How did you learn how to pray?

For some of us we learned how to pray from our parents as they prayed for us at bedtime and said the grace over the meal. Some of us grew up going to Sunday School and learned how to talk with God there. But for many of us, no one has ever really taught us how to talk with God. We have maybe picked up a few things from church, but most of the time we shy away from talking with God unless we are in a desperate situation. And praying in public is just out of the question for most.

Christianity is about following Jesus and growing in relationship with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. How can we grow in relationship if we are not growing in our ability to talk with God? I encourage you to take some time to evaluate how your communication with God has developed over time.

Here are some things that have helped me develop my communication with God:

• Confidence in Jesus: 1 Timothy 2:5 tells us, “there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” We cannot have confidence to talk with God if we are not confident that we are reconciled to God through Jesus.
• Study/pray the prayers in scripture: Study the Psalms and see how the people of God talked openly and honestly with God
• Pray out loud: Biblical prayer was out loud. Find a place that you can pray openly and out loud.
• Be honest: Be honest with God, He knows your heart and thoughts, so don’t get all religious and formal.
• Learn how to pray for yourself and others: Again, study the scriptures and see how Paul and others prayed for themselves and how they prayed for others. Take hold of the promises of God for your life and for others.
• Start praying with your family: Have special times of family meeting and prayer not just a quick blessing over the meal.
• Find others to pray with: Get into a discipleship group where you will study, grow and encourage each other as you pray together
• Pray during Worship: While you are singing with others at church talk to God, pray the words of the songs, make it personal.
• Keep the conversation going: Talk to God throughout the day. Bring Him into your everyday routine and it will become more than a routine.

How did you learn how to worship?

I must first confess, when it comes to learning about the wondrous, beautiful and glorious characteristics of the Godhead, which cause us to worship, I feel I have a very long way to go. My soul has tasted and seen that the Lord is good; however, He is infinitely greater than all we could hope for or imagine. That being said, I have learned a few things about worship from various sources that have become anchors for my daily life with God. I will share a few simple details for the sake of brevity.

First, there was my grandfather, Louis Brown, singing out among the saints at Crawford Baptist Church with such a deep, loud voice that it seemed to reverberate in every corner of my little five-year old frame. He seemed so free and joyful. I knew that freedom and joy must be an important part of worship and fellowship with the Lord. Then there was Gary Elmore, the man who first “officially” discipled me in the ways of the Lord. Gary always wanted to bless the Lord, to minister to the Lord, to hear from Him. From Gary I learned to wait before Him, to meditate on His word and to simply enjoy His presence. Gary and I would split up for hours in the wilderness just to be with the Lord. Mark Weber, a close friend I met here in Aspen almost 25 years ago, challenged me to seek the presence of the Lord and to seek His will. Mike Taylor, a long-time mentor and dear friend, taught me to bless my family, to serve them well and to love my neighbor. He taught me to lead (and worship) by serving others and helped me see how this blesses God. Steve Woodrow, my senior pastor, and also close friend and mentor for 15 years now, encourages me to move forward boldly in faith and worship. Steve also challenges me to remember that God can reveal still other dimensions and aspects of worship that may be previously unknown to me. And woven throughout this journey has been the harmonizing power of the Word and the Spirit. When I became a disciple of Christ in 1991, I devoured the Word of God for three straight years. As I read and studied the Bible daily the Holy Spirit revealed deep and simple truths of God that caused me to worship. These truths revealed and exposed my heart with all its weaknesses and shortcomings and sin. These revelations of the flaws of my heart were somehow juxtaposed to the power, wisdom and mercy of our Lord Jesus and therefore magnified my affections for Him. The more I drew near to Him the more I worshipped. Not only did the corporate experience of worship become more meaningful but I also began to see the activities of my daily life as opportunities to worship. The very definition of worship began to expand in my heart. I now had some understanding of Paul’s words in Colossians 3:17; “Whatever you do, in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

So my journey of learning how to worship has been grounded in two things; 1.) deep and committed Christian fellowship, even discipleship, and 2.) a process of getting to know the object of our worship. This Christian fellowship/discipleship will be worked out a little differently in each of our lives; however, it seems to me that one of the most important aspects of Christian community is the necessity of jumping in with both feet. Don’t hold back. We must be committed, truthful, and willing to be known. Proverbs 27:17 reveals one of the great benefits of community. “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” In other words, iron can’t be sharpened unless it makes contact with other iron. Find other disciples (followers of Christ) who will sharpen you. Be fully committed to life together with other followers and very soon the Lord will reveal new dimensions of fellowship with his people and with Himself. There is an old adage we all use from time to time, ‘You just had to be there.’ We use this phrase ultimately because of an inner awareness that the experience itself is truly greater than any story about the experience. I believe we Christians spend too much of our time recounting the story of God rather than experiencing the reality of God. I would encourage us to draw near to the object of our worship, to experience Him firsthand, to experience the attributes of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Cry out to God even as Moses did; ‘Lord, show me your glory!’ Read the scriptures and pray for revelation as you do. Jesus instructed the Pharisees, saying; “These are the very scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.”(John 5:39-40) To state the obvious, we must spend time with Him in order to get to know Him. As we read the word of God (for the right reasons) we are coming to Him. Our spirits are awakened, even renewed and we begin to long for God himself. We begin to truly worship Him.

Here are some practical suggestions that may help you worship the Lord:

• Find a place where no one can see you or hear you…and worship. (Matthew 6:5-6) Plan your personal worship of God.
• Change your posture; kneel, bow, or prostrate yourself before the Lord. He lifts up those who are bowed down. (Psalm 145:14)
• Write a Psalm of praise of your own and then sing that to the Lord. If you’re not a great singer don’t worry. Go to a place where no one will hear you. If you persevere you will experience your soul awakening. It’s what we were made for.
• Meditate on God’s Word. We can’t just read it and forget it. Hold God’s Word in your mind, turn it over and over, think on it, and there will be an effect on your life and your worship experience. (Psalm 1:2-3)
• Steve already mentioned this, but worship with the Psalms. Read them aloud to the Lord (even to your own spirit) until the Palmist’s thoughts become your own.
• Design a personal worship service. Yes, make up a worship service that you alone can offer to the Lord as an act of worship. But don’t make rituals and traditions for yourself. God is not looking for right forms of worship. He is looking for right hearts that are fully devoted to Him.
• Forget your problems. Focusing on our problems can prevent the spark of worship. Ask the Lord to take your troubles and trials. Lay them aside and worship the one who is sovereign over all things. You will feel differently about the difficulties of life when you have truly worshipped.
• Check your heart when participating in corporate worship. Focus on the Lord and His church. Corporate worship means we are worshipping in community. We are together to honor the Lord and edify each other. (1 Corinthians 12:12-26)
• Keep Christ at the center of worship. Be aware that forms of worship can become the object of our worship. Sometimes we may pursue a particular form of worship (or way of worshipping) because it satisfies our own desires.   Our purpose is to worship and bless the Lord.
• Ask the Lord to renew your heart for worship. If you feel empty the Lord wants to restore your soul. However, sometimes we strive for things that can only be accomplished by the Almighty. Ask the Lord to fill you with His spirit and create a right heart within you. Read Psalm 51 and then ask of the Lord. Remember, He gives rest to the weary and lifts up those who are bowed down.

(by Steve Woodrow and Derek Brown)