PRAYER — God LOVES to Be Praised & Adored
- Rebecca Montrone
- Jan 22
- 8 min read
Updated: Jan 24
And so He should!
If I had to name “the thing” I most want to do with my life here on earth for God, it would be this: to point anyone within my sphere of influence toward His immense, glorious stature and say, “Just look at Him— isn’t He…?”
And then to trail off, because I cannot find a word in the English language adequate enough to finish the sentence.
Glorious comes close—but He is far beyond glorious.
When I try to picture what my response to God is like, I often see myself as a small child—maybe five years old—overcome with unbridled joy at the sight of someone deeply loved. That image comes naturally because that is what fills me when I think of Him: delight, awe, affection. Like a child adoring a parent—only magnified explosively outward into the vastness of the universe.
I have served as a worship leader on staff in two churches over the years, and while many worship teams view reaching people as a central goal of worship, that was never my primary focus. Worship isn’t for us—though it most certainly benefits us. Worship is for God.
God is not - through the worship part of a church service - auditioning to win our affection. Worship is our declaration that His very presence rightly commands the attention and affection of every created being.
Scripture makes this clear again and again:
“Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness.” (Psalm 29:2)
“Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable.” (Psalm 145:3)
That word unsearchable matters. It means praise will never be exhausted. We will never finish telling the truth about who God is, and we will never be able to grasp the greatness of His being until we have "shuffled off this mortal coil" and have the capacity within ourselves to be able to do that.
When I think about worship, I often pause to consider something super perpexing but winsome at the same time: What is worship like from God’s perspective? What does it “look like” from where He sits? As we send our praise and adoration upwards, how is it for Him as He receives it?
We all hold mental pictures of God—some vivid, some vague—but nothing about our reality is vague to Him. Everything lies open before His eyes. He sees clearly. And Scripture reveals that He also has desires—pure, holy desires. Chief among them is that the people He has created and redeemed would know Him truly and adore Him freely. Perhaps that is the essense of worship: Adoring Him freely.
And while we can know Him, again, we cannot completely comprehend Him. He's too... BIG; He's too COMPLEX. But we can know all the precious truths we need to know and that He has made abundantly clear in His Word:
He created us because He wanted to be with us.
He was crushed in His own person when we broke that fellowship in the Garden of Eden.
He devised—ingeniously and lovingly—a plan by which He Himself would fully solve the problem.
And then… He did it! Because...
“God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)*
This is the God of the universe—the One by whose power all things are held together—
“In him all things hold together.” (Colossians 1:17)
And what He enjoys most is not our performance, but our authentic love for Him.
Worship, in all its forms, is one of the most beautiful ways we lavish that love upon Him.
“You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” (Deuteronomy 6:5)
“The true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.” (John 4:23)
Worship and praise are also powerful features of spiritual warfare.
Scripture gives us a remarkable picture in the Old Testament, when King Jehoshaphat appointed singers to go before the army:
“And when they began to sing and praise, the LORD set an ambush against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir.” (2 Chronicles 20:22)
The battle turned—not through military strength, but through praise.
This pattern appears throughout Scripture. Praise silences the enemy.
“Out of the mouth of babies and infants, you have established strength… to still the enemy and the avenger.” (Psalm 8:2)
Praise releases victory.
“Let the high praises of God be in their throats… to execute vengeance on the nations.” (Psalm 149:6–9)
Praise even breaks physical chains.
“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God… and suddenly there was a great earthquake.” (Acts 16:25–26)
Worship magnifies God—and when God is magnified, everything else is put back into proper proportion.
And finally, worship profoundly affects the one who worships.
“You are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel.” (Psalm 22:3)
“Why are you cast down, O my soul?… Hope in God; for I shall again praise him.” (Psalm 42:5)
“The garment of praise instead of a faint spirit.” (Isaiah 61:3)
Praise lifts our eyes. It steadies our hearts. It restores perspective. It strengthens trust—not because circumstances have changed, but because our vision has.
Worship aligns our souls with His; kind of like the soul stepping back into reality as God defines it and it actually is.
Praise begins where truth begins—with God Himself.
Worship Together and Worship Alone
The Bible presents worship as something meant to be expressed both corporately and personally. God delights in the gathered praise of His people—and He also welcomes the solitary song of the individual heart.
Praising and worshipping God with others reminds us that faith is not merely private sentiment, but shared allegiance. When God’s people gather to sing His praise, truth is proclaimed aloud and hearts are lifted together.
“Sing to the LORD a new song, his praise in the assembly of the godly.” (Psalm 149:1)
“In the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise.” (Hebrews 2:12)
Worshipping together with others also helps steady us. On days when one voice falters, another carries the song. Together, we declare what is true—whether or not we feel it in the moment. I love that. We don't have to wait until we "feel like" worshipping for that worship to be a true and acceptable sacrifice - the "sacrifice of praise." (Heb 13:15)
And yet, worship is not confined to the gathered assembly.
Scripture also speaks of worship rising from quiet, private places—offered alone, unseen by others.
“At night his song is with me—a prayer to the God of my life.” (Psalm 42:8)
“When I remember you upon my bed… in the watches of the night.” (Psalm 63:6)
Private worship deepens intimacy. It is where love is expressed without audience or performance—where the heart sings simply because it cannot remain silent.
Together and alone, it all brings glory and pleasure to God.
Why Music?
While it is certainly possible to praise God without it, Scripture repeatedly links worship with song. God does not merely invite praise—He invites it to be sung. He invented music in the first place and obviously loves it!
“Come into his presence with singing!” (Psalm 100:2)
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly… singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs.” (Colossians 3:16)
Music carries truth in a way words alone often cannot. Melody anchors meaning. Song engages the whole person—mind, body, and spirit.
Scripture hints that music itself is woven into the fabric of creation.
“The morning stars sang together.” (Job 38:7) Wow! I would love to have seen that myself, wouldn't you?
Heaven, too, is filled with sound—unceasing praise offered day and night.
“They never cease to say, ‘Holy, holy, holy.’” (Revelation 4:8)
Perhaps music is God’s gift for expressing what language alone cannot hold. Perhaps it is how finite creatures give voice to infinite wonder. Sometimes I just like to play music to him out of my head on the piano without any words at all. Or perhaps God loves music simply because it allows His children to delight in Him with joy and freedom. We can also sing to Him our sorrows and our understanding of how desperately dependent upon Him we are, and this, too, is worship.
Whatever the reason, when we sing—together or alone—we are joining something ancient, holy, and eternal.
Praise & Worship Musings
Praise is not a warm-up to prayer, nor is it a musical interlude before “real” conversation with God. Praise is prayer—prayer that begins where truth begins, with God Himself. Worship is not the prelude, it is the "main event!"
When we worship, we are not trying to stir emotion - though our emotions will naturally be stirred - or whip up a feeling of reverence. We are responding to what is real.
God is glorious whether we acknowledge Him or not—but when we do, something within us comes back into alignment. Our hearts remember who He is. Our minds regain perspective. Our fears loosen their grip.
Worship is love expressed aloud and even if the "aloud" is silent on our lips but fervent in our hearts.
Worship is trust made visible.
Worship is faith speaking before the outcome is fully known. I would think this is especially pleasing to God - "though He slay me, yet will I trust Him..." (Job 13:15)
Through praise, wildly abandoning our focus on self, we lavish love on the God who created us, redeemed us, and desires our affection. Through praise, we step into spiritual ground where battles are turned—not by striving, but by surrender. And through praise, we ourselves are strengthened, encouraged, steadied, and reminded that God is not distant, distracted, or indifferent, but present and enthroned.
In praise, we agree with heaven, where the praise never ends:
Isaiah 6:2–3 “Seraphim stood above him… And one called to another and said: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!’”
Revelation 4:8 “Day and night they never cease to say, ‘Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!’”
Revelation 5:11–12 “Then I looked, and I heard around the throne… many angels… saying with a loud voice, ‘Worthy is the Lamb who was slain…’”
Revelation 7:11–12 “All the angels were standing around the throne… and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, ‘Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever!’”
Revelation 19:1 “After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying out, ‘Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God.’”
Finally, in praise, we take our rightful place as children before our Father in wonder and awe. In praise, prayer becomes less about what we need—and more about who He is. And, as in all His mysterious ways, we are at the center of His heart and find all we need.
Enjoy these musical selections!
Made to Worship - very upbeat by Chris Tomlin.
Robin Mark's Garments of Praise from his Revival in Belfast album is one of my favorites. I was actually listening to this as the second plane hit the World Trade Center in 2001. Here's the link to the full album, which is recorded live in Nothern Ireland and is a progression of worship. It begins with Garments of Praise. God loves to be praised & adored!
*Interested in knowing how to enter into a personal relationship with God through faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ? Say a Salvation Prayer and Receive Jesus Christ Today.
Of course, the saying of a prayer is the reflection of a monumental and life-changing heart decision, but this is a good guide.
