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Prayer & Worship 1
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 everythinggive 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 wasaccompanied by thanksgiving, praise and worship. In some instances we find theindividual thanking and praising God before asking for help; in others we see a streamof 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.Appeal2.Supplicate3.Petition4.PleadAs 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 HolySpirit to guide us in prayer for ourselves and for others. I refer to Terry Law's bookwhich advocates that
"a relationship with God cannot exist without praise" 
; and goes onfurther to say that praise must always be vocal; and that it occurs when we tell othersabout God's goodness. Worship follows praise and is our response to our relationshipwith 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 placewhich represents praise; and the Holy of Holies.... which represents worship. Psalm 84written 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 thatbefore you approach God, you must follow a certain protocol. In the natural world wehave a certain protocol to follow before we can see the head of a state, or highgovernment 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 withthanksgiving and His courts with praise....
..'. Terry Law's teaching on praise andworship 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. Webegin 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 ispraise and prayer, both being used interchangeably. A good illustration of this can befound 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 thesethings, I pour out my soul in me: for I had gone with the multitude, I went with them tothe 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 inGod: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance" 
. Note the praise andthanksgiving along with the lament.In Daniel chapter nine [9] we see Daniel constantly praising God while presenting hiscase for Israel's restoration. The three Hebrew boys in the fiery furnace choose to singhymns of praise and thanksgiving to God as an expression of faith that their God woulddeliver them. There are many examples that show the use of praise and worshiptogether with prayer; two notable ones known to those of us who are of the Anglo andRoman 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 hegave us the "Lord's Prayer". Note carefully, what it is we say: Our Father, which art inheaven,
Hallowed be thy Name
: with the emphasis on 'Hallowed' we identify this as anexpression of praise and exaltation of God, which precedes the request for sustenance,forgiveness, and deliverance from evil. It ends with worship acknowledging God as theSovereign 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 variousforms of music.The Psalms are another source, which provide us with classic guides to prayer, praiseand 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 forththe 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 meansto 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 isRight Relations, meaning your personal bond with the Father and His Son; fifth is God'swill or his resolve; sixth is the Holy Spirit which will reveal God's will to us and whomJesus sent to be our teacher, guide and counsellor; and last but by no means least isPraise, 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 majesticis 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'swill 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 thefoe and the avenger." [This psalm can be used as a weapon for 
spiritual warfare
..... butthat's another topic, another time.] So we see David in Psalm 8 approaching withboldness, proclaiming the name of the Lord, which attacks the stronghold of the enemyand keeps him quiet. You will gather also, that David has a right relationship with Godand is able to offer praise and exercise faith.Through the act of praise and worship prayer is fortified and we keep the enemy wherehe 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 AskewChaplain/Spiritual Director copyright@2004:Revised2008
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