SPIRITUAL ETIQUETTE

When appearing before an important leader, there are protocols to follow: what to wear, how to address the leader, etc. Even at lower levels of government, there are protocols. For example, coat and tie are appropriate for court. Even for private gatherings, there are certain levels of etiquette. Coat and tie or simi-formal clothing is usually worn at weddings or funerals.

There is also spiritual etiquette - protocols for approaching God. He is the King of the universe. He expects us to approach Him appropriately. Psalm 100 tells us how to approach God in prayer. In it, the psalmist wrote:

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,

And into His courts with praise.

Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

For the Lord is good;

His mercy is everlasting,

And His truth endures to all generations.

(Psalm 100:4-5, NKJV)

Approach God with thanks and praise.

First, we should approach God with thanks. We should thank Him for what He has done. The psalmist, in verse 3, thanked God for creating us and leading us, declaring, "It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture." In verse 4, he tells us to "enter His gates with thanksgiving," and, "be thankful to Him." We should begin our prayers with thanks to God for what He has done.

Second, we should approach God with praise. The psalmist tells us in verse 4 to enter "into His courts with praise," and to "bless His name." Thanks opens the door. Praise takes us further into into God's presence - into His courts. The psalmist praises God for specific things. He praises God for His goodness, for His mercy, and for His truth. So should we. Praise focuses on God's character, who He is. The psalmist mentions just three of the infinite list of God's divine attributes. We can praise Him for as many of His attributes as we know. Or we can focus on just a few. Either way, we should spend time praising God in our prayers.

The combination of thanks and praise brings us into God's presence in a very powerful way. Thanking God for what He has done shifts our thinking from the things of this life to God. Praising God for who He is focuses our attention on God alone. Then we are ready to procede in prayer. After all, prayer is not about getting God to do what we want; it is about aligning ourselves with what He wants.