Preparing for Night of Worship | By: Kristi Templeton

As we have been discovering the kind of people we are becoming, we are realizing the importance of “being with” Jesus. In John 15, Jesus offers us this beautiful invitation to remain in His love. This is not a one-time occurrence; but rather an invitation in how to live. An invitation that will help us experience the love of Jesus as we give intentional effort to remain in Him.

As we look ahead to our Night of Worship this week, we want to offer three simple practices to help you “be with” Jesus and remain in his love in the details of your everyday life. These practices will also prepare our hearts to come together and experience His presence as a community.

Presence Prayer

A ‘Presence Prayer’ asks for nothing yet remains expectant.
Create space to meet with God
Slow your mind down by taking deep breaths
Select a phrase that is meaningful to you to repeat often, either silently or aloud. Examples: “Here I am,” “I receive your love,” “You are with me,” “I’ll remain in you.”

Read Scripture

Select a passage of Scripture to read
Read it slowly first
Invite the Holy Spirit to speak to you as you read through it again.
Reflect on what the Holy Spirit is showing you through a word, phrase, or image.

An example: Psalm 91:1-2

Those who live in the shelter of the Most High

will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

This I declare about the Lord:

He alone is my refuge, my place of safety;

He is my God, and I trust him.

Sing

Psalm 100:2 says “Sing yourselves into his presence.” (The Message version)
The presence of God is always available to us. Singing out to Him (especially when it feels hard) awakens our heart to His presence and can shift the atmosphere.
Sing out your favorite worship song. Play music in your home, your car, at work.
Here is a playlist to re-orient our hearts to God as we sing out and remain in His presence together.

I hope these simple practices will remind you again of the joy of experiencing God’s presence and encourage you to be intentional about remaining in Jesus’ love.

Preparing For Night Of Worship