Prayer and Worship: The Two Things That Come Before Everything Else

If you've picked up the Following Jesus book, you'll notice something about the very first chapter: it doesn't start with theology, or with a checklist for the Christian life, It starts with prayer and worship. That's not an accident. Before we ever get to what to do, the book wants to plant one idea firmly first: following Jesus starts with being with Jesus.

I unpacked this more in Session 1 of the Following Jesus Course on YouTube, but I want to walk through the heart of it here too, because I think it's easy to skim past prayer and worship as "the basics" — things you already know, things you can nod along to and move on from. I'd push back on that a little. These aren't the beginner chapter you graduate out of. They're the foundation you keep building on for the rest of your life.

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Prayer Is Time, Not a Transaction‍ ‍

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18:
"Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

‍Most of us have some picture of prayer already — maybe it's a quick word before a meal, maybe it's a more formal thing you learned growing up, maybe it feels stiff, and you're not totally sure you're "doing it right." Here's the reframe I'd offer: prayer is first and foremost spending time with God. Not a formula. Not a vending machine where you say the right words and get the right outcome. Time.

Think about it this way. If a newly married guy asked, "so, what's the minimum amount of time I need to spend with my wife each week to keep this marriage going?" — you'd know something was off. Not because the question is technically wrong, but because it misses the entire point of being in love with someone. You don't ration time with people you love. You want more of it.

‍That's the posture Jesus is after with us in prayer. Not a quota. A relationship.

There's a moment in Luke 10 that makes this vivid. Jesus is at Mary and Martha's home. Martha's in the kitchen, working hard to serve everyone well — which, on its face, seems like the responsible thing to do. Mary, meanwhile, is just sitting at Jesus' feet, listening. When Martha complains that she's been left to do all the work, Jesus doesn't rebuke Mary. He says, "Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."

‍That's a hard word for those of us who feel most useful when we're doing something. But Jesus is saying something important here: presence comes before productivity. Being with him is the "one thing" — not one more item to check off, but the thing everything else flows out of.

Prayer Also Moves Things

Here's the other side of prayer, though — it's not only about closeness. It's also about advancing something real.

There's a striking verse in Ezekiel 22:30: "I looked for someone among them who would build up a wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land, so I would not have to destroy it, but I found no one." God is looking for someone to stand in the gap for a city, for a family, for a nation — and doesn't find anyone.

I think about that verse a lot. Wherever you're planted right now — your city, your workplace, your neighborhood, your own family — you didn't land there by accident. You have influence and access that no one else has in quite the same way. And prayer is one of the primary ways you actually use it. Not prayer as a nice spiritual habit on the side, but prayer as participation — you, partnering with God, to see something change in the actual, physical world around you.

That's a big claim, but it’s not an exaggeration. Prayer is both the closest thing we have to God and one of the most powerful tools we've been handed.

Worship Isn't Just a Sunday Thing

The other half of this first session is worship — and I want to free you from a small but common misconception: worship isn't something that only happens on a Sunday morning when the music starts. It's something you can walk in every day of the week.

There's an old story from the Old Testament where a military commander sent the worship singers out ahead of the army into battle — worshippers marching in front of soldiers. It sounds like a strange strategy until you realize the point: worship isn't a warm-up act before the real fight. Worship is one of the ways the fight gets won.

‍So whatever you're up against this week — don't wait for Sunday to bring it into worship. Put music on. Lift your voice, even if it's just in your car or your kitchen. You're not performing for anyone. You're doing what shifts atmospheres, in your own life and around you.‍ ‍

Where to Start

If you're new to this, don't overthink it. Start small: a few minutes of honest conversation with God on a daily basis, and a song that turns your attention toward him instead of your circumstances. ‍Everything else in the Christian life — the courage, the clarity, the endurance — grows out of this soil. Get this right, even imperfectly, and you'll find the rest starts to follow.

This post is drawn from Session 1 of the Following Jesus Course, based on Chapter 1 of Following Jesus. You can watch the full session here, or grab a copy of the book on Amazon.