Prayer as Worship
As our church focuses on the theme of “Life of Worship” this year, I have found myself reflecting on prayer as worship—specifically, considering what my prayers reveal about my worship of God. Much of my prayer life is sprinkled throughout each day as things come to mind that I want to bring to the Lord in prayer. Bringing our concerns and requests to the Lord constantly in prayer is a good thing; Scripture tells us to do this (Rom. 12:12), and time and time again we see Jesus making requests of the Father through prayer. As we bring our petitions to the Lord in prayer, we worship him by acknowledging both his sovereign rule over all things and our helpless dependence on him.
I have noticed, however, that I am less likely to set aside time simply to enjoy God through prayer—and even less likely to prioritize this. Yet the prayer life of Jesus not only expressed his humanity and dependence on the Father, it also reflected his relationship with his Father: he wanted to spend time with the one he loved. We also see that, as Tim Keller points out, Paul never views prayer only as a way to bring requests to the Lord, but as a way to get more of God himself. How different my prayer life, and thus my worship, would look if I regularly prioritized time spent in prayer not only for the purpose of bringing needs to the Lord, but also because I simply want more of him.
In a fast-paced culture like that of Houston, this can be a challenge. Work schedules, school schedules, social lives, and countless other things continually vie for our time and attention; but as someone once gently reminded me, “when something is important to us, we make time for it.” I have kept coming back to those words as I think about worship through prayer, and I want to invite you, too, to consider how you can prioritize prayer in your life. In an effort to help one another in this, I am excited to share that beginning September 6 our church will gather for Midweek Prayer on most Wednesdays at noon. Led by our pastors, we will not only take time to pray with and for one another, but also simply to enjoy God as we seek more of him through prayer. I hope you will join us as together we cultivate lives of worship.
I have noticed, however, that I am less likely to set aside time simply to enjoy God through prayer—and even less likely to prioritize this. Yet the prayer life of Jesus not only expressed his humanity and dependence on the Father, it also reflected his relationship with his Father: he wanted to spend time with the one he loved. We also see that, as Tim Keller points out, Paul never views prayer only as a way to bring requests to the Lord, but as a way to get more of God himself. How different my prayer life, and thus my worship, would look if I regularly prioritized time spent in prayer not only for the purpose of bringing needs to the Lord, but also because I simply want more of him.
In a fast-paced culture like that of Houston, this can be a challenge. Work schedules, school schedules, social lives, and countless other things continually vie for our time and attention; but as someone once gently reminded me, “when something is important to us, we make time for it.” I have kept coming back to those words as I think about worship through prayer, and I want to invite you, too, to consider how you can prioritize prayer in your life. In an effort to help one another in this, I am excited to share that beginning September 6 our church will gather for Midweek Prayer on most Wednesdays at noon. Led by our pastors, we will not only take time to pray with and for one another, but also simply to enjoy God as we seek more of him through prayer. I hope you will join us as together we cultivate lives of worship.
Catherine Duffin
DIRECTOR OF SPIRITUAL CARE
DIRECTOR OF SPIRITUAL CARE
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