Prayer & Worship1

It is my experience that prayer and worship go hand in hand and cannot be separated.
1st Thessalonians 5:16-18 says "Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In everything
give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you".

We are aware through the psalms and other books in the bible that prayer always was
accompanied by thanksgiving, praise and worship. In some instances we find the
individual thanking and praising God before asking for help; in others we see a stream
of lament, supplication, or even anger followed by thanksgiving and praise. Either way,
we must acknowledge that an effective prayer life is enhanced by praise and worship.

The word “pray” is a verb the base for the word prayer a noun. It means to do one of
several things as individuals or for and on behalf of others:

1. Appeal
2. Supplicate
3. Petition
4. Plead

As individuals our spiritual growth is determined by our relationship with God and our
prayer life. Worship is our entrance to the throne room of God and allows the Holy
Spirit to guide us in prayer for ourselves and for others. I refer to Terry Law's book
which advocates that "a relationship with God cannot exist without praise"; and goes on
further to say that praise must always be vocal; and that it occurs when we tell others
about God's goodness. Worship follows praise and is our response to our relationship
with God. It is the way we pour out of our innermost thoughts and ourselves. The act of
worship allows us to move into God's presence and is compared to the three areas of
the tabernacle of Moses: the outer court which represents thanksgiving; the holy place
which represents praise; and the Holy of Holies.... which represents worship. Psalm 84
written by the Sons of Korah is an example of praise, worship and prayer. Prayer
therefore, is the consummation of a three-fold activity.

The scriptures give many examples of praise, worship and prayer, which verify that
before you approach God, you must follow a certain protocol. In the natural world we
have a certain protocol to follow before we can see the head of a state, or high
government officials. So too, we have an etiquette to follow before we approach our
Heavenly Father. Psalm 100 gives us the format to follow. It says 'Enter His gates with
thanksgiving and His courts with praise......'. Terry Law's teaching on praise and
worship is in keeping with Ps.100. He stresses that it is first necessary to give thanks.
He also says "we don't get access to God by coming with petitions or supplications. We
begin with praise, that is the way into His presence". If you are inclined not to adhere to
his teaching, then take it straight from the word of God in Philippians 4:6b which states
"but in everything by prayer and thanksgiving, present your requests to God".

Carefully studied the bible reveals that the central theme of the majority of the psalms is
praise and prayer, both being used interchangeably. A good illustration of this can be
found in psalm 42 written also by the Sons of Korah. While continually praising God,
they sought healing and deliverance as verses 4-5 state: "When I remember these
things, I pour out my soul in me: for I had gone with the multitude, I went with them to
the house of God, with a voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept holyday.
Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? Hope thou in
God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance". Note the praise and
thanksgiving along with the lament.

In Daniel chapter nine [9] we see Daniel constantly praising God while presenting his
case for Israel's restoration. The three Hebrew boys in the fiery furnace choose to sing
hymns of praise and thanksgiving to God as an expression of faith that their God would
deliver them. There are many examples that show the use of praise and worship
together with prayer; two notable ones known to those of us who are of the Anglo and
Roman Catholic churches are [i] the Magnificat sometimes referred to as "Mary's Song"
and [ii] the "Song of Simeon" which is used at our evening [Benediction] services.

Our Lord Jesus presented us with an example of prayer, praise and worship when he
gave us the "Lord's Prayer". Note carefully, what it is we say: Our Father, which art in
heaven, Hallowed be thy Name: with the emphasis on 'Hallowed' we identify this as an
expression of praise and exaltation of God, which precedes the request for sustenance,
forgiveness, and deliverance from evil. It ends with worship acknowledging God as the
Sovereign Lord of All, emphasizing that His is the kingdom, the power and the glory, not
just for yesteryear but for all time. Here we see a yet another perfect pattern for prayer,
praise and worship. It is no wonder that the 'Lord's Prayer' has been set to various
forms of music.

The Psalms are another source, which provide us with classic guides to prayer, praise
and worship. Theologians have over the years divided the Psalms into categories,
which stressed the concerns of the author of the psalm, as well as our own needs of
today. One category is called "Psalms of Descriptive Praise".

An illustration of descriptive praise can be found in Psalm 8. It begins by sending forth

the word. At this point, it may be helpful to know that prayer is begins with the use of
seven principles, which are used collectively, as many of the psalms are inclined to do,
and/or according to the need of the individual[s]. The first one is Boldness which means
to be confident and sure; next is the Blood, meaning without any doubt the 'blood of
Jesus Christ' our saviour; third is Faith that is expectant, hopeful and trusting; fourth is
Right Relations, meaning your personal bond with the Father and His Son; fifth is God's
will or his resolve; sixth is the Holy Spirit which will reveal God's will to us and whom
Jesus sent to be our teacher, guide and counsellor; and last but by no means least is
Praise, which is to exalt, worship and honour God for what he has done.
Psalm 8 begins with a description or portrayal of God: "O Lord, our Lord, how majestic
is your name in all the earth." A bold declaration by David who is confident and sure of
his God. Continuing the verse and on to verse 2 David declared our purpose and God's
will for us when he wrote: "You have set your glory above the heavens. From the lips of
children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the
foe and the avenger." [This psalm can be used as a weapon for spiritual warfare..... but
that's another topic, another time.] So we see David in Psalm 8 approaching with
boldness, proclaiming the name of the Lord, which attacks the stronghold of the enemy
and keeps him quiet. You will gather also, that David has a right relationship with God
and is able to offer praise and exercise faith.

Through the act of praise and worship prayer is fortified and we keep the enemy where
he belongs; that is under our feet. Until next time, God be praised for as one songwriter
put it: God is good all the time and all the time God is good!

Mrs. R. Cecilia Askew

Chaplain/Spiritual Director
copyright@2004:Revised 2008