Question 254: How do you practice adoration in prayer?

Answer:

You practice adoration in prayer by focusing your heart on the glory and goodness of God—praising Him for who He is, not only for what He gives. You honor His holiness, power, love, and majesty through words of worship, silence, Scripture, song, and reverent awe. Adoration shapes your soul in humility, wonder, and love. (Psalm 63:3–4, Psalm 145:3, Matthew 6:9, Hebrews 12:28, Revelation 5:13)

Full Scripture References

“Because Your loving devotion is better than life, my lips will glorify You. So I will bless You as long as I live; in Your name I will lift my hands.” – Psalm 63:3–4 (BSB)

“Great is the LORD and greatly to be praised; His greatness is unsearchable.” – Psalm 145:3 (BSB)

“So then, this is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.’” – Matthew 6:9 (BSB)

“Therefore, since we are receiving an unshakable kingdom, let us be filled with gratitude, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe.” – Hebrews 12:28 (BSB)

“Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying: ‘To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be praise and honor and glory and power forever and ever!’” – Revelation 5:13 (BSB)

Expanded Explanation of Catechism Question

To practice adoration in prayer is to intentionally lift your soul to contemplate and praise God for who He is. You begin not with your needs, but with His name. As Fr. William Beasley (AMiA, Anglican Awakening) teaches, “Adoration reorients the heart. It puts God at the center. Before we ask anything, we remember everything—His holiness, power, mercy, and love.” (Teaching on the Prayer Life, 2016)

Many find that praying with Scripture helps guide adoration. The Psalms are especially powerful: you may speak or sing verses such as “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,” or “The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.” Fr. Ben Sharpe (ACNA, Church of the Holy Spirit, VA) says, “Let Scripture form your praise. Don’t wait until you feel inspired—speak truth until your soul responds in awe.” (Personal Prayer Workshop, 2020)

Adoration may also involve silence and stillness. As Bishop Stephen Andrews (ACNA, Wycliffe College) reminds us, “Sometimes the holiest praise is wordless. Reverent silence before God is an act of adoration, as much as any spoken prayer.” (Lectures on Spiritual Theology, 2021) In such moments, you stand like Isaiah before the throne or Mary at the feet of Jesus.

Music, too, can assist adoration. Singing hymns or doxologies—either in private or communal prayer—draws the heart upward. Bishop Terrell Glenn (formerly AMiA, now PEARUSA) emphasizes, “Worship through adoration is not mood-setting—it is spiritual warfare. To magnify God is to dethrone the idols of the heart.” (Formation Through Praise, 2014)

Lastly, Anglican liturgy trains us in daily adoration. The opening canticles of Morning and Evening Prayer, such as the Venite or the Te Deum, offer rich language to adore God. Canon George Grant (ACNA, Parish Presbyterian Church, TN) says, “These prayers teach us to adore not only in emotion but in doctrine—to worship with the mind and the heart joined together.” (Recovering Anglican Piety, 2019)

Early Church Fathers on Catechism Question

“When the soul is touched by the majesty of God, it falls silent and adores. The highest worship is reverent love.” – Gregory of Nazianzus, Oration on the Theophany, c. 380 AD

“To praise God rightly is to behold His beauty. Adoration is the soul’s upward flight—it is the longing of the creature for its Creator.” – Augustine of Hippo, Confessions, c. 398 AD

“Let us sing to Him not only with our lips, but with our lives. Let every act be worship, every breath be praise.” – Basil the Great, Homily on the Psalms, c. 370 AD

“The angels cry ‘Holy!’ and never grow weary. So too must we, lifting our hearts always, for this is what it means to truly live.” – John Chrysostom, Homily on Isaiah, c. 390 AD