Prayer and worship

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Worship is turning to God in awe, praise and joy, as his people realise how wonderful he is. Prayer is a natural part of worship: to know God is to want to worship him and pray to him.

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Worship is a fundamental requirement of life

All nations are exhorted to worship God

1 Chronicles 16:28–29 KJV 1900

Give unto the Lord, ye kindreds of the people, Give unto the Lord glory and strength. Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name: Bring an offering, and come before him: Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.

Israel is commanded to worship God

2 Kings 17:36 KJV 1900

But the Lord, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt with great power and a stretched out arm, him shall ye fear, and him shall ye worship, and to him shall ye do sacrifice.

Right attitudes in worship are imperative

Reverence and humility characterise acceptable worship

Hebrews 12:28–29 KJV 1900

Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: For our God is a consuming fire.

See also Ps 5:7; Ps 95:6; Ps 138:2; Ec 5:1

Honesty, without hypocrisy, characterises acceptable worship

Amos 5:21–24 KJV 1900

I hate, I despise your feast days, And I will not smell in your solemn assemblies. Though ye offer me burnt offerings and your meat offerings, I will not accept them: Neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat beasts. Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs; For I will not hear the melody of thy viols. But let judgment run down as waters, And righteousness as a mighty stream.

See also Mt 15:7–9; Is 29:13; Lk 18:9–14; Jn 4:24

Prayer can focus on different aspects of God’s character

Prayer can focus on God’s holiness

Exodus 15:11 KJV 1900

Who is like unto thee, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like thee, glorious in holiness, Fearful in praises, doing wonders?

Prayer can focus on God’s glory

Psalm 19:1–6 KJV 1900

The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament sheweth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, And night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, Where their voice is not heard. Their line is gone out through all the earth, And their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun, Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, And rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race. His going forth is from the end of the heaven, And his circuit unto the ends of it: And there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.

See also Ps 29:1–2; Ps 138:5; Ro 16:27; Php 4:20; Jud 25

Prayer can focus on God’s majesty

Psalm 104:1–4 KJV 1900

Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, thou art very great; Thou art clothed with honour and majesty. Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment: Who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain: Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters: Who maketh the clouds his chariot: Who walketh upon the wings of the wind: Who maketh his angels spirits; His ministers a flaming fire:

Prayer can focus on God’s kingship

Psalm 97:1 KJV 1900

The Lord reigneth; let the earth rejoice; Let the multitude of isles be glad thereof.

See also Ps 9:7; Ps 22:3; Ps 93:1; Ps 95:3; Ps 102:12

Prayer can focus on God’s love and compassion

Psalm 103:1–18 KJV 1900

Bless the Lord, O my soul: And all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; Who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; Who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; So that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s. The Lord executeth righteousness And judgment for all that are oppressed. He made known his ways unto Moses, His acts unto the children of Israel. The Lord is merciful and gracious, Slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. He will not always chide: Neither will he keep his anger for ever. He hath not dealt with us after our sins; Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, So great is his mercy toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, So far hath he removed our transgressions from us. Like as a father pitieth his children, So the Lord pitieth them that fear him. For he knoweth our frame; He remembereth that we are dust. As for man, his days are as grass: As a flower of the field, so he flourisheth. For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; And the place thereof shall know it no more. But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, And his righteousness unto children’s children; To such as keep his covenant, And to those that remember his commandments to do them.

See also Ps 111:4; Ps 118:1–4; Ps 145:17–20

Prayer can focus on God’s justice and righteousness

Psalm 97:2 KJV 1900

Clouds and darkness are round about him: Righteousness and judgment are the habitation of his throne.

See also Ps 7:17; Ps 9:8; Ps 97:6; Ps 111:3

Prayer can focus on God’s creative activity

Nehemiah 9:6 KJV 1900

Thou, even thou, art Lord alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshippeth thee.