Awe Worship
Getting Lost in the Wonder and Beauty of God

1. Worship & Intercession

Throughout the Word of God, the acts of worship and prayer are closely linked. One example is Psalm 27 v. 4. David was writing this Psalm after He had been made King over all of Israel.

Psalm 27:4 "One thing I have desired of the Lord, that will I seek; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in His temple."

The highest goal in David's life was to know God and to be in God's house with 4,000 musicians and 288 singers worshipping Him. (1 Chr. 23:5 & 25:7) This was for the purpose of worship (beholding the beauty of the Lord) and intercession (inquiring in His temple).

Notice how David declared that the primary preoccupation of his heart was to seek God's beauty. God's beauty was the powerful force that empowered and conquered David's heart.

I believe that it is this unbridled passion for the beauty and wonder of the Lord that is the fuel and foundation of sustained intercession. If we are not captured with wonder and fascination, our hearts will grow weary in the place of prayer, because we will try to maintain steadiness and faithfulness by our own strength.

2. A Childlike Heart

Perhaps Jesus was speaking to this very issue when he told his disciples to become like a little child.

Mark 10:14-16 "But when Jesus saw it, He was greatly displeased and said to them, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it." And He took them up in His arms, laid His hands on them, and blessed them."

Children live in a state of perpetual wonder. Everyday and with anything, a child discovers and is amazed by even the simplest thing.

Studies show that a child's creativity, which includes both imagination and wonder, diminishes by 90% between the ages of 5 and 7. And when adults reach the age of forty, they have, on average, about 2 percent of the creativity they had when they were 5 years old.

As Warren Wiersbe says in his book, Real Worship, this sense of wonder and awe that exists in children is the reason why we see them singing to Jesus in the temple while the "theologically trained adults tried to silence them."

Matthew 21:15-16 "But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" they were indignant and said to Him, "Do you hear what these are saying?" And Jesus said to them "Yes" Have you never read, "Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise?"

3. Rediscover the Wonder

In Revelation 4 the creatures and the elders are moved to extravagant worship with each new revelation of the One upon the throne. They erupt into a song filled with aw and wonder of the uncreated Creator.


Rev. 4:9-11 "Whenever the living creatures gives glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne saying, "You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and by your will they exist and were created."

Notice the phrase "who lives forever and ever" is repeated twice by John in describing this heavenly worship service. It's as if John himself is discovering anew the eternal nature of God. God is from everlasting to everlasting!

This outburst of spontaneous praise by the creatures and elders is centered on a most awesome and wonder-inducing subject - the God who "created all things."

The Wonder of Creation

Have you ever just sat and stared at the stars on a cloudless night? Have you ever stood atop a mountain peak and scanned the horizon as far as your eyes could see? Have you ever seen a storm coming across a field and felt the wind blow through your hair with great force? It doesn't take much, if we open our hearts, to see the power and glory of God in creation and recapture a sense of wonder.

The Universe

Scientists believe, as best they can guess, that our universe is at least a hundred billion light-years across, or a million million million million miles across (that's 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 miles). To give you an idea of how big that is, a light year is the distance that a particle of light (photon) will travel in a year. That is about 10 trillion kilometers (6 trillion miles). The nearest star to our sun is four light years away, and our galaxy is about 100,000 light years across.

All of this to say that there's more space that we can even imagine. So lets look at just our won solar system. it is impossible, in any practical terms, to even draw our solar system to scale (as we've seen in rendition in our modern test books). If you added lots of foldout pages to your textbook or used a really long sheet of poster paper, you wouldn't come close. On a diagram of the solar system to scale, with Earth reduced to the size of a pea, Jupiter would be over a thousand feet away and Pluto would be a mile and a half away. Even then, Pluto would be about the size of a bacterium, so you wouldn't be able to see it anyway.

Now, lets consider just our planet, Earth. From the bottom of the deepest ocean trench to the top of the highest mountain, the zone that covers nearly the whole of known life is only something over a dozen miles - not much when set against the roominess of the cosmos.

We know from junior science class that matter is made up of atoms. And protons are the infinitesimal part of an atom. Protons are so small that a little dib of ink like the dot on this "i" can hold something in the region of 500,000,000,000 of them. Protons are an essential part of the building blocks of our existence.

King David was right when he wrote:

Psalm 19:1-2 "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night reveals knowledge."

And Asaph, the great songwriter, wrote a song that starts:

Psalm 75:1 "We give thanks to You, O God, we give thanks! For Your wondrous works declare that Your name is near."

It is key for us at International House of Prayer, Siloam Springs, to remain steady and faithful in efforts to see our 24-hour prayer arise from this place. This can only be accomplished is we maintain a sense of wonder and holy fear. To echo the thoughts of C.S. Lewis, God is not a "tame" God, but He's good. God wants to reveal Himself to us in bold, radical new ways. It is in our best interest to let Him!

Confidence in Love

I. Who Is God To Me, And Who Am I To Him?

A.W. Tozer once wrote that whatever comes to your mind when you think about God is the most important thing about you. What a simple yet profound statement. Our ideas and perceptions of who God is directly effect not only the way we relate to Him in our daily walk, but how we relate to others around us. It is vital that we have a correct understanding (though limited by our feeble minds) of the characteristics, attributes, and emotions of God.

Do we view God as mostly mad, sad, or frustrated with us when He relates to us? Does He just tolerate us when we mess up? Does He give us the cold shoulder when we don’t “measure up”? If the answer to these questions is yes, then we will never stand confidently in love before God, because we will approach Him with a guarded heart, never entering into true intimacy with Him.

As we walk in the reality that God likes us and even enjoys us in our weakness and immaturity, we will approach Him with confidence, boldness, and hearts overflowing with love for Him. This reality draws us into a place of intimacy in God’s heart that we will never experience if we come to Him under the threats of fear of punishment.

II. Give Me A Drink

John 4:6-14, “6 …Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour. 7 A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, ‘Give me a drink.’ …9 Then the woman…said to Him, ‘How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?’ For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. 10 Jesus answered and said to her, ‘If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, “Give me a drink,” you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.’ 11 The woman said to Him, ‘Sir, You have nothing to draw with…13 Jesus answered and said to her, ‘…14 whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst…”

Here is a great example of Jesus lovingly and patiently wooing a sinful woman (see verses 16-19) into the heart of the Father as she tries to run and hide in her shame.

It is important to notice that this woman came to draw water at noonday. In the culture of the day, women would go to the wells to draw water early in the morning or in the evening after the sun went down. This woman came at the hottest part of the day, thinking that she would not have to encounter anyone, especially the other women from her town. What she didn’t know is that destiny was sitting at the well waiting on her.


Jesus begins by asking the woman for a drink. This is significant because of the history of animosity between Jews and Samaritans. He not only talks to her, but also asks to share a drinking vessel with her.

Here we see the heart of God in Jesus longing for passionate, voluntary love and devotion from a weak and sinful woman. Jesus said, “Give me a drink”. In other words, God is saying to you, “Fulfill this longing in Me. Satisfy this desire of my heart.”

Her response is not much different from ours when God seeks to draw us into a deeper place in His heart. She runs and tries to hide in her shame.

“…How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me…”

After Jesus reveals to the woman that he knows of her sins (verses 16-19), He gives her the invitation to be a wholehearted lover of the Father (verses 23-24). She accepts.

III. And You Are Clean

Another example of the idea that we are enjoyed even in our weakness comes at the Last Supper as recorded in John 13.

Jesus had begun to wash the disciples’ feet and, Peter refused to let Him.

John 13:10, “Jesus said to him, ‘He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but no all of you’.”

But then we see this remarkable exchange between Peter and the Lord. Jesus calls him clean! This is astounding because later in the same conversation, Jesus tells Peter that he will deny Him three times that very night.

John 13:38, “Jesus answered him [Peter], ‘Will you lay down your life for My sake? Most assuredly, I say to you, the rooster shall not crow till you have denied Me three times.’”

Jesus looks at Peter in verse 10 and tells him that he is clean and then proceeds to tell him in verse 38 that he will deny even knowing Him that night. Jesus calls Peter clean (pure, beautiful, lovely) knowing that he is weak and immature.

Jesus, later that same night, delivers this message to Peter yet again.

Matt. 26:41, “Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”


IV. Dark, But Lovely

One of the clearest examples of God liking us even in the process of growing in maturity is found in the book of Song of Solomon. This beautiful love song is a picture of holy romance between Jesus and the sincere believer.

This journey of the Shulamite woman (who represents the believer) begins with a spiritual crisis that I like to call the “paradox of grace”. As she runs head first into her own sin and weakness, she also discovers that she is lovely to Solomon (who represents God).

Song 1:5, “I am dark, but lovely, O daughters of Jerusalem, like the tents of Kedar, like the curtains of Solomon.

It is essential for our spiritual growth to see that we are lovely even as we see more of our own sinfulness. When this revelation hits our heart we will grow in confidence and gratitude in our relationship with Jesus.

Knowledge of our weak flesh is an important aspect of the truth about who we are, although it is not the whole truth. God knows about the depth of our sin before we are saved. He does not discover our sin just because we do.

Psalm 139:1-2, “1 O Lord, You have searched me and known me. 2 You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off.

Psalm 139:14, “I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are your works, and that my soul knows very well.”

Psalm 139:17, “How precious also are Your thoughts to [toward, or about] me, O God! How great is the sum of them!”

David knew this truth well. He understood the delight that God has for him.

V. How Then Shall We Live

Many have sincerely repented yet lack confidence that they are beautiful to God, not realizing that God is looking at the willing spirit on the inside. Others, however, have seen the truth of our loveliness to God and sometimes live presumptuously by claiming God’s beauty without seeking to live in sincere repentance and wholeheartedness. The issue is how to relate to God when we discover our own sinfulness. Will we run from God or to God?

The Playing Field
II Cor. 10:3-5, “ 3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,”

Paul is setting up for us the playing field on which spiritual warfare occurs. He emphasizes that the war has been waged over our inner man. True spiritual warfare consists of bringing ourselves into full agreement with Christ and pursuing the truth of the knowledge of God.

Much of the spiritual warfare that occurs in the body of Christ today is primarily focused on one’s ability to stir up an aggressive emotion, shout some very zealous phrases, energetically commanding spiritual forces to desist. There is nothing wrong with those who have this particular personality type to pray this way, but this behavior in-and-of itself is not spiritual warfare.

Gary Wiens states it this way:

Those who have authority don’t need to posture themselves as authoritative. They are authoritative. Successful spiritual warfare is not a matter of decibels and energy, power-packed phrases and prophetic gestures. Successful spiritual warfare is rooted solely and completely in our position of influence with Jesus Christ. And that position of influence comes only in the secret place of intimacy by receiving the Word of God implanted in the human heart.

Pulling Down Strongholds
So the first step in spiritual warfare is defining the battleground. The second, according to Paul is the pulling down strongholds.

4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds,

Paul defines “pulling down strongholds” as the casting down of arguments that are exalted against the knowledge of God (verse 5). The word stronghold in the Greek is also translated as “castle”. It is used as both a positive and a negative in scripture. But here it is used as a negative. These strongholds of the mind must be dismantled if one wants to move forward in the purposes of God. Since these strongholds are built of those things that seek to exalt themselves against the knowledge of God, then we

can only pull them down by giving ourselves to the pursuing of the truth of who God is and declaring this truth over our lives. So how do we find the knowledge of God?

There is a promise given by God through Solomon concerning the knowledge of God. However, this promise is conditional.

Prov. 2:1-5, “1 My son, if you receive my words, and treasure my commands within you, 2 so that you incline your ear to wisdom, and apply your heart to understanding; 3 yes, if you cry out for discernment, and lift up your voice for understanding, 4 if you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures; 5 then you will understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God.”

If we are going to combat the enemy and pull down the strongholds in our lives, we must systematically ingest the Word of God, taking it deep into our hearts by the ministry of the Holy Spirit.

Paul tells us that we can be filled with the Spirit through singing, speaking, and making melody in our hearts to the Lord.

Eph. 5:18-19, “18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.”

Releasing God’s Purposes Through Singing
Psalm 149:5-9 tells us of the power that the saints have when they declare the goodness, the kindness, the beauty, the awesomeness, power of God through singing – more importantly, singing the word.

Psalm 149:5-9, “5 Let the saints be joyful in glory; let them sing aloud on their beds. 6 Let the high praises of God be in their mouths, and a two-edged sword in their hand, 7 to exercise vengeance on the nations, and punishments on the peoples; 8 to bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron; 9 to execute on them the written judgment – this honor have all His saints. Praise the Lord!

It is God’s design that the songs of the saints, energized by the power of the Word, defeat, confuse, and ultimately destroy the kingdom of darkness. Psalm 8 and Matthew 21 give us another great example of the power released through song.

Psalm 8:2, “Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have ordained strength, because of Your enemies, that You may silence the enemy and the avenger.”

Matt. 21:16, “…and Jesus said to them, ‘Yes, have you never read, “Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise”?’”

Praise going forth, even from the mouths of babies, is a weapon of warfare against the enemy.

Another example of the power of praise:

II. Chron. 5:13-14, “13 …it came to pass, when the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking 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, 14 so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God.”

II Chron. 20:21-22, “21 And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who should sing to the Lord, and who should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army and were saying: ‘Praise the Lord, for His mercy endures forever.’ 22 Now when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushes against the people…who had come against Judah; and they were defeated.”

There are many other examples of this in scripture. I encourage you to search them out. I want us to get a grasp of what it is that we do here at the International House of Prayer. We are warring in the heavenly battle through our songs of praise. We combat the enemy when we engage in the opposite spirit and actions of the enemy. If Satan is the father of lies, then as we simply proclaim truth over our region we push back the spiritual forces of darkness. For darkness has to yield to even the smallest amount of light.

If you want darkness out of your life, city, school, or country, just turn on the light! Proclaim the power of the “Father of lights” (James 1:17), and sing of the One who wraps Himself in “light as with a garment” (Psalm 104:2).