Knowing God Through Prayer, Honoring Him Through Worship

In church culture, we often separate worship and prayer, associating worship with music—usually at the beginning of a service—and prayer with petitions and needs. Worship and prayer are indeed distinct elements of the Christian life, yet in Scripture, they are more intertwined than we may realize.

We teach kids in church that praying is talking to God, and this is true. However, the way people communicate becomes more in-depth with age and maturity. Information is the basis of all communication. Our communication with God is also an exchange of information. First, God introduced himself, and he knocked. Second, we decided to answer his call and meet him. After that, every exchange of information between us and God takes our relationship in a whole new direction. Thus, prayer is about encountering God and growing in relationship with him.

Prayer is about encountering God and growing in relationship with him.

Worship, on the other hand, means to bow down, to pay homage, and to show devotion to. We need the knowledge of God to be able to worship him. You cannot worship what you don’t know. Through communication, we get the knowledge of God, and worship is the response we direct towards him with that knowledge. The nature of God is shown in scripture, expressed through prayer, and revealed through the Spirit. God reveals himself to us; worship is our response to that revelation.

The nature of God is shown in scripture, expressed through prayer, and revealed through the Spirit.

Worship and Prayer

The relationship between prayer and worship is a positive feedback loop that leads to intimacy. Prayer is knowledge, and worship is acknowledgment. Reading the Bible daily becomes a transformative act when we approach it with a prayerful heart, asking God for understanding. Study and meditation on God’s Word are forms of prayer in which God reveals God to us. He wants to reveal himself to us. His revelation invites us to worship Him for who he is, creating a cycle of revelation and response that leads to greater intimacy with God: He knows me, and I know him.

Worship is a lifestyle of a person who with every action bears witness and acknowledges the Creator of the heavens and the earth in spirit and truth (John 4:23-24, 15:26-27). Our worship is a response to the revelation we have about God, through the teachings of the Bible and personal experience. King David understood this, in Psalm 27:4 we can see his expression of worship and prayer:

“One thing I have desired of the Lord, that I shall seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple.” (Psalm 27:4)

David prays (grows in the knowledge of God): “I desire you, I inquire” (I’m interested) about your things, and “I behold your beauty” (I see you and find you valuable and worthy). His worship, reflected in his daily life, reveals his deep understanding of God’s importance and worthiness.

This call to worship and pray has been present since the beginning (Genesis 1:26-28, 2:15), and it will continue for eternity as kings and priests (1 Peter 2:9; Revelation 1:6, 5:10). As Samuel Whitefield wrote, “To fully function as God’s image in the created realm, humanity had to behold God and be transformed so that they would reflect what they encountered to the rest of creation.” That is our original priestly title and job description. Behold God (through prayer), be transformed, and that our lives would reflect what we have encountered (through worship) and share it with the rest of creation.

The throne room of God offers a model of worship and prayer working together. It is the pattern that the Garden of Eden, the Tabernacle of Moses and David and the picture of Isaiah 56:7 are emulating. Scripture describes His throne surrounded by continuous worship and prayer:

…day and night they do not cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come.” And when the living creatures give glory, honor, and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, to Him who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders will fall down before Him who sits on the throne, and they will worship Him who lives forever and ever, and will cast their crowns before the throne, saying,  “Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.” (Revelation 4:8–11)

“When He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each one holding a harp (WORSHIP) and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints (PRAYER).” (Revelation 5:8)

Oh, the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!

Consider Job’s story. By the end of his book, Job gains new understanding through his trials. He’s tested and humbled by God, who reveals that His plans are beyond human comprehension. Job’s response is awe, humility, and worship (Job 42:3-5). The revelation of God’s nature, his will, and his plan leads Job to worship, which leads to repentance.

“Therefore, I retract and I repent.” (Job 42:6)

Similarly, after explaining the mystery of God concerning the mutualism between Jew and Gentile in Romans 9 through 11, Paul references Job in Romans 11:33-36, marveling at the wisdom and revelation of God:

"Oh, the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! For Who has known the mind of the Lord, or who became His counselor? Or Who has first given to Him, that it would be paid back to him? For from Him, and through Him, and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen." (Romans 11:33–36)

The revelation of God’s nature, his will, and his plan moves Paul to worship, which inspires him to call for a sacrificial life of worship in Romans 12:1-2.

“Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:1–2)

Once again, the revelation that comes through intimacy by prayer and worship only leads you to worship and pray for more revelation of the Holy God.

“There is no one holy like the Lord…” (1 Samuel 2:2)

In the first couple of verses in Romans 12, Paul describes a life of worship fueled by the fire of intimacy and revelation. By beholding (praying and meditating) on the Lord, our mind is renewed, leading to transformation, which leads to being a witness and testimony of the perfect will of the Lord to others.

A life of worship is a life that beholds Jesus. We will never graduate from knowing God. “The beauty of Jesus is infinite, and our discipleship never ends (S. Whitefield).” Beholding, looking at Jesus, is meant to be done corporately, in discipleship groups, prayer meetings, home groups, bible studies, and every Sunday service. Therefore, there’s an invitation to worship and pray in unity and one accord, like Acts 2. Let us sing songs that speak to Jesus, sing of his worthiness and what he has done. Let us pray Bible verses, for declaration and revelation.

Prayers as melodies to the Lord

Prayers can also be songs to the Lord. The Psalms are prayer songs from the Tabernacle of David directed towards the Lord in the form of melodies that helped the people of Israel remember and join in the prayers. Let us sing prayers to the Lord with your community. Prayers in the form of melodies bring unity to the body, as everyone in the room can join to lift up the same prayer to the Lord. Singing prayers helps them resonate in our hearts, lingering in our minds long after the melodies end.

“be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your hearts to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to our God and Father; and subject yourselves to one another in the fear of Christ.” (Eph 5:18–21)

Let us sing songs from scripture, that include worship and prayer, and are directed at God, and not people. This follows the pattern of the throne room, observed through the Old Testament, and the New Testament church. Worship and Prayer go hand in hand.

Revelation leads to prayer. Prayer leads to more revelation. Revelation leads to worship.