Prayers of praise celebrate the grandeur of who God is, what He has done, and what He is doing. It’s recognizing God’s greatness, holiness, and magnitude of His power and bowing low to give Him honor and praise!
When He is adored and recognized, praise flows from our hearts and lips. Everything changes when we come before God in humility, awe, and adoration. Father, may we live to praise and worship you throughout our day!
Prayers of Praise
Prayers of praise come first and foremost in recognizing to whom our prayers are going. Our praise is going solely to the one true God, King of kings, and Lord of lords. There is no one in higher authority than the Lord Almighty and He alone deserves our praise and adoration.
When we come before the throne of God, we bow knowing He is the Creator and Sustainer of life. We’re approaching the King of glory who is sovereign over all things. Psalm 24 declares, “Who is he, this King of glory? The Lord Almighty – he is the King of glory.”
We see prayer and bring our praise in light of God, this King of Glory we humbly serve!
What is a prayer of praise?
A prayer of praise gives glory, honor, and praise to THE King of glory! Some have given the prayer of praise definition as recognizing God for who He is and praising His very nature.
We know many attributes of God – He’s holy, merciful, all-knowing, all-present, faithful, grace-filled, just, and infinitely good. Whether we’ve just experienced Him firsthand or praising Him for answered prayers, or we’ve entered into His presence and can only praise His name, it’s a sacred place when we praise God through prayer.
What is an example of a prayer of praise?
My son and I were reading the book of Daniel together and came upon a prayer of praise found in Danel 2:20-23. To summarize what led to this prayer, King Nebuchadnezzar (king of Babylon) had a dream and wanted someone to tell him what dream he had and explain what the dream meant. As everyone declared this would be impossible to do, King Nebuchadnezzar said if no one is able to do what he demanded, all the wise men would be killed.
Daniel prayed to God asking Him to reveal the dream and meaning to him so that the wise men would be spared in God’s mercy. In verse 19, “That night the secret was revealed to Daniel in a vision. Then Daniel praised the God of heaven.”
Daniel’s prayer of praise to God:
“Praise be to the name of God forever and ever;
wisdom and power are his.
He changes times and seasons;
he deposes kings and raises up others.
He gives wisdom to the wise
and knowledge to the discerning.
He reveals deep and hidden things;
he knows what lies in darkness,
and light dwells with him.
I thank and praise you, God of my ancestors:
You have given me wisdom and power,
you have made known to me what we asked of you,
you have made known to us the dream of the king.”
Before Daniel did anything else, he paused and prayed a prayer of praise to God. He recognized who God is and what He had done.
This is such an excellent and beautiful example of a prayer of praise and one we can learn from.
Do we take the time to pause and praise God throughout our day? Are we recognizing who God is and what He has done or do we move quickly throughout the day without noticing His work and power?
Prayer of praise in the bible
Daniel’s prayer inspired me to look for more prayers of praise. This is just a small example of praise in the bible and doesn’t even touch any Psalms. These short prayers of praise from the bible are perfect for teaching us how to praise God using scripture.
I will proclaim the name of the LORD. Oh, praise the greatness of our God! He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he. Deuteronomy 32:3-4
“The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation. He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior—. . . .” 2 Samuel 22:2-3
“Stand up and praise the LORD your God, who is from everlasting to everlasting. Blessed be your glorious name, and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise. You alone are the LORD. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you.” Nehemiah 9:5-6
And Mary said: “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me—holy is his name. His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he promised our ancestors.” Luke 1:46-55
What do you say when praising God?
So what do you say when you pray your own prayer of praise? What does praising God look like? Are there certain words to be said?
A few observations from the previous examples above show me to:
- Earnestly and humbly approach God.
- Proclaim Him and His work.
- Declare specifically who He is and what He has done.
- Thank Him with gratitude and thankfulness.
Simply come before God in humility and aim to make everything about Him alone. In doing so, we will place God in His proper position in our life. Praise helps show us that the mountain we were previously facing is actually in the palm of the God who created the heavens and the earth!
Nothing compares to the King of glory!
Worship words to describe God
Maybe you want to praise God through prayer and just aren’t sure what to say. Don’t worry! The more we grow in our relationship to God, words of praise and worship will come more naturally. Put into daily practice praising God and start simply with, “Thank you, Father!”
Just recently in reading through Joel, I came across Joel 2:25 which the Lord says, “I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten…” This revealed God as the Restorer to me and it significantly impacted my prayers considering Him as the Restorer of all things. What a God we serve!
Additional worship words to describe God through name and attribute could include:
- God Almighty, Lord of lords, King of kings, The Lord of Heaven’s Armies, Defender
- Prince of Peace, Emmanuel, Generous Giver, Creator, Heavenly Father, Keeper
- Master, Savior, Loving, Righteous, Trustworthy, Gracious, Just
- All-knowing, All-present, All-powerful, Almighty
Use the prayers above or go through Psalms and find a prayer of praise to pray as your prayer. This is a creative example of worship words to describe God through letters of the alphabet.
I’d also recommend time in God’s Word daily to grow closer to our King of Glory!
Praising God prayer points
Below are 10 prayer points for praising God. You can use these to help prompt your prayers as you praise God for who He is.
Father, I praise you for:
- Your Son, Jesus Christ, and his work on the cross.
- Being God Almighty and sovereign over all things.
- Protecting and defending me each day.
- Creating and sustaining life by your breath.
- Your unending love and mercy that you pour upon me each day.
- Going before me and keeping me safe and secure in your protection.
- Hearing my prayers and desiring to be in relationship with me.
- Being my refuge, strength, and fortress in this ever-changing world.
- Offering yourself to me and your willingness to give endless mercy and grace.
- Supplying all my needs and trusting that you care more for me than I can fathom.
If you’re in a spiritual battle, take a break in your day to list as many points of praise as you can think of. It is true, walls come crashing down when we bring praise to God through prayer!
Prayer of Praise and Thanksgiving
Here are some examples of prayers of praise and thanksgiving from Psalms. Often times you can read through Psalms and find a prayer that is perfectly fitting for your heart and can proclaim the words exactly as they are.
Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth!
Worship the Lord with gladness,
Come before Him, singing with joy.
Acknowledge that the Lord is God!
He made us, and we are His.
We are His people, the sheep of His pasture.
Enter His gates with thanksgiving;
go into His courts with praise.
Give thanks to Him and praise His name.
For the Lord is good. His unfailing love continues forever,
and His faithfulness continues to each generation. Psalm 100
I will praise the Lord at all times.
I will constantly speak his praises.
I will boast only in the Lord;
let all who are helpless take heart.
Come, let us tell of the Lord’s greatness;
let us exalt his name together.
I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me.
He freed me from all my fears. Psalm 34:1-4
Praise the Lord!
I will thank the Lord with all my heart
as I meet with His godly people.
How amazing are the deeds of the Lord!
All who delight in Him should ponder them.
Everything He does reveals His glory and majesty.
His righteousness never fails.
He causes us to remember His wonderful works.
How gracious and merciful is our Lord! Psalm 111:1-4
Short Prayer of Praise
A prayer of praise can come using any of these or the many other examples in the bible, or we can pray even a short prayer of praise. Though a prayer of praise may be short, it doesn’t diminish the praise!
Remember, we’re taking the time to recognize God. “Praise God!” Is one way to pray a short prayer of praise. Acknowledge Him. Other short prayers of praise and gratitude include:
- Lord, I adore you.
- Father, I praise your name above all names!
- God, I thank you for the work and power you do in my life.
- Lord, you alone are God and I worship you in this moment.
Prayer of Praise and Adoration
Most of us think of Psalms when we consider prayers of praise and adoration. It is full of declarations and powerful prayers of praise to God Almighty. If you’re looking to use the bible as a prayer book, the following Psalms are great starting places for praying your own prayers of praise and adoration to God.
Psalm 145 – “My mouth will speak in praise of the Lord. Let every creature praise his holy name forever and ever.” vs.19
Psalm 8 – “Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!” vs 9
Psalm 65 – “The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders; where morning dawns, where evening fades, you call forth songs of joy.” vs. 8
Psalm 150 – “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!” vs.
One helpful tool you can use when praying is to use a simple acronym for PRAY to help guide your prayers according to God’s Word.
- PRAISE: Acknowledge and praise how God’s character is revealed in these verses. Take time to praise God for His attributes that are revealed.
- REPENT: Consider how these scriptures reveal unbelief, sin, or fear in your life. Take time to confess those areas to God in humility.
- ASK: Ask according to scripture. Pray for yourself and others based on what you’ve read.
- YIELD: Take time talking to God about how you want to apply what you’ve learned.
Praising God in Prayer
To echo Daniel’s prayer of praise “Praise be to the name of God forever and ever; wisdom and power are his.” As you bow before God in worship and adoration, be overwhelmed by the one and only true King of Glory! This is who we worship!
We are yours, Father, and we give you all praise, glory, and honor. Amen!
Thank you. I will start by coming to this site every morning to pray in thanksgiving and praises to the Lord, my God.
This is a truly a guide for me to worship,prayer n praising God.. lovely verses with reference… this made me to learn n improve myself in prayer.. getting more closer to God .. ah lovely.. cannot stop reading.. thank u….
In the name of the father & of the son & of the holy spirit Amen
Thank you Lord for all that you have done! Bless your Holy name! I love you Lord because you first loved me! Thank you for your Grace & Mercy in my life!
Praising God 101. This was extremely helpful to me. Thank you Jesus.
I have been at a loss for words lately but still want to praise the Lord as He is worthy. I will praise him with these prayers which will help me use my own voice.
Thank you so much for the teachings may you highly blessed
Thank you, this has been truly a blessing to me. May God continue to use you as a vessel to help others.
Thank you this has really been a blessing and eyeopener to me God continue to bless and keep you
Thank you for guiding me to praise my Lord in my prayers. God is so good to me . He is above all things and yet He listens to me .I want to ascribe all the praise to Him.
As a read these prayers my eyes watered and my mouth kept saying thank you God. I was speechless except thank you, God. Wow! I’m 73, and sometimes need reminders about how merciful, loving and full of Grace-giving wisdom and power He is. Praise for me these days is “in any moment”–gotta keep His presence present in this world of turmoil. What a God we are priviledged and chosen to honor and serve. Let us bless His name at all times and forever.
ALSO, thank you for your research efforts and sharing. I will you and wish you God’s richest blessings and peace.
Thank GOD almighty for his wisdom, grace and mercy that endures forever. To his name alone be all the glory for driving you into the production of this platform.
This is interesting and inspiring. Remain ever blessed, favoured and refreshed in all things that GOD has given you richly to enjoy especially divine direction and WISDOM. AMEN.