10 Steps for Growing Adoration: Sidebar
 Article Extras
 
 Main article: Consumed with the Person of God
 
 
 
by Joan Esherick  Issue #16 January/February 2000 

Do an "I" exam. In prayers of adoration, be aware of how often you use first-person pronouns (I, me, we, etc.). If "I" and "me" seem to dominate your prayer, it may suggest that your focus is more on self than God.
Try "You" prayers. See how long you can pray using only "You" or "Your" ("You alone are worthy, O Lord. Great is Your name"). If this exercise is new to you, it will be difficult at first. Hang in there; as we learn to focus more on God, the "You" prayers flow more easily.
Pray the attributes of God. For example, "Holy, holy, holy, are You, O God; You alone are righteous, O Lord; You are a God of justice and love." As we pray God's attributes, we learn to focus on His intrinsic worth.
Pray the names of God. These are just a few of the names for God found in Scripture: Elohim (creator), El Roi (the God who sees), Adonai (Lord), Jehovah (Lord, the self-existent one), El Shaddai (God Almighty, or God All-sufficient). Make a note of the various names for God as you find them in Scripture, and use them in prayer.
Pray the descriptions of God, such as Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (Is. 9:6); shepherd (Psalm 23); potter (Is. 64:8), God Most High (Gen. 14:22); great King over all the earth (Ps. 47:2). Again, note descriptions of God in Scripture, and use them in prayer.
Pray the psalms of adoration like 93, 95:1-7, 96, and 100. Simply read them, silently or aloud, as a prayer to the Father.
Meditate on images of God on His throne. Use Is. 6:1-8 and Revelation 4. Visualize yourself before Him (because you are!), and respond with worship.
Write prayers of adoration in a journal. Writing often helps us to focus and prevents our minds from wandering into other kinds of prayer. Adoring God this way may be as simple as reflectively listing the names of God, His attributes, or adjectives that describe Him.
Write a love letter to God. Tell Him how much He means to you and why.
Say "I love You," as often as you can, with the fearless spontaneity of a child (Ro. 8:15). If this is uncomfortable for you, imagine yourself as a child in her father's arms or a bride in the tender embrace of her bridegroom (Eph. 5:25-27).