I am glad to greet every reader of our column “Daily Word for spiritual strength”! Today I would like to point out some elements of effective prayer.
- Worship the Lord.
God wants us to talk to Him the way we talk to our father. Jesus said in His prayer: “… blessed be Thy Name!” The word “bless” means He worshipped the God Father in reverence to Him. Worship prepares our soul to meet the God. It also involves our spirit. Just like in order to listen to a broadcast on the radio you need to tune it up first, worship helps us to turn our spirit on and tune it up on the God´s wave. Jesus taught:
«You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve» ( Мat. 4:10 ).
Every service in the church should start with worship. Worship is one kind of prayer. What does worship actually mean?When we worship God we exalt Him for his nature, adore His majesty, power and wisdom. When you worship God, you bow down before Him and adore Him. When you worship God you acknowledge how insignificant you are compared to Him. You will worship as deep as deep you know the God. Therefore, worship is directly related to knowledge about God. The more we know Him, the more we adore Him. So your poor worship proves your low level of knowledge about God. If you worship God daily at home you will easily do the same thing in the church, since it has become a part of your life in prayer. Praise is a part of worship. When you worship God you express your gratitude for His work in your life. Praise, worship and thanksgiving work together. Praise and worship the God without ceasing! Always be thankful to Him! How do we learn to worship God?*You need to focus your mind and attention on Him.
«In the year that king Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up; and his train filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each one had six wings. With two he covered his face. With two he covered his feet. With two he flew. One called to another, and said, “Holy, holy, holy, is Yahweh of Hosts! The whole earth is full of his glory!” The foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. Then I said, “Woe is me! For I am undone, because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for my eyes have seen the King, Yahweh of Hosts!”» ( Isaiah 6:1-5 ).
When Isaiah saw the God, he immediately worshipped Him. You can´t see somebody or something if you don´t look at that. Learn to look at the Lord. When you come before God to pray, the first thing you have to do is calm down and look at Him in your thoughts, so that you can see Him. This is the first thing that helps us to worship God.Let´s continue tomorrow! Peace on you! Rufus Adjiboye, pastor
