Halleluyah,
What is prayer? What is worship? How do I pray? How do I worship? What do I gain? What can I lose?
These are some of the questions I had growing up, and if you did too or still do- then I welcome you into this conversation.
Now, the sensible place to start would be to break down what these words mean right? So why don’t we do that first.
Prayer is defined as ‘a solemn request for help or expression of thanks addressed to God or a deity’. Worship is defined as ‘the feeling or expression of reverence and adoration for a deity’.
Did you spot two similarities between these definitions? Yes? Well I did too, first we see that the common factors between these definitions is the fact that they are both expressions- meaning that they are actions of someone making a thought or feelings known. The second common factor was that they are directed to a supreme being, us being believers that is God. As humans, which I believe everyone reading this is- we see it as a matter of great importance to be able to express ourselves. Whether it is by winning an argument (don’t pretend like you haven’t), or attending a demonstration on the street for your rights. So how much more does the creator of our very being want us to express ourselves to him.
Over the years I have learnt that praying is not just telling God what you need or what you want him to do, it’s a conversation. Now, I want you to imagine not speaking to your mum or dad or partner for a week, when you eventually do what is their first response? I’ll tell you what my mum would say, “ehennnn so you remember you have a mother now abi?”, that would be her opening line. The point I’m trying to make is, the same way you would talk to your parents, partner, friends everyday- you should talk to God every day. God wants to know everything, and is willing to always listen, he doesn’t have a ‘do not disturb sign or end call button’. He wants you to converse with him, ask him questions, and also be sensitive to his response. Let us stop seeing prayer as a Christmas list, it is a gift and grace given to us to know God more and his thoughts towards us if we are willing to listen.
Likewise worship, using the parent analogy again: imagine just going to your parents and saying give me money. I don’t know about you but my mum would first ask me “is everything okay upstairs?”. I believe growing up we have mastered the art of sweetening our parents up before asking for what we want, we would clean, cook breakfast for them and then even ask them if they need anything done. After that stage we would then call them sweet names like the best mum/dad in the world, or if your like me I’d say “my bestieeee”. Then I believe most times it’s hard for them to say no to whatever we ask. The same goes for worship, worship opens that door for you to get closer to God, it shows God that you have a place in you that you need him to fill. There is something about worship that just catapults you into the presence of God, and no, worship is not just you lifting your hands and crying (these may be results of worship but it doesn’t define it). Worship is when you realise that God is far more higher than you, greater than you, stronger than you. Worship puts us in the position of humility, where you reverence the God that created, formed, sustained, protected you and more.
Both prayer and worship is made effective with the essential ‘must have’ as a Christian, which is……….The Holy Spirit! The Holy Spirit helps us to pray, and even intercedes on our behalf, the Holy Spirit helps us to worship God as it reveals the heart of God to those who are willing to be true and in spirit.
That being said, may God Almighty strengthen us to pray in his Spirit. May he give us the spirit of reverence that we may come selfless before him that he may fill us up in his fullness. And may he help us to realise that prayer and worship are 2 of our 5 a day that we need to keep Satan away. Amen
Until next time, stay blessed!
Aunty_B xo