Adoration: Awakening Our Hearts to God
“Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory in the heavens.”—Psalm 8:1 (NIV)
“Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.”—Psalm 95:6 (NIV)
“Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.”—Psalm 145:3
“Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come. You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.’”—Revelation 4:8,11 (NIV)
I love how the psalms give us a roadmap for prayer. One of the types of prayer they model so beautifully is the prayer of adoration. This is the kind of prayer in which we simply tell God who He is. When we pray in adoration, we declare the truth of God’s character back to Him—acknowledging His worth, His uniqueness, and His set-apart nature—while reminding our own souls that He alone is worthy of worship.
Revelation 4 gives us a glorious picture of heaven, where elders, angels, and living creatures ceaselessly proclaim Jesus’ worthiness. Their praise reveals why He alone deserves to be worshiped. He created all things, and by His power everything is sustained. We worship God because He’s the maker and creator of all that exists; without Him, nothing would exist at all. His power is unmatched, and His thoughts, creativity, and mind are unlike those of any creature or living being (Romans 11:33).
When we pray in adoration, we’re declaring God’s nature—who He is and what He’s done throughout history, in creation, and through the cross. He created us, sustains us, redeems us, loves us, and restores us.
Prayers of adoration honor God, yet they also deeply shape us. We need continual reminders of God’s character. Day after day, moment by moment, we must remember that He is sovereign, good, loving, just, holy, able, powerful, and majestic. Our hearts need to stay captivated by the wonder of who He is, because we’re prone to wander. Like the Israelites who built a golden calf shortly after seeing the Red Sea split in two, we quickly forget God’s majesty and become mesmerized by lesser things. Prayers of adoration bring our hearts attention back to God.
One practice I learned from the book Satisfy My Thirsty Soul is to pray through the alphabet using attributes of God. This simple rhythm often transforms my cold heart to a heart captivated in worship. I may begin prayer distracted and unenthused, yet within minutes I find myself mesmerized by the splendor of God. I start by saying, “God, I worship You because You’re amazing, beautiful, constant . . .” I continue by naming the first word that comes to mind for each letter of the alphabet until I reach Z. By the end, I usually have so many more words to speak that I often start all over again—heart softened and undone by the God who reveals Himself as I proclaim His nature aloud.
We were made to worship God—to taste and see that He is good; to encounter the reality of His infinite and beautiful character. And the more we acknowledge Him, the more our hearts become consumed with worship.
Do you find yourself sorrowful? Brokenhearted? Weary? Discouraged? Disheartened? Spiritually cold? Apathetic? Begin praying the names and attributes of God, and watch how your heart is renewed as you immerse yourself in the matchless glory of the living God.