We are continuing to answer the question—what function do individual church members serve in the church and the community? In week one, we found that the fi rst step in facilitating worship to God is obedience to Him. Therefore, because God both desires and deserves our worship, we must strongly desire to understand the requirements of God for His worship. From this desire, we must endeavor to learn from the Scriptures the proper way to worship Him. “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15).

Today, we will explore what this author believes is the most neglected aspect in facilitating proper worship to God—prayer. Too often, we forget or neglect to pray and wonder why God is not answering us. “You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fi ght and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask” (James 4:2). Even when we do remember to pray, sometimes we ask for the wrong things. “You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures” (James 4:3).

Prayer is an essential part of facilitating worship, but we must ask according to the Father’s will, if we expect Him to hear. “This is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us” (1 John 5:14). We can have confidence that we will receive what we ask for, if it is according to His will. “And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him” (1 John 5:15). We can only know that what we ask is according to His will if we are keeping His commandments; this is how we know we are pleasing to the Father. “And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight” (1 John 3:22). If we are pleasing to the Father, we can be assured that when we ask, it will be given. “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will fi nd; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened” (Matt. 7:7-8).

Three times in the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prayed “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; Nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will” (Matt. 26:39, 42, 44). He was not looking forward to the cross, but He understood that His will had to be put aside for the Father’s will. If we are to understand how to pray, then we must put our wills aside for the Father’s will. When one of the disciples asked Jesus how to pray, He answered. “Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins, For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one” (Luke 11:1-4).

Let us follow the Master’s advice and hallow the name of God, petition Him that His will be done, ask him to provide for us, forgive us, and deliver us from sin. Let us also never forget that we need to ask God for His wisdom. “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him” (James 1:5). We can know that we have put our wills aside for His will when we keep His commandments (John 14:15, 15:14) and we can have confidence that we will receive what we ask in prayer. Let’s always remember to give thanks to the Father through Jesus, and never neglect our prayer life so that we can properly facilitate His worship.

Just something to consider.

Tim Costner, D.V.M