...Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. (Isaiah 6:3)
Have you ever felt as if there was a barrier between you and God? Have you ever knelt for prayer and felt like your prayers weren’t leaving the room? Have you ever felt a total absence of desire to pray? Have you ever felt overcome with anxiety, grief, or depression?
God has placed within your hands the power to connect with him at any time, and in any place. Establishing that connection will dispel darkness, fill you with light, open your spiritual eyes, and give you a sure knowledge of his existence and his love for you. That power is prayer, and the principle way to open the connection is through worship.
Worship is a word frequently used, but rarely correctly. The scriptural words translated into English as worship do not mean to sing or to dance or to attend church. Rather, they mean to hold someone in high respect by showing reverence and awe while bowing oneself to the ground. Worship is a behavior and an attitude, both confined to prayer. All worship is prayer, and most effective prayer is worship.
The best example of worship comes from the description of the behavior of the heavenly hosts. Though their behavior merits an exhaustive study, for the sake of length, we will analyze just one example describing what happens in heaven as the Lord Jesus opens the book of seven seals, beginning the events that comprise God’s judgment of this world. In the first part of this description, we are told that opening this book requires special power, power that is not present even among the mighty angels in heaven:
2 And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?
3 And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon.
4 And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon. (Revelation 5)
Next, John is told that the Lord Jesus is specially qualified to open the book:
5 And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.
6 And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.
7 And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne. (Revelation 5)
John then sees the reaction of the heavenly hosts:
8 And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.
9 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;
10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.
11 And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;
12 Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.
13 And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.
14 And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever. (Revelation 5)
What John sees is the true order of worship. Consider the elements. The posture of the elders is part of their worship. They are not standing or sitting. They fall down before the Lord Jesus. They sing to him. Is this a feelgood hymn? Is the focus the music? No. They don’t rehearse canned lyrics. They celebrate his eminent acts in spirit-led praise. And the elders are not alone. They are joined by countless numbers of others in heaven, celebrating the works, goodness, and glory of the Lord Jesus.
Worship is the key to open the connection to God. Real worship is the consummate focus on and enumeration of God’s goodness. It is God’s goodness—not our own—that provides us the opportunity to be saved. When we praise God, we come up to where he patiently waits for us by focusing on and filling ourselves with his goodness.
Real worship comes from the Holy Ghost:
Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. (Romans 8:26)
It is difficult to immediately connect with the Holy Ghost in worship. You’ll typically have to kick start the process by focusing your mind and heart on the goodness of God, producing your own worship. The glory of God quickens us when we speak of the goodness of God. When you do this, the Holy Ghost will flood you because when your heart focuses completely on God’s goodness, your whole body fills with light (see Luke 11:34). You move from a lower state of awareness to a higher state, where your perception begins to be quickened by the Holy Ghost. You’ll be given what to say. You then produce the same quality of praise given by the angels of heaven because you speak from the same source. When you achieve this, you will be completely focused on what you are saying, not on what to say. In real time, you will be producing praise as rich and beautiful as anything in the Psalms, but customized to very specific things in your present life. You become lost in it. When you achieve this, you’ll notice how real worship is like waking up from sleep as your physical presence fades and is replaced with the brilliant richness of the Spirit.
Worship takes us into a holy place. In the temple, when the high priest entered into the holy of holies, he did so in a cloud of incense. The sweet smelling smoke covered the stench and sight of his imperfection. Our worship of God acts like incense to allow us to enter into the presence of God. When you arrive at the quickened state of worship, and you have praised God with everything that the Holy Ghost has told you to say, you have entered into the holy place where God resides, and you can continue with the rest of your prayer with special access to God.
We ought to include this kind of worship in our prayers. In fact, we ought to begin our prayers with this kind of worship every single time we pray. Praise and worship create heaven-piercing humility. They open the door to access to God. Without worship, prayer runs as smoothly as an engine with no oil. When we worship God in this manner, we take on a fruitful mindset in the rest of our prayer, and truly open a channel to heaven.
A beautiful example of worship is provided by David. David received unique commendation from God, yet we focus so often only on his sin—that while grave in degree, was so rare in frequency that it is the only one we have record of. We would do well to pay more attention to his life, asking ourselves why God commended David’s heart as like his own. Read these words from 2 Samuel and consider the accurate picture this king—the most powerful man on the earth at the time—had of the Lord. David began by comparing the Lord’s greatness to his own nothingness: “...Who am I, O Lord God? and what is my house, that thou hast brought me hitherto?” He spoke of God’s knowledge of things to come and how that was a superhuman trait: “...thou hast spoken also of thy servant’s house for a great while to come. And is this the manner of man, O Lord God?” He spoke of God’s ability to see a man’s heart: “And what can David say more unto thee? for thou, Lord God, knowest thy servant.” He spoke of God’s character: “For thy word’s sake, and according to thine own heart, hast thou done all these great things, to make thy servant know them.” He praised the Lord: “Wherefore thou art great, O Lord God: for there is none like thee, neither is there any God beside thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears.” He recognized God’s care for Israel:
23 And what one nation in the earth is like thy people, even like Israel, whom God went to redeem for a people to himself, and to make him a name, and to do for you great things and terrible, for thy land, before thy people, which thou redeemedst to thee from Egypt, from the nations and their gods?
24 For thou hast confirmed to thyself thy people Israel to be a people unto thee for ever: and thou, Lord, art become their God. (2 Samuel 7)
It was only after all this praise that David asked for God to bless him. Worship takes us into the presence of God. It is like the incense that covered the high priest when he entered the holy of holies. It is from that place that you can offer prayers and receive answers. When we focus our efforts on worshiping God, and wait to make any requests until after we have entered the holy place, we will achieve efficacy in our prayers—they will become what they are meant to be. Prayer without praise and worship will rarely yield the sought after blessings. Prayer with praise and worship rarely fails to yield the sought after blessings.
Worshipping God is not a matter of sweet-talking him into doing what you want. Worship fills us with his glory. When we are in that quickened state, we are more in tune with his will, and the Holy Ghost will tell us what to say. It is a tangible, immediate way to supercharge our faith. Praising God reminds us of just how good, merciful, holy, and just he is. Recounting the characteristics of God can also stir us up to greater trust in God, causing us to recommit ourselves to serve him. The prayer of the repentant elders in Nehemiah provides a rich example of how to enumerate God’s goodness. Consider the duration of the worship here. It’s a long passage, but you need to read every word to grasp the level of detail and patient listing that Nehemiah gives to God. Compare the length of praise and reflection of God’s goodness to the very brief request made at the end:
6 Thou, even thou, art Lord alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshippeth thee.
7 Thou art the Lord the God, who didst choose Abram, and broughtest him forth out of Ur of the Chaldees, and gavest him the name of Abraham;
8 And foundest his heart faithful before thee, and madest a covenant with him to give the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Jebusites, and the Girgashites, to give it, I say, to his seed, and hast performed thy words; for thou art righteous:
9 And didst see the affliction of our fathers in Egypt, and heardest their cry by the Red sea;
10 And shewedst signs and wonders upon Pharaoh, and on all his servants, and on all the people of his land: for thou knewest that they dealt proudly against them. So didst thou get thee a name, as it is this day.
11 And thou didst divide the sea before them, so that they went through the midst of the sea on the dry land; and their persecutors thou threwest into the deeps, as a stone into the mighty waters.
12 Moreover thou leddest them in the day by a cloudy pillar; and in the night by a pillar of fire, to give them light in the way wherein they should go.
13 Thou camest down also upon mount Sinai, and spakest with them from heaven, and gavest them right judgments, and true laws, good statutes and commandments:
14 And madest known unto them thy holy sabbath, and commandedst them precepts, statutes, and laws, by the hand of Moses thy servant:
15 And gavest them bread from heaven for their hunger, and broughtest forth water for them out of the rock for their thirst, and promisedst them that they should go in to possess the land which thou hadst sworn to give them.
16 But they and our fathers dealt proudly, and hardened their necks, and hearkened not to thy commandments,
17 And refused to obey, neither were mindful of thy wonders that thou didst among them; but hardened their necks, and in their rebellion appointed a captain to return to their bondage: but thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and forsookest them not. 18 Yea, when they had made them a molten calf, and said, This is thy God that brought thee up out of Egypt, and had wrought great provocations;
19 Yet thou in thy manifold mercies forsookest them not in the wilderness: the pillar of the cloud departed not from them by day, to lead them in the way; neither the pillar of fire by night, to shew them light, and the way wherein they should go.
20 Thou gavest also thy good spirit to instruct them, and withheldest not thy manna from their mouth, and gavest them water for their thirst.
21 Yea, forty years didst thou sustain them in the wilderness, so that they lacked nothing; their clothes waxed not old, and their feet swelled not.
22 Moreover thou gavest them kingdoms and nations, and didst divide them into corners: so they possessed the land of Sihon, and the land of the king of Heshbon, and the land of Og king of Bashan.
23 Their children also multipliedst thou as the stars of heaven, and broughtest them into the land, concerning which thou hadst promised to their fathers, that they should go in to possess it.
24 So the children went in and possessed the land, and thou subduedst before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, and gavest them into their hands, with their kings, and the people of the land, that they might do with them as they would.
25 And they took strong cities, and a fat land, and possessed houses full of all goods, wells digged, vineyards, and oliveyards, and fruit trees in abundance: so they did eat, and were filled, and became fat, and delighted themselves in thy great goodness.
26 Nevertheless they were disobedient, and rebelled against thee, and cast thy law behind their backs, and slew thy prophets which testified against them to turn them to thee, and they wrought great provocations.
27 Therefore thou deliveredst them into the hand of their enemies, who vexed them: and in the time of their trouble, when they cried unto thee, thou heardest them from heaven; and according to thy manifold mercies thou gavest them saviours, who saved them out of the hand of their enemies. 28 But after they had rest, they did evil again before thee: therefore leftest thou them in the hand of their enemies, so that they had the dominion over them: yet when they returned, and cried unto thee, thou heardest them from heaven; and many times didst thou deliver them according to thy mercies;
29 And testifiedst against them, that thou mightest bring them again unto thy law: yet they dealt proudly, and hearkened not unto thy commandments, but sinned against thy judgments, (which if a man do, he shall live in them;) and withdrew the shoulder, and hardened their neck, and would not hear.
30 Yet many years didst thou forbear them, and testifiedst against them by thy spirit in thy prophets: yet would they not give ear: therefore gavest thou them into the hand of the people of the lands.
31 Nevertheless for thy great mercies’ sake thou didst not utterly consume them, nor forsake them; for thou art a gracious and merciful God.
32 Now therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the terrible God, who keepest covenant and mercy, let not all the trouble seem little before thee, that hath come upon us, on our kings, on our princes, and on our priests, and on our prophets, and on our fathers, and on all thy people, since the time of the kings of Assyria unto this day.
33 Howbeit thou art just in all that is brought upon us; for thou hast done right, but we have done wickedly:
34 Neither have our kings, our princes, our priests, nor our fathers, kept thy law, nor hearkened unto thy commandments and thy testimonies, wherewith thou didst testify against them.
35 For they have not served thee in their kingdom, and in thy great goodness that thou gavest them, and in the large and fat land which thou gavest before them, neither turned they from their wicked works.
36 Behold, we are servants this day, and for the land that thou gavest unto our fathers to eat the fruit thereof and the good thereof, behold, we are servants in it:
37 And it yieldeth much increase unto the kings whom thou hast set over us because of our sins: also they have dominion over our bodies, and over our cattle, at their pleasure, and we are in great distress.
38 And because of all this we make a sure covenant, and write it; and our princes, Levites, and priests, seal unto it. (Nehemiah 9)
The act of praise overcomes any fear or doubt we may have, and empowers us to work mighty miracles in God’s name.
A wonderful example of how worship overcomes fear is given by Nephi’s reaction to his brothers after God commanded them through an angelic visit to do something that seemed impossible. His brothers feared because Laban—a man whose private army far outnumbered Nephi and his company—stood in the way of their objective. Nephi responded with worship for God:
1 And it came to pass that I spake unto my brethren, saying: Let us go up again unto Jerusalem, and let us be faithful in keeping the commandments of the Lord; for behold he is mightier than all the earth, then why not mightier than Laban and his fifty, yea, or even than his tens of thousands?
2 Therefore let us go up; let us be strong like unto Moses; for he truly spake unto the waters of the Red Sea and they divided hither and thither, and our fathers came through, out of captivity, on dry ground, and the armies of Pharaoh did follow and were drowned in the waters of the Red Sea.
3 Now behold ye know that this is true; and ye also know that an angel hath spoken unto you; wherefore can ye doubt? Let us go up; the Lord is able to deliver us, even as our fathers, and to destroy Laban, even as the Egyptians. (1 Nephi 4)
This intervention increased their faith sufficiently to persuade them to return to Jerusalem—where many waited to kill them—as the angel had commanded them, in spite of the danger.
Though the scriptures contain many excellent examples of worship, we will add just one more here. This is the prayer that Hannah prayed after the Lord healed her barrenness:
1 And Hannah prayed, and said, My heart rejoiceth in the Lord, mine horn is exalted in the Lord: my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; because I rejoice in thy salvation.
2 There is none holy as the Lord: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God.
3 Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let not arrogancy come out of your mouth: for the Lord is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed.
4 The bows of the mighty men are broken, and they that stumbled are girded with strength.
5 They that were full have hired out themselves for bread; and they that were hungry ceased: so that the barren hath born seven; and she that hath many children is waxed feeble. 6 The Lord killeth, and maketh alive: he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up.
7 The Lord maketh poor, and maketh rich: he bringeth low, and lifteth up.
8 He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s, and he hath set the world upon them.
9 He will keep the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail.
10 The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces; out of heaven shall he thunder upon them: the Lord shall judge the ends of the earth; and he shall give strength unto his king, and exalt the horn of his anointed. (1 Samuel 2:1-10)
Worshipping God is an art that can be refined over time. As you practice this art, you will notice that you can tap into your inward self to stream out a list of very specific instances of his goodness, mercy, holiness, and justice from the scriptures and from your own life, and that this list will be different every time you pray. The Holy Ghost will give you the words to say to the extent that you can focus on your inner man, and as you channel this through your soul and body in worship to God, the Holy Ghost will quicken your mind and body. This effect will empower you to then transition to the rest of your prayer still remaining in the spirit.
In a sense, your reverence determines your standing with God. Those who revere God as the king and creator of everything, as much when he is unseen as they would if he were seen, are guaranteed eternal life in the highest glory. This is because it is impossible to revere him to the fullest while sinning. These will always submit their flesh to his will. They will always be found in obedience. They will always have a grateful heart full of worship. Because of this, no matter where they are presently in their climb towards God, they will eventually attain eternal life.