Attitudes to Come to God in:
- Hebrews 11:6 – Come to God expecting Him to be a rewarder of you for the time you give Him. Come in faith.
- Come with a righteousness consciousness, knowing you are acceptable with Him.
- Don’t come telling God how wretched and miserable you are or listing all of the things you do wrong; that doesn’t please Him. Tell Him who He has made you and what He has done for you. This is faith.
- Don’t concentrate on your faith or lack of it; concentrate on Him, on His love and desire and provision to bless you.
- Come with expectancy
- Matthew 6:6 – Pray to the Father who is unseen. You don’t see Him and don’t feel Him; but treat Him like He is there hearing you and responding to you. He is! And when you put faith in Him and what He has said, He will respond to you.
- Matthew 6:8 – He knows what you need before you ask; He knows the needs in your life and actually cares. He longs for your victory! He knows what is bothering you and the way to your victory. He is willing to share it with you if you trust in Him.
- 1 Peter 3:12 – For the eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous, and His ears attend to their prayer.
- John 6:37 – When you come to Him, He will not cast you out. He will not correct your prayers or find fault. He likes your company – at whatever level of life or growth you are at.
- Colossians 1:20 – It was His pleasure to reconcile you and bring you to Himself. He did it because He wanted you.
- Hebrews 4:16 – Come with boldness and confidence.
- Hebrews 10:22 – Draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith.
- Hebrews 12:28 – Worship with reverence and awe.
What to do with your mind when you come to God.
- Psalm 103:1 – Bless the Lord on my soul. Make your heart and mind focus on the Lord and bless Him.
- Psalm 103:2 – …forget not His benefits. Coming thinking of all of His blessings and benefits. Use your memory of what you have learned He is like as well as what He has done for you in the past when you come to God.
- 2 Chronicles 20:1- – When faced with a major problem, Jehoshaphat resolved to seek the Lord. The people came together to seek help from the Lord.
They prayed first of all acknowledging who God is and what He is able to do, they then told Him things He had done before (memory) and things He had promised to do for them. After this they told Him about the problem and put it in His hands. “We have no power to face the fast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you.” He gave the needed wisdom. They acted on it and won a tremendous victory with great spoil.
- Use your imagination when you come to God.
- Study the Word to see what it is like the God’s throne room and in His presence and then you can accurately visualize what it is like.
Here are some passages in the Word describing it:
(Revelations 4:2-11; 1:13-17; 5:8-12; Isaiah 6:1-6; Ezekiel 1:22-28; Revelations 15:8; 21:23)
- Visualize yourself there before Him worshiping, joining in the ongoing continual worship in heaven.
- Visualize Him as described in His glory yet hearing you and delighting in you. This is so amazing but it is true! He is God but also your own Father.
- Speak God’s words back into His ears through your mouth.
What to do with your body when you come.
- Find a comfortable position, so you are not focusing on how uncomfortable you are. You need to be able to forget yourself and how you feel and put your mind on the Lord.
- The Bible speaks of standing, kneeling, lying prostrate, lying on your bed, raising your hands, clapping your hands, dancing. The Bible speaks of bowing your head, but it also speaks or lifting your eyes to heaven.
- Romans 12:1 – Present your body as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God. This is your reasonable service (worship). Make your body be still and worship. Make your thoughts center in upon the Lord. Put aside your busy life and take the time to be exclusively with Him.
What to say when you come to God.
- You can speak in other tongues.
1 Corinthians 14:17; Acts 10:46; 2:10 – You give thanks well, praise God and declare His wonders.
Romans 8:26 – You pray according to the will of God expressing your deepest longings or praying for others. - While reading through the Bible, keep a notebook of words and expressions that express what you would like to say to Him and learn them to use in your times of praise and worship. This will increase your worship vocabulary.
- Just speak from your heart and tell God out loud in your own words what He means to you. This will cure the wandering mind. While you are talking, your mind is with you and you are forced to listen to yourself.
- While studying the descriptions of the throne and the presence of God, take note of what they worshipers said and join their worship using the same words.
In your daily life, practice His presence.
- Visualize Him with you being as the Word says He is, acting towards you at all times as Jesus demonstrated His nature and mercy.
- Acknowledge and act like He is there always, like you actually believe the Bible.
- Act like He sees everything you do (no! not to judge you but because He cares) and is concerned and will do what the Word says He will do or shows Him doing – for you.
- It is by faith we walk in this area as well as in every other area of life. Faith in these truths will bring their reality into your life.
Approach God in the way He has presented in His Word.
There are seven words translated as praise in the Old Testament. They teach us God’s progression from praise to worshiping into the very depths of His glorious presence. Since He teaches us the way, it is to our benefit to learn and follow His ways rather than our own, rather than the present traditions or the current fads of praise and worship.
HALAL – to be clear, to shine, make a show, boast, be foolish, rave, celebrate, to be clamorously foolish about your adoration of God, to boast openly about God, to glory in God.
Psalm 119:164 – Seven times a day I praise You, because of Your righteous judgments.
Psalm 63:5 – My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, and my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips.
2 Chronicles 5:13-14 – Indeed it came to pass, when the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising (halal) and thanking (yadah) the Lord, and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and praised the Lord, saying: For He is good, for His mercy endures forever, that the house, the house of the Lord, was filled with a cloud, so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God.
2 Chronicles 23:13 – When she looked, there was the king standing by his pillar at the entrance; and the leaders and the trumpeters were by the king. All the people of the land were rejoicing and blowing trumpets, also the singers with musical instruments, and those who led in praise. So Athaliah tore her clothes and said, “Treason! Treason!” There were those who led in halal at that time as well as this time.
2 Chronicles 29:30 – Moreover King Hezekiah and the leaders commanded the Levites to sing praise to the Lord with the words of David and of Asaph the seer. So they sang praises with gladness, and they bowed their heads and worshiped. They sang praise with words written by someone else.
YADAH – to hold out the hand, throw, revere or worship with extended hands, to extend the hands, to lift the hands with all of your strength, to worship with extended hands, giving oneself in worship and adoration.
Psalm 118:21 – I will praise You, for You have answered me, and have become my salvation.
Psalm 54:6 – I will freely sacrifice to You; I will praise Your name, O Lord, for it is good.
Psalm 111:1 – Praise (halal) the Lord! I will praise (yadah) the Lord with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright and in the congregation.
Psalm 9:1 – I will praise You, O Lord, with my whole heart…
Psalm 106:1 – Praise (halal) the Lord! Oh, give thanks (yadah) to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.
Psalm 107:8, 15, 21, 31 – Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men!
Psalm 28:7 – The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in Him, and I am helped; therefore my heart greatly rejoices, and with my song I will praise Him.
Psalm 33:2-3 – Praise the Lord with the harp; make melody to Him with an instrument of ten strings. Sing to Him a new song; play skillfully with a shout of joy (a loud noise).
2 Samuel 22:50 – Therefore I will give thanks (yadah) to You, O Lord, among the Gentiles, and sing praises (zamar) to Your name.
1 Chronicles 16:4, 7-8 – And he appointed some of the Levites to minister before the ark of the Lord, to commemorate, to thank (yadah), and to praise (halal) the Lord God of Israel… On that day David first delivered this psalm into the hand of Asaph and his brethren, to thank the Lord: Oh, give thanks to the Lord! Call upon His name; make known His deeds among the peoples!
1 Chronicles 25:1-3 – Moreover David and the captains of the army separated for the service some of the sons of Asaph…who should prophesy with harps, stringed instruments and cymbals. And the number of skilled men performing their service was… who prophesied with a harp to give thanks (yadah) and to praise (halal) the Lord.
1 Chronicles 23:28, 30 – …because their duty was to help the sons of Aaron in the service of the house of the Lord… to stand every morning to thank (yadah) and praise (halal) the Lord, and likewise at evening.
2 Chronicles 5:13-14 – indeed it came to pass, when the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising (halal) and thanking (yadah) the Lord, and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and praised the Lord, saying: for He is good, for His mercy endures forever, that the house, the house of the Lord, was filled with a cloud, so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God.
TODAH – From yadah; it is an extension of the hand in adoration, a choir of worshippers, confession; it is to praise the Lord by the lifting of the hands in sacrificial thanksgiving. It is to praise God for what He has promised but you don’t yet see. It is agreeing with what has been or will be done. It is commonly found in connection with sacrifice, agreeing with the Word of God.
Leviticus 7:12 – If he offers it for a thanksgiving, then he shall offer, with the sacrifice of thanksgiving, unleavened cakes mixed with oil, unleavened wafers anointed with oil, or cakes of blended flour mixed with oil.
2 Chronicles 29:31 – Then Hezekiah answered and said, now that you have consecrated yourselves to the Lord, come near, and bring sacrifices and thank offerings into the house of the Lord. So the assembly brought in sacrifices and thank offerings, and as many as were of a willing heart brought burnt offerings.
Nehemiah 12:31 – So I brought the leaders of Judah up on the wall, and appointed two large thanksgiving choirs.
Psalm 50:14-15, 23 – Offer to God thanksgiving (todah), and pay your vows to the Most High. Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me. Whoever offers praise (todah) glorifies Me; and to him who orders his conduct aright I will show the salvation of God.
Psalm 69:30 – I will praise (halal) the name of God with a song, and will magnify Him with thanksgiving (todah).
Psalm 95:2 – Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.
Psalm 107:22 – Let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare His works with rejoicing.
Psalm 116:17 – I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the Lord.
Jeremiah 17:26 – And they shall come from the cities of Judah and from the places around Jerusalem, from the land of Benjamin and from the lowland, from the mountains and from the South, bringing burnt offerings and sacrifices, grain offerings and incense, bringing sacrifices of praise to the house of the Lord.
Jeremiah 33:11 – the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voice of those who will say: Praise (yadah) the Lord of hosts, for the Lord is good, for His mercy endures forever—and of those who will bring the sacrifice of praise (todah) into the house of the Lord. For I will cause the captives of the land to return as at the first, says the Lord.
Jonah 2:9 – But I will sacrifice to You with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay what I have vowed. Salvation is of the Lord.
ZAMAR – to strike with the fingers, touch the strings, make music accompanied by voice, celebrate in song and music, to praise or sing with instruments. KJV translated as sing praises many times.
Psalm 147:7 – Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving (todah); sing praises (zamar) on the harp to our God,
Psalm 144:9 – I will sing a new song to You, O God; on a harp of ten strings I will sing praises to You,
Psalm 149:3 – Let them praise (halal) His name with the dance; let them sing praises (zamar) to Him with the timbrel and harp. For the Lord takes pleasure in His people…
Psalm 105:2 – Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him; talk of all His wondrous works!
Psalm 27:6 – And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me; therefore I will offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord.
Psalm 47:6 – Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises! For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with understanding.
Psalm 57:7 – My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and give praise.
Psalm 59:17 – To You, O my Strength, I will sing praises; for God is my defense, my God of mercy.
Psalm 147:1 – Praise (halal) the Lord! For it is good to sing praises (zamar) to our God; for it is pleasant, and praise (tehillah) is beautiful.
Psalm 147:7 – Sing unto the Lord with thanksgiving (todah); sing praise (zamar) upon the harp unto our God.
BARAK – to kneel and bless God as an act of adoration; to kneel quietly and expectantly, expecting to receive; to kneel and give reverence; bless. It implies a continual conscious giving of praise to God, being attuned to Him and His presence.
Psalm 16:7 – I will bless the Lord who has given me counsel; my heart also instructs me in the night seasons.
Psalm 34:1 – I will bless (barak) the Lord at all times; His praise (tehillah) shall continually be in my mouth.
Psalm 63:3-4 – Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise (shabach) You. Thus I will bless (barak) You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name.
Psalm 95:6 – Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.
Psalm 103:1-2 – Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits.
Psalm 134:2 – Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the Lord.
SHABACH – to address in a loud tone, to command, to shout (gut level), proclaim with a loud voice, loud adoration. It is proclaiming the glory, the triumph, the power, the mercy and love of God. This word implies that testimony can be praise.
Psalm 63:3 – Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise You.
Psalm 106:47 – Save us, O Lord our God, and gather us from among the Gentiles, to give thanks (yadah) to Your holy name, to triumph (shabach) in Your praise.
Psalm 117:1 – Praise (halal) the Lord, all you Gentiles! Laud (shabach) Him, all you peoples!
1 Chronicles 16:35-36 – And say, save us, O God of our salvation; gather us together, and deliver us from the Gentiles, to give thanks (yadah) to Your holy name, to triumph (shabach) in Your praise. Blessed (barak) be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting!
TEHILLAH – comes from halal – laudation hymn. It is to sing halal. It involves total involvement of oneself to worship of God. It is the kind of praise God inhabits. It s a hymn of spontaneous praise, glorying in God in song; it is high praises, singing from the Spirit. It is spoken of as the new song in many cases.
Psalm 34:1 – I will bless (barak) the Lord at all times; His praise (tehillah) shall continually be in my mouth.
This kind of praise, the new song, songs in the spirit inspired by God, should continually be in my mouth. It is spoken olso in the New Testament.
Ephesians 5:19 – Be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord,
1 Chronicles 16:35 – And say, save us, O God of our salvation; gather us together, and deliver us from the Gentiles, to give thanks (yadah) to Your holy name, to triumph (shabach) in Your praise (tehillah).
Tehillah can be shouted as well as sung.
2 Chronicles 20:22 – Now when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated.
Psalm 22:3 – But You are holy, enthroned in the praises of Israel.
KJV – …thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.
Psalm 33:1 – Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous! For praise from the upright is beautiful.
Psalm 40:3 – He has put a new song in my mouth – praise to our God; many will see it and fear, and will trust in the Lord.
Psalm 66:8 – Oh, bless (barak) our God, you peoples! and make the voice of His praise (tehillah) to be heard.
Psalm 71:1 – But I will hope continually, and will praise You yet more and more.
Psalm 106:47 – Save us, O Lord our God, and gather us from among the Gentiles, to give thanks (yadah) to Your holy name, to triumph (shabach) in Your praise (tehillah).
Isaiah 42:10 – Sing to the Lord a new song, and His praise from the ends of the earth,.
Isaiah 61:3 – To console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness,
Psalm 100:1-2 – Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth. Serve the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful singing.
Psalm 100:4 – Enter His gates with (TOWAH) and His gates with (TEHILLAH); give (YADAH) to Him and (BARACH) His name. This verse tells God’s progression into His presence, from the sacrifice of praise to true heart-felt praise into the depths of worship.
If we want the best results, we will need to learn and follow God’s ways as expressed in His Word.