Prayer of Adoration

The season of thanksgiving is upon us, a season of pumpkins, yummy food, gathering together with loved ones, and thinking about the blessings in our lives. And while thankfulness and gratitude should mark our attitude throughout the year, we naturally turn our minds to think on these things during this season. For this reason, our focus this month is prayer of adoration.

I adore this time of year. The stranglehold of summer has finally broken here in South Texas, and we begin to experience our first cool mornings. My home is decorated with the jewel tones of fall and filled with the aroma of cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. But what does it mean to adore something or someone? We often use the word adore the way I began this paragraph indicating strong affection or a deep sense of fondness for something. But what does it mean to adore God? Do I adore God in the same way I adore this season? Or does adoring God mean something more? Richard Foster describes adoration as “the spontaneous yearning of the heart to worship, honor, magnify, and bless God.”¹ Adoration is praising God for who he is. In adoration we express our complete devotion to God, cherishing him, exalting him. We dwell in his presence and are moved from the depths of our being to worship. We focus on God’s goodness and love, majesty and power, and we overflow with love for the God of the universe.

This sounds lovely, but what does adoration look like in the midst of real life? Our lives are filled with responsibilities, stress, burdens, to do lists, celebrations, school, work, and mundane Mondays. If we’re truly honest, adoration often seems disconnected and distant from our lived experience. We simply do not always feel like praising God. However, practicing prayer of adoration as a spiritual discipline can open our eyes to God’s goodness on display in the world around us even in the midst of real life.

As we enter this season, we are going to focus our hearts on God. But rather than focus on what he has given us or done for us, we are going to focus on who God is. We are going to praise God for being God.

The Practice: Let Everything that has Breath Praise the Lord

The Psalmist says, “The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship” (Ps. 19:1). The majesty and glory of God are reflected all around us. From the peaks of the mountains to the depths of the seas, all of creation proclaims the awesomeness of the Lord our Maker. But how often do we take the time to slow down and truly ponder what we see and allow praise to bubble up within us?

Each week this month set aside time (5-10 minutes) once or twice a week to observe creation and ponder how you see God’s awesomeness on display. Begin your time reading one of the psalms listed below, and then simply observe the world around you. You can go for a walk, sit in your backyard, or watch out a window. Contemplate- how do you see God’s majesty and glory reflected in this place? What reminds you of God’s goodness? How is creation praising God right now? Then, when you are ready pray a prayer of adoration, praising God and joining your voice with creation.

May our hearts be attuned to the goodness of our Creator God as we dwell with him in creation this month.

1. Quotation from: Richard Foster, Prayer. 81. ↩︎