how we approach worship—and how we approach prayer.

 

In the Bible the line between what we’d usually call “worship” and what we’d usually call “prayer” is fuzzy, when it exists at all. For example, consider this week’s songs, and the prayers from Scripture that accompany them.

 

So this week, my challenge to you is to take these passages and songs, and seek to incorporate them into your personal prayer life, even as we prepare to include them in our communal prayer life this Sunday. Consider using these words as formal prayers, or adopting the language and ideas into your own personal prayers. And when Sunday arrives, remember that we aren’t just singing songs about God, we are singing prayers to Him.

 

“King of Heaven”

• Matthew 6:9–13

 

“Ascribe”

• Revelation 15:3–4

 

“Strong God”

• Psalm 68:1–6

 

“Be Thou My Vision”

 

• Psalm 119:105–112

Hope for Salvation

This past week, after much scholarly study, I learned the translation and origin of the word hosanna. Okay, so maybe my scholarly study took the form of a two-minute Google search. Still, I came away armed with new knowledge about this word of praise, and a new appreciation for the events we celebrate on Palm Sunday.

 

It turns out that this word of praise actually comes from a phrase of petition. Unlike other praise exclamations that say something about God, this one asks something of Him.

 

“Save, we pray.”

 

That’s what was shouted by the people of Jerusalem as they lay their coats and palm branches on the road, covering the dusty ground and making a path for the hooves of the colt that bore on its back a prophet from Nazareth named Jesus. How could they have known that their prayer was being answered in the very person for whom they shouted, “Hosanna!”

 

Now, looking back on that day, we get to join our voices in their praises, recognizing that the One they welcomed is the very One who would soon give His life, conquer death, and purchase for His people across time the very thing for which they prayed: salvation.

 

Take  moment to think about “Hosanna”—what it meant then, and what it means now, as we join our voices with those raised so long ago, blessing the One who comes in the name of the Lord.

 

“Hosanna (Praise Is Rising)”

• Zechariah 9:9–12

 

“All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name”

• Matthew 21:1–11

 

“O Praise the Name”

• Romans 6:1–11