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How To Approach God - Tuesday Praise & Pray (for others) July 8, 2025
- P L U N D E R E R
- Jul 8
- 3 min read
The story of the Ten Lepers teaches us how to approach the Lord and interact with Him. The lepers were introduced as a group of men who shouted from afar, asking Jesus to heal them of their ailment (Luke 17:13). Jesus gave them a simple instruction. He told them to go show themselves to the priests. This was part of the Laws of Moses, which required those healed from leprosy to present themselves to a priest who would then carry out certain offerings to the Lord (Leviticus 14).
Well, as the men obeyed Jesus, they saw that indeed, they'd been healed. One of them returned. He praised God loudly, then threw himself at the feet of Jesus and thanked Him, too. Luke 17:19 - Then He said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.” This one man who came back got an additional blessing - he was made well in every sense of the word.
What faith was Jesus talking about, however? Surely it wasn't the faith to ask for healing from leprosy. Nor was it the faith displayed when the group of lepers obeyed Christ's instruction to go to the priests. The reward for these displays of faith was the healing of their skin from leprosy.
The faith Jesus referred to here was the praise this man, a non-Jew and Samaritan, raised to the Lord. It was done with a loud voice and thus without shame or fear of embarrassment. The man's praise was also physical. He prostrated on the floor at Jesus' feet, showing gratitude for the miracle. with his body, he replicated what his heart and mouth were doing in expressing honor and praise to the Lord.
Let us all learn from this leper. Our praise reflects our faith in the Lord and is a way to put it to work. When genuine and offered freely with zeal, God can't keep still. He has to give us more than what we'd originally requested. Leprosy was a death sentence and had no cure. Under the Laws of Moses, lepers had to keep apart from the healthy, and they often died impoverished and alone, separate from their loved ones. The one leper who returned asked for his skin to be healed, but Jesus made him whole.
God wants to do the same for us all. However, we have to be like the Samaritan leper who gave God effusive praise and thanksgiving. And we must be prepared to go beyond that. What if we don't wait for the fulfillment of our prayers to happen before we give God His due worship? Also, how about praising God regardless of the situation (1 Thessalonians 5:18)? This instruction is all over the Bible. We can no longer ignore that we are told to rejoice in God always (1 Thessalonians 5:16) and "make a joyful noise to the LORD" (Psalm 100:1).
We can all choose to do things differently from now on. We can look at the troubles in our lives and, despite them, open our mouths to give thanks to the Lord. We can choose to turn our prayers into praise points instead. We can approach God by first applying the protocol laid out in Psalm 100:4, which says to enter God's presence with thanks and praises.
I have a list of praises that I use to exalt God, no matter the circumstances. It is especially helpful when things are tough. The Lord helps me when I gear up to grumble, reminding me to follow the Psalm 100:4 protocol. As I apply this approach, I tend to gain a new perspective on what I came to talk to God about. And suddenly the troubles of the world don't pinch the way they used to.
Remember, it is those who have faith who can praise God because our praise is an expression of our faith. And faith is spiritual currency that never loses its value. We need to approach God with faithful praise. Worshipping in spirit and truth. May we who believe in Christ and His Father, God, always be like the leper who returned with thanks on His lips for the Lord. May our praises and thanks produce physical worship - our bodies glorifying God. And may our Father go beyond in answering our original prayers. May He make us whole in every sense of that word, by His grace and to His glory, IJMN Amen.
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CLOSING PRAYER
Father, thank You for another day of fellowship. Thank You for Your great grace and mercy and for bringing us together for Your praise and to honor You with prayers of intercession for others. Thank You for deeming us worthy of this assignment (1 Timothy 1:12).
Lord, help us all. Grant us the grace to be like the Samaritan Leper who impressed Jesus through the expression of his faith. Help us to never forget You and how we are to approach You. You are the source of our lives. You are our Provider, our Healer, and You even deemed us worthy to be called Your coworkers. Thank You, God.
Be Thou glorified in our lives. You are great…
LAST 10 MINUTES
Even after receiving the fulfillment of his request, the Samaritan leper still displayed faith through His praise, thanksgiving, and worship. So many of us get what we want from the Lord and go back to living as we did before we sought His help. We don't allow the grace we received in the form of an answered prayer to change us.
This should not be.
We can take a cue from this man and do it differently next time. We can also learn not to wait until we've seen God prove Himself on the issues we're waiting on.
Let's give God praise right now. Think about what He's done and thank Him. Express your faith in praise.…
Heavenly Father, I lift up everyone in this fellowship seeking a change in employment.
Father, You are the God who we call on to bless the works of our hands. Psalm 90:17 - May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us— yes, establish the work of our hands.
Although satan claims it has authority, we know from reading Matthew 28:18 that all authority is in the hands of our Savior Jesus Christ. We also know that You have complete power over all that is in the Earth (Psalm 24:1).
As such, dear Lord, I call on You to show favor to Your children in their endeavors and to bless…
From JIR - Lord, I pray for the girl who lost her family in that tragic car accident in Texas. Lord I pray that she experiences encounters with You to calm her and bring her peace and solace. I pray that You become Lord over her life and You stir her heart to depend on You, rely on You and trust in You. I pray that Your presence is so strong that she can rest in the fact that You are always with her and she is never alone. Lord I pray that You protect her and give her the strength she needs to get through the trauma she has been through. Lord I pray that You heal her mind…
From JIR - I pray for those in Texas who were affected by the floods. I pray over the families who lost loved ones and pray that You wrap them in Your love and give them the strength they need to get through the mourning and sorrow. I pray that You bless them with the oil of joy for mourning and You replace the devastated state they are in with joy and gladness. I pray that You have mercy on Texas and uplift everyone who lost everything in the floods. Lord, I pray that You reveal Yourself to them and they turn to You and You give them the peace and solace they need during these difficult times. IJMN. Amen.