We have explored the Amidah’s first three blessings which clarify before whom we stand and set the stage for the requests that follow. Before making any request of God we must first acknowledge that God is all-loving. He cares, listens and empowers us to confidently stand in the face of His overwhelming presence. We must also believe that God is all-powerful. He is able to respond to our prayers and help us overcome any obstacles in our lives—even those that seem insurmountable. Finally, we must know how much we do not know and remember that God transcends all definitions and limitations. He is the only power who can help. Once we acknowledge these fundament truths about God, we are able to begin our requests. This order of praises followed by requests seems to follow the format established in days of old when subjects would approach their king. First they would praise Him, “Your Highness is wonderful, great and powerful,” before launching their requests, “Please Your Majesty, may we ….. ” It was clearly understood back then that one can’t start reading off a shopping list of requests without first paying proper respect and flattering the king. But this is not what Judaism means when it teaches that we must first praise God before making our requests. We are not buttering up God to get what we want. God doesn’t need us to praise Him. In fact, any praise of God is actually an insult, a desecration of His true greatness. He is infinitely beyond any praise we could ever formulate. Actually, it is a Divine concession that God has allowed us to describe Him in these ways, because we need to describe Him in a way that inspires us to present our requests with confidence, trust and humility.