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The Prayer That Must Worship

Perceiving and Responding to Love

The high-profile atheist Bertrand Russell was once asked, “Lord Russell, what will you say when you die and are brought face to face with your Maker?” Russell replied without hesitation: “I shall say, ‘God, why did you make the evidence for your existence so insufficient?’” This day of our plan is my rebuttal. Since the Lord is intentionally and profusely communicating, I think a better question would be—why do we take such pains to ignore Him?

The prayer that must worship is recognizing and responding to God’s manifold revelation of Himself. Below are a few treasured memories in this avenue of prayer. Like an accordion photo sleeve filled with faded pictures of beloved children, I smile over them from time to time. Each “snapshot” uniquely invites me to worship—even today. 

The Spirit of Jesus began to teach me about worship when I was fourteen or so. I was swinging on the tree swing in my grandmother's front yard. As I gazed past the sagging barbed wire fence toward the sunset’s reflection on the placid pond beyond, Holy Spirit engaged me with fellowship. I felt He was revealing His obvious beauty by delighting me with the quaint scene before me. In these moments, I gazed upon the beauty of the Lord. Since that time, I often worship Him as the Beautiful One.

Then there was the fine fall morning I traveled with the family of a school chum for a day along the Blue Ridge Parkway of Virginia. We spent the first part of the day at the orchard of a family friend. Bushel baskets of red and green delicious apples had been picked and hauled by wagon that very morning, and we had the delightful task of choosing which variety to taste. Selecting a green delicious, I bit into a foretaste of heaven’s fruit. Then I ate a red one. My soul was in the throes of rhapsody! I think it had to do with the autumn tang, the complementary colors of red against green, and the mountain vista. I received this experience as a gift from the Lord because it was. I tasted and saw that the Lord is good. He still reveals Himself as irresistibly wonderful, and I worship Him.

The bravura of sky wonders is another gift and invitation to worship. I once heard Beth Moore describe a trip into the wilds of Africa where the Lord so delighted her with the splendor of the heavens that she stood outside her tent and applauded. When I heard her testimony, I thought, “Why didn’t I think of that?” and took up the habit. Deserving of ovation are the moon in its phases, especially at its rising, and the morning star just before dawn on a winter morning. But the constellation Orion is my uncontested favorite. I search for it in the night sky, then let it point me to its Designer. Jesus reveals Himself as Master Creator, and I worship Him.

But my favorite opportunity for worship is teaching, with its sweet surprises and rewards. Those of you who have the honor will relate. I am losing myself in the teaching of a point—all but preaching—when suddenly a spark leaps from me to a child in the room. What I just said has landed as a seed in fertile soil. The transaction happens in the privacy of a child’s soul then registers in her eyes as a flash of understanding and appreciation. It reminds me of a candle being lit. This, too is an invitation to worship. Jesus reveals Himself as the birthplace of Wisdom, and I worship Him.

Strong artistic visuals and awakening wisdom inspire me to worship. But each of us is different. You may be deeply touched by the wheels and sparks of mechanics, the intricacies and exploration of science, the satisfying practicality and orderliness of Math or Computer Science, the creative combinations of landscaping or cooking, the prudence and risk of finance, the simple depth and exultation of music, or the innovative influence of media. The possibilities are endless. But no matter what our personality or interests, the Holy Spirit has the ability to take our breath away as He reveals Jesus in fresh, inspiring ways. These revelations are our personal invitation to worship Him. 

There are many definitions for worship, but for the purpose of this day of our plan, worship is simply recognizing and responding to God’s revelation. Revelation is a sudden or dawning insight into the character and ways of God through Scripture, prayer, nature, or experience. By revelation, I mean fresh understanding built upon the Biblical wisdom already at work in our lives. Our response? We must worship!

Our Father wants us to know Him more and more. Pause, and think reverently of that. He has many things to say to us, more than we can internalize in one sitting, so He slathers His revelation over the days and years of our lives. As the Lord intentionally moves in and around us, the resplendence of His character sparkles like the facets of a diamond in the sunlight. When light is refracted in the natural, we see the visible spectrum—a rainbow. In the same way, as the light of our Father’s character refracts from our circumstances, we experience love in a vivid array. Not all of His revelation is joyous—what breaks His heart will wreck us—but His revelation is always good. 

The essence of this whole Bible plan is the prayer that must worship. It is the pinnacle of all prayer. The Lord speaks, revealing marvelous things, and we know Him more—glory to glory. Then we worship, which is our reasonable service and delight.

The first question of The Westminster Shorter Catechism asks: “What is the primary purpose of man?” The answer: “Man’s primary purpose is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” The prayer that must worship—this conversation of love revealed and love returned—is the rich, full existence we were born to enjoy. We each have the honor of perceiving and responding to Love, and Love is a Person.

For other YouVersion Bible plans and books by Susan Ekhoff, see YouVersion and Amazon.