How to Glorify God in Prayer

Odds are you have never heard of the author Garth Sundem. He has written several books and published articles for several well-respected news outlets. Still, in my opinion, one of his most interesting pieces was entitled “10 Mundane Traditions with Strange Origins.” In it, he details the often-unknown history behind some of our common customs. For example, have you ever considered why people kiss under the mistletoe during Christmas, high-five each other at sporting events, or why a groom at a wedding has a best man standing next to him? Each of these customs has intriguing origin stories that make a lot of sense when you know the history.

The article is well worth reading if you like knowing the history of things. It’s a reminder that we all have customs, traditions, and rituals that we participate in without knowing the history behind the action. This is true in our faith practices, as well. For example, have you ever wondered why we baptize new believers or why we take communion every month? There is a rich history behind these practices.

One question we may often ask is, “Why pray?” We all have said the phrase, “…in Jesus’ name. Amen!” But why? Some have argued that prayer is a waste of time. In some cases, others have even called it harmful. However, prayer is far more than an empty ritual or meaningless custom. Prayer is a means by which we commune with God and receive His guidance, power, and provision. Prayer is such an important resource for the Christian life that Scripture commands us to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17).

As with all matters, there is no greater authority on prayer than Jesus. Prayer was and continues to be at the center of Jesus’s ministry. He taught much about prayer and today, the scriptures even tell us that Jesus “…always lives to make intercession on our behalf” (Hebrews 7:25). When considering Jesus’s prayer ministry, there is arguably no more important passage than John 17.

John 17 records the longest prayer of Jesus’s earthly ministry. It is a passage that can be easily divided into three progressive sections. In verses 1–5, Jesus prays for Himself. In verses 6–19, He prays for His disciples; in verses 20–26, He prays for the church. Each section contains rich insights into the purpose, power, and promise of prayer. These insights will give us tremendous wisdom and truth on how to go about our own rhythms of prayer.

While there are many answers to the question, “Why pray?” the first five verses of John 17 give us one of the most important reasons: to glorify God. But how do we do that? These verses also reveal how.

First, we glorify God in prayer when we acknowledge Him as Father.

“When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you…” -John 17:1

But how does this prayer glorify God? We are given a clue in the intimate word Jesus uses to open His prayer — Father. By referring to God as Father, Jesus not only affirms that father/son relationship that eternally exists within the Godhead, but He also establishes that the power of prayer is not grounded in prayer itself but in God. This is another way of saying that it is not prayer that changes things, rather it is God who changes things.

One of the early signs that a relational connection or bond has occurred between a person and God is when we begin to pray. More specifically, when we refer to God as our Father when we pray. This glorifies Him because our acknowledgment of God as our Father means we understand both his sovereignty and steadfast love.

Second, we glorify God in prayer when we acknowledge Jesus as Son.

“…since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” -John 17:2–3

Before the foundation of the world was ever laid, the Father, Son, and Spirit had established a plan through which redemption would be accomplished, and those who were lost would be saved. But how would a person in need of salvation experience this promise of forgiveness and love? Verse 3 tells us that eternal life consists of knowing the only true God and Jesus Christ. “Knowledge in the biblical sense means far more than intellectual comprehension; it involves a profound personal relationship.”[1]

To profess that Jesus is the Son is to testify, before a watching world, that He is Lord and to publicly announce to family, friends, and foes alike that He is ours and we are His. Just as our acknowledgment of God as our Father in prayer glorifies Him, so too the acknowledgment of Jesus as the only unique Son of the Father glorifies God. It is our faith and trust in the scriptures’ testimony concerning the person and work of Jesus Christ that constitutes sincere acknowledgment of his sonship.

Lastly, we glorify God in prayer when we acknowledge the Glory of Christ.

“I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.”-John 17:4–5

Here, in the Upper Room Discourse and His High Priestly prayer, Jesus does not speak in coded, hidden or secretive words. Rather, He plainly declares the glory that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit share. The undeniable teaching of scripture and the prayer of Jesus is that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are co-equal in attributes, glory and divinity.

Furthermore, His prayer reveals that the Father’s glory and the Son’s glory are inseparable. This is because the mission of God is inseparable. When we acknowledge the Glory of Christ, we are acknowledging that Jesus accomplished the work that the Father had given him to do, namely His death, burial, and resurrection. As Hebrews 2:10 states, “For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering.”

So let it be today that you acknowledge the glory of Christ by declaring that He accomplished the work of redemption and by accepting Him as Lord of your life. When we trust in Christ alone for our salvation, we glorify God. When the church is obedient to the mission of making disciples, we glorify God. And when we pray as Jesus prayed, we glorify God.

References:
[1] The Expositor’s Bible Commentary (Revised Edition), General editors Tremper Longman III and David E. Garland (Luke-Acts)599. Grand Rapids, Mi: Zondervan.