Week 6 - Prayer of adoration

 DAY ! - CELEBRATION  

Adoration shifts prayer from “God, help me” to “God, help me see who you are.”

Psalm 145:3

“Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; his greatness is unsearchable.”

This kind of prayer may feel unfamiliar at first because it is not driven by urgency. It asks us to slow down and pay attention to God’s character.

We adore God not because God needs flattery, but because our souls need reorientation. Adoration reminds us that God is greater than our fears, deeper than our questions, more faithful than our failures, and more beautiful than anything else we seek.

Choose one attribute of God and repeat it slowly in prayer.

Examples:
God, you are merciful.
God, you are faithful.
God, you are holy.
God, you are patient.
God, you are near.
God, you are love.

Then add:

Help me see you today.

Amen.

Reflection Questions

When I pray, how often do I simply dwell on who God is?

pretty much only when I run into the "Blessed be the Lord" chants in the liturgy of the hours

What quality of God is easiest for me to adore?

According to 2 Timothy 2:13, “If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.”  I had to google that to get the quote right and the source.  Of course in a way that contradicts the preceding comment that if we deny Him, he will deny Us....

That love is unconditional is something I had to learn outside of my family, as I was brought up to believe you had to conform in order to be loved

What quality of God feels hardest for me to trust right now?

that justice can be tempered with mercy has always been my concern

What might happen in me if I spent more time beholding God?

seeing is believing?  Lord forgive me my unbelief

DAY 2 - BRINGING GOD JOY 

Pray Psalm 103:1–5 slowly.

After each line, pause and let the words become your own prayer.

Then complete this sentence:

God, I adore you because you are ________. faithful.

Repeat that sentence three times slowly.

Reflection questions

What words for God stand out to me in Psalm 103?

"he does not treat us as our sins deserve

    or repay us according to our iniquities."

Which description of God do I most need to remember today?

that He is compassionate

How does remembering God’s mercy change the way I pray?

I continue to repeat that I am not worthy, but that I ask for mercy

What would it mean for “all that is within me” to bless the Lord?

if I could've done that, I would've actually joined the convent instead of wimping out

DAY 3 - PRACTICING 

The goal is to turn your attention toward God.

If you get distracted, gently return to one phrase of adoration.

God, you are…

I praise you because…

Your love is…

Your mercy is…

Your holiness is…

Your beauty is…

For 5 minutes, pray without asking.

Grandmom Hughes' favorite him was "How Great Thou Art".  I sang it with her, I sang it at her grave, I sing it just about every day, sometimes more mindfully than others.  

 

The Liturgy of Hours has an slightly abbreviated version of Daniel 3:57-88 ["sing praise to Him and highly exalt Him forever" is only repeated at the beginning and end not after every line] and that came up today.  I love the musicality of that chant and enjoy it when it comes up, as it did today.

DAY 4 - HARD MOMENTS

Adoration does not require us to deny pain. Many psalms move between sorrow and praise. We can adore God with tears in our eyes, questions in our minds, and burdens still unresolved.

Adoration is not pretending life is easy. It is remembering that God is worthy even when life is hard.

Pray honestly:

God, adoration feels difficult today because ________.

Still, I choose to remember that you are ________.

Meet me in the gap between what I know and what I feel.

Teach my soul to bless you.

Amen.

Then pray:

Bless the Lord, O my soul.

Repeat it slowly three times.

Reflection

What makes adoration difficult for me?

not singing

Do I find it easier to ask, thank, confess, or adore?

asking and thanking, confessing and asking pardon, all seem more appropos

What quality of God do I struggle to believe right now?

Can I adore God honestly even while carrying unanswered questions?

trust and belief are a little thin on the ground right now

DAY 5 - SOUL THAT ADORES GOD

Adoration reorients the soul.

It reminds us that God is not merely useful. God is worthy. God is not only the giver of blessings. God is the blessed One. God is not only the answer to our needs. God is the source and center of life

Choose one phrase of adoration to repeat throughout the day:

God, you are good.

God, you are faithful.

God, you are merciful.

God, you are holy.

God, you are near.

God, you are love.

Let it turn your attention back to God.

Reflection Questions

What did I notice this week when I prayed without asking?

Which name or attribute of God stayed with me?

How did adoration affect my worries, desires, or perspective?

it was easiest to sing - so many songs there are of praise

and when I sing, my spirit always grows lighter

What ordinary moment could become a doorway into praise?