A few years ago, a young woman who had been ill for many years, with no hope of recovery, attended one of our meetings. While she was seated in the room, sick and overwhelmed by pain, there was such a glorious atmosphere of worship that she said to herself, “This is wonderful. If I have ever had an opportunity to worship God in my life, I believe it is today!”

At that moment, she turned away from her illness and fixed her gaze on God. She worshipped the Lord with all her heart, despite the excruciating pain she felt in her body. Suddenly, she realized she was raising her hands—hands she had been unable to move before. Then she thought, “How is it that I can lift my hands?” She soon realized she had been healed, and she came forward to testify.

She was simply worshipping! What amazing miracles can happen when you turn away from your problems and fix your gaze on the Lord in praise and worship! Helen Keller was right when she said that those who look at the sun do not see the shadows.

How true that is! When you worship God, your heart is entirely His, and you no longer see the evil around you. Jesus is the Sun of Righteousness (Malachi 4:2). When you fix your eyes on Him, your problems will fade away.

The Canaanite woman, whose daughter was severely tormented by a demon, had to turn away from her problems to worship the Master. Initially, when she approached Jesus, all her focus was on her problem—her daughter tormented by a demon. But the Lord did not respond until she began to worship Him (Matthew 15:21-28). Thank God she was wise enough to shift her gaze from her problems to the Master in worship. This caught His attention, and she received her miracle.

We find another beautiful story in Luke 7:36-47, the account of the woman who poured her expensive perfume on Jesus’ feet. As the sweet fragrance filled the house, her sacrifice was pleasing to God because it came from a heart full of worship. All her many sins were forgiven in an instant. Generations have passed, yet we continue to read her story and learn from her remarkable act of worship.

You must understand that you are pleasing to God when you speak to Him in praise and worship. We have countless reasons to thank Him; therefore, learn to lift your hands in adoration to the Lord in acknowledgment of His majesty—not simply because you want to ask for something. Make it a habit to glorify Him regularly for who He is.

This text is an excerpt from the book “HOW TO PRAY EFFECTIVELY, Volume 1” written by Chris OYAKHILOME.

We invite you to read the following article: “Principles of the Prayer of Faith“.

See the Shadows. See the Shadows.