7 Days of HopeSample

A Lifestyle of Prayer and Worship

By Pastor Ash Meredith

“Give praise to the LORD, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done. Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts. Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice. Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always.” (1 Chronicles 16:8-11)

In times such as these, we really find out how important our faith is. It also serves as a great opportunity for us to dig deeper and to press into Jesus. Jesus is our greatest example of having a lifestyle of prayer and worship.

As we go about our day, here are some ways we can continue to grow and live out a lifestyle of prayer and worship.

PRAY FERVENTLY – Often, unexpected situations come up in our lives and God wants to use them for our growth as people and to grow in Him. We should pray with conviction and passion, trusting in God that He would move. As we pray fervently, we must also allow His will to be done in us and in the situation that we find ourselves in.

PRAY WITHOUT CEASING – We don’t just wake up and pray once in the morning and then again before we go to bed. We don’t even just pray when we need something from God, we need to continually pray as we go about our day, “Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always” (1 Chronicles 16:11). We do so knowing that Jesus is always going before us in everything we do.

WORSHIP WHOLEHEARTEDLY – We can tend to give God lip service when we worship. Perhaps we get distracted by our phone or even by a song that we may not like. We need to remember that worship is not about singing our favorite songs, rather it’s all about giving honor and worth back to God simply for who He is and for all He’s done. “Give praise to the LORD, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done. Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts” (1 Chronicles 16:8-9).

It’s more important than ever to lean into our faith, not fear or hysteria. Prayer and worship are the tools that bring peace and calm in the midst of raging storms. I encourage us to be seeking God daily in prayer and in worship, to be strengthening our faith. We don’t do this just for ourselves, but we do it for others – we have the answer of hope, peace and Salvation in Jesus. Let’s be the beacon of hope that the world so needs!

Take time throughout today to pray for your family, friends, co-workers and your neighbors.