Over the years of practicing and teaching the use of the acronym ACTS (adoration, confession, thanksgiving, supplication) I have found that people have difficulty distinguishing adoration from thanksgiving. This has also been something I have noticed in the worship songs often written and sung in our churches. Both adoration and thanksgiving have a place in our worship and prayer but there is also a distinction. I believe the fault is in our understanding of adoration. I am not sure I can say it better than Albert Day in An Autobiography of Prayer:
"...the highest adoration is not occupied with the recollection of favors received and mercies extended, though they do help one be aware of the true nature of God. There is still, in all such recollection, a remnant of that self-centeredness which it should be the purpose of prayer to escape. In it, we are still thinking of God in terms of something done to 'me' or for 'me.' We never really adore Him, until we arrive at the moment when we worship Him for what He is in Himself, apart from any consideration of the impact of His Divine Selfhood upon our desires and our welfare. Then we love Him for Himself alone. Then we adore Him, regardless of whether any personal benefit is in anticipation or not. Then it is not what He has done for us or what we expect Him to do for us, but what He has been from eternity before we existed, and what He is now even if we were not here to need Him, and what he will be forever whether that 'forever' includes us or not - it is that which captivates us and evokes from us the selfless offering of self in worship. That is pure adoration. Nothing less is worthy of the name."
What a transformation such thoughts have on both our prayer life and our worship. To begin each prayer expressing our adoration of our Heavenly Father. This not only is proper but has the power to transform our hearts from the self-centered lover of the gift to the other-centered lover of the giver.
Prayer Tip: A very helpful book that Jane Etter, our women's ministry director, introduced me to is called Disciplines for the Inner Life by Bob and Micheal Benson. It is a bit hard to come by but if you can get one I suggest you do it. It is broken down into 52 chapters (one per week) for the year and a different Scripture and meditation for each day in the week. It is different from most devotionals, however, in that it is really a worship guide with each days reading being broken down into 1) a prayer of invocation; 2) a Psalm; 3) a daily Scripture reading; 3) a selection for meditation; 4) a time of personal meditation; 5) a prayer; 6) a Hymn; 7) a benediction.
We have this issue in our Moms In Touch groups. I remind our women the praise/adoration time of our prayers is a focus on WHO God is . . .His character; thanksgiving focuses on WHAT He has done for us.
Posted by: Carol | July 21, 2011 at 10:18 AM