How Can I Worship God?

The book of Psalms is found near the middle of the Old Testament and contains poems, songs of praise and prayers speaking to or about God.

Psalm 116 outlines a prayer of thankfulness, made in the company of other believers, when God saved the psalmist’s life. It is an example that teaches us how to pray to God with thanksgiving.

Life is not easy, and sometimes things will make us feel stressed or anxious. God still wants us to pray to Him with thanksgiving. Paul talks about this in the book of Philippians. Read Philippians 4:4-7. 

When are we supposed to rejoice?
Who (and what) is available to us always?
What should we do when we feel worried or anxious?

God doesn’t need fancy words or formal prayers to hear your voice. All you need to do is talk to Him!

Paul teaches us to pray all the time (Romans 12:12), for every occasion, with all kinds of prayers and requests (Ephesians 6:18). There is no magic formula. You can talk to God about anything that is going on in your life at any time. As with any relationship, the more time you spend with the Lord in prayer, the closer you grow to Him!

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 points out the obvious fact that two are better than one. When we pray with others, we share the spiritual load of what’s troubling us, bearing each other’s burdens like Paul tells us to in Galatians 6:2.

We’re also reminded in Romans 12:15 to rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep. We can thank God with our friends for the good things He’s done in our lives. We can also come before Him with sadness when things aren’t going well and we need His help.

Finally, in Matthew 18:19-20, Jesus tells us that when two or more people pray together in His name, He is with them. There is power in prayer and there is power when we pray according to God’s will together.

Encourage your kids to keep a journal of written prayers to God. Explain that when they notice God’s goodness around them, writing it down and dating it helps them to remember what God has done.