09/24/2026
Who do we glorify with our prayers? Is our aim to glorify God, or is it to bring glory upon ourselves? This is especially a danger when we are interceding in prayer for others because it is easy for them to attribute the success of a prayer to the intercessor himself, and thus assign the glory to them incorrectly. In the secret privacy of our prayer closets this same issue arises, however it has more to do with the motive behind our prayers... who do we glorify, and who do we allow others to assign glory to when we pray for them?
“"Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.”
John 14:12-13 ESV
For years I was a member of an intercessory prayer team in which two other elder members of our church and myself prayed weekly and, on dire occasions, for others, and our church. We saw remarkable answers to prayer, and we also suffered through times when we were mistakenly assigned the glory for one of those prayers that God answered for someone we were interceding for. The temptation an intercessor confronts is to feel responsible for God’s answer, but the reality is that as intercessors we are nothing more than drinking straws.
I say drinking straws because they contribute nothing to the liquid being consumed, but merely transport it between the cup and the mouth of the person who wishes to consume it. Intercessors position themselves between the cup that is Jesus Christ, and the person in need of receiving God’s answer to prayer... nothing more. If that straw should ever develop a hole in it by which air is introduced, then God’s glory is siphoned off, and the flow ceases to be effective and full. When this happens, it becomes nearly impossible to draw anything through the straw at all. When we claim God’s glory, or allow it to be assigned to us then a hole has been poked in our straw, and our praying begins to suck air.
“Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!”
Psalms 115:1 ESV
During our secret personal prayers, we can do a similar thing, but in this case we take an answered prayer that was prayed in secret which was given for our personal edification, and reveal it to those around us. Typically, we do this out of our misguided desire to glorify God but by revealing His privately directed glory to the world at large we have punched a hole in our straw.
“Sing to the Lord, all the earth! Tell of his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples! For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and he is to be feared above all gods.”
1 Chronicles 16:23-25 ESV
In our private prayers we must guard against a couple of things; the first is in revealing God’s answer to others in order to focus the glory of our relationship with Him on ourselves... “Look at me! I am worthy! Aren’t I great?” The second is much more diabolical... we begin to worship God’s answers to our prayers, and place the answers above God Himself. We can see the negative ramifications of this behavior manifest in doubt, blame, and withdrawal.
A good example of how this second diabolical breakdown occurs can be seen when we, or the church, does some good work. We feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and give shelter to the homeless, and though at first we believe this is done in obedience to God’s will in prayer for the glory of God we claim that glory for ourselves. The recipients, or observers, of these things we have prayed for should give God the glory for His provision, but instead honor us. Over time these acts begin to change us and they become less and less about God as the prayer dwindles away, and the intercessors are viewed more like gods unto themselves. Suddenly we are clothing the naked to draw attention to ourselves, and the recipient begins to feel they should honor us for this. The answered prayers that were once glorifying God become replacements for Him... a false god has thus been established in which we are worshiped for the work being done, and not the one true God for whom that work was originally undertaken. We begin to become disillusioned in the effort, and doubt that God is in it as we should. We might even grow weary and quit providing it altogether, or leave the church entirely. The recipients, on the other hand, lose sight of the sacrifice and the goodness of God, and the necessity to glorify the Lord in it, and turn instead to those who do this work and assign either glory or blame to them... once again a false god is formed.
So, good works are meant to be done to glorify God, and they are a very natural manifestation of our faith as we do His will. However, when God is no longer in them they cease to become God’s gifts, and either those who perform them become earthly gods unto themselves, or the works that were once of faith simply become secular jobs. Faith and works must be inseparably linked together, and glorifying God in them is paramount.
“You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness"—and he was called a friend of God.”
James 2:22-23 ESV
So back to the original question... “Who do we glorify in our prayers?” This is not a difficult question, but has far reaching ramifications. It effects our ability to intercede, and to pray privately too; it even affects our corporate prayers if they are not being prayed to glorify God. Let’s examine our prayers, and our prayer life... have we placed our desire to be glorified above God’s rightful glory? Have we constructed false gods… or become one ourselves?
Prayer:
Father, I thank you for my answered prayers, and thank you for revealing your power and glory to us through them. Help me Holy Father to pray rightly so that my prayers will glorify you alone, and let all of my prayers serve to raise you up, while drawing us closer together. Let my desire always be to do your will, and by doing so to demonstrate your magnificence to the world. Gracious Father, give me the humility I need to resist every temptation to claim even the tiniest amount of your glory, and give me the words necessary to correct the tendency of those who seek to assign your glory to me as I pray for them. Demonstrate this truth to your Church, that we might pray effectively, and accomplish much for you and your kingdom. Help us Father so that our vanity and pride is overcome and all glory that is rightfully done in obedience to your will is assigned to you alone. Take away our flamboyance, and the pomp that is designed to glorify ourselves, and replace it with humility and subservience. Father, let your Holy Spirit guide me as I pray, and speak for me when my words are failing me... give me the insight I need to pray within your will. Holy Father, you, and you alone, are great, and greatly to be praised. You are the sole source of all answered prayer, and no man can do the things that are of you. All glory rests on you Father, because Holy, Holy, Holy, are you my God of mercy, grace, and answered prayer. Hear me now as I praise your name… both now and forever more!
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Amen!
If Jesus says this then who are we to say otherwise?....
““I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me.”
John 5:30 ESV
Rich Forbes