Worship, Prayer and the Means of Grace in Daily Life

What you'll learn

Explain the regulative principle of worship from Scripture, distinguish elements from circumstances, and describe fairly how other traditions approach worship
Define prayer and explain each part of the Lord's Prayer using the Shorter Catechism (Q. 98-107)
Build a realistic pattern of Lord's Day, private and family worship, Scripture reading and meditation that sustains a life of witness

The doctrine in one sentence

God is to be worshipped as he himself has commanded in Scripture, in spirit and truth, through Christ and by the Spirit, gathered with his people on the Lord's Day and daily in private and in families; and through these ordinary means, above all the Word, the sacraments and prayer, he feeds, strengthens and sends out his people.

Worship is not a warm-up to the real business of the Christian life. It is the reason we exist: the Shorter Catechism opens by saying that man's chief end is to glorify God and enjoy him forever (Q. 1). Jesus said the Father is seeking such people to worship him, and that those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth (John 4:23-24). Lesson 8 introduced the means of grace; this lesson asks how they shape an ordinary week.

For an apologist this is not a side topic. Arguments are sharpened in study, but courage, love, wisdom and perseverance are formed in worship and prayer. Peter's command to give a defence begins with in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy (1 Pet 3:15).

Why does the section say worship and prayer are not a side topic for an apologist?Show answer

Worship is the reason we exist, since man's chief end is to glorify God and enjoy him forever (WSC Q1). Arguments are sharpened in study, but courage, love, wisdom and perseverance are formed in worship and prayer. That is why Peter's command to give a defence begins with 'in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy' (1 Pet 3:15).

worship is our chief end
character formed in worship and prayer
1 Pet 3:15 begins with honouring Christ

The regulative principle of worship

The regulative principle of worship teaches that in the public worship of God we should do only what God has commanded, by explicit instruction or by good and necessary inference from Scripture. The Westminster Confession says the acceptable way of worshipping God is instituted by himself and limited by his revealed will, so that he may not be worshipped according to human imagination or any other way not prescribed in the Holy Scripture (21.1). The 1689 Confession says the same (22.1).

Build it from Scripture. The second commandment forbids worshipping God by images of our own design (Exod 20:4-6). Nadab and Abihu offered unauthorized fire to the Lord, which he had not commanded them, and died (Lev 10:1-3). Moses warned Israel not to copy pagan worship but to do everything that I command you ... You shall not add to it or take from it (Deut 12:29-32). God condemned child sacrifice as something which I did not command, nor did it come into my mind (Jer 7:31). Jesus rebuked worship built on the commandments of men (Matt 15:8-9), and Paul warned against self-made religion (Col 2:23). The logic is simple: God alone knows what pleases him, and he has told us.

So what has God appointed? The Confession lists the reading of Scripture, preaching and attentive hearing of the Word, singing psalms with grace in the heart, prayer with thanksgiving, and the sacraments, with occasional oaths, vows, fasts and thanksgivings (WCF 21.3-5; compare Acts 2:42; Col 3:16; 1 Tim 4:13). These are the elements of worship.

The principle does not forbid chairs, lights or a meeting time. The Confession distinguishes elements from circumstances: there are some circumstances concerning the worship of God, and government of the church, common to human actions and societies, which are to be ordered by the light of nature, and Christian prudence, according to the general rules of the Word (1.6). The time of the service, the building, the language and the order are circumstances. Reformed churches still differ on applications: some, such as the Reformed Presbyterian Church, sing only the Psalms without instruments, while most Reformed churches sing psalms and hymns with instruments. These are in-house debates about applying a shared principle.

Define the regulative principle of worship and give two Scripture passages that support it.Show answer

It teaches that in public worship we should do only what God has commanded, by explicit instruction or good and necessary inference, because the acceptable way of worshipping him is instituted by himself (WCF 21.1). Nadab and Abihu offered 'unauthorized fire' which God 'had not commanded them' and died (Lev 10:1-3). Deuteronomy 12:29-32 forbids adding to or taking from what God commands, and Jesus rebuked worship built on the commandments of men (Matt 15:8-9).

only what God commands
explicit or by necessary inference
Lev 10:1-3
Deut 12:32; Matt 15:8-9

What is the difference between the elements and the circumstances of worship? Give examples of each.Show answer

Elements are the parts of worship God has appointed: reading Scripture, preaching and hearing the Word, singing psalms, prayer with thanksgiving, and the sacraments, with occasional oaths, vows, fasts and thanksgivings (WCF 21.3-5). Circumstances are matters common to human gatherings, ordered by the light of nature and Christian prudence (WCF 1.6), such as the meeting time, the building, the language and the order of service. So the principle does not forbid chairs or lights.

elements: appointed by God
reading, preaching, singing, prayer, sacraments
circumstances: time, building, language
ordered by prudence

How others approach worship

Other Christian traditions work with a normative principle: whatever Scripture does not forbid may be used in worship, if it is edifying and orderly. Lutherans and Anglicans have generally taken this view; the Church of England's Thirty-nine Articles (Article 20) give the church power to decree rites and ceremonies, provided nothing is ordained contrary to God's written Word. This yields rich liturgies, church calendars and ceremonies.

Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox worship centres on the liturgy of the Eucharist, understood as a sacrifice (Roman Catholicism module), with set prayers, vestments, saints' days and, in Orthodoxy, icons. The Second Council of Nicaea (787) defended the veneration of images, distinguishing it from the worship due to God alone. Reformed churches judge that this distinction does not answer the second commandment. Pentecostal and charismatic worship emphasises spontaneity, extended singing and the expectation of spiritual gifts. Many contemporary evangelical churches, working from the normative principle, use modern songs, bands and creative elements to help a congregation engage with God's Word.

Be fair: every tradition wants to honour God and believes Scripture shapes worship. The question is how far Scripture regulates it. The Reformed answer has three strengths. It protects the conscience, since God alone is Lord of the conscience (WCF 20.2) and no church may bind believers to rites God never commanded. It keeps worship centred on Christ through Word and sacrament. And it guards against slow drift, because every addition must answer the question, Where has God asked for this? Many faithful evangelical churches, including some led by pastors this course commends, follow the normative principle. The regulative principle is the classic Reformed conviction and this course's own, but the difference is not a gospel issue, and believers on both sides should honour one another.

What is the difference between the normative and regulative principles of worship, and what three strengths does the section claim for the Reformed answer?Show answer

The normative principle holds that whatever Scripture does not forbid may be used in worship if it is edifying and orderly; the regulative principle allows only what God has appointed. The section claims three strengths for the regulative principle: it protects the conscience, since God alone is Lord of the conscience; it keeps worship centred on Christ through Word and sacrament; and it guards against slow drift, because every addition must answer 'Where has God asked for this?'

normative: whatever is not forbidden
regulative: only what is commanded
protects conscience
Christ-centred; guards against drift

The Lord's Day and gathered worship

The heartbeat of the Christian week is the Lord's Day, when the church gathers on the day of resurrection (Acts 20:7; Rev 1:10; see Lesson 12 on the differing Reformed views of the Sabbath). Hebrews commands believers not to neglect to meet together, as is the habit of some (Heb 10:24-25). Public worship is God's primary means of grace: the Word preached, the sacraments administered and the prayers and praises of the congregation. The Shorter Catechism says the Spirit makes the reading, but especially the preaching, of the word an effectual means of converting sinners and building them up (Q. 89).

The Catechism also tells hearers what to do: attend with diligence, preparation and prayer; receive it with faith and love, lay it up in our hearts, and practice it in our lives (Q. 90). In practice: go to bed in time on Saturday, pray for the preacher, come expecting God to speak, sing with understanding, receive the Supper with self-examination and joy, talk about the sermon afterwards, and use the rest of the day for rest, mercy and fellowship. Isaiah calls us to make the Sabbath a delight (Isa 58:13). For anyone with a demanding job, a day freed from ordinary work is itself a weekly confession that God, not our work, sustains us.

What does Shorter Catechism Q90 tell hearers to do, and what practical steps does the section draw from it?Show answer

We are to attend to the Word 'with diligence, preparation and prayer; receive it with faith and love, lay it up in our hearts, and practice it in our lives'. In practice: go to bed in time on Saturday, pray for the preacher, come expecting God to speak, sing with understanding, receive the Supper with self-examination and joy, and talk about the sermon afterwards. The rest of the day can be used for rest, mercy and fellowship.

diligence, preparation, prayer
receive with faith and love
prepare Saturday, pray for preacher
discuss the sermon afterwards

Prayer: definition and the Lord's Prayer

The Shorter Catechism defines prayer as an offering up of our desires unto God, for things agreeable to his will, in the name of Christ, with confession of our sins, and thankful acknowledgment of his mercies (Q. 98). Prayer is Trinitarian: through Christ we have access in one Spirit to the Father (Eph 2:18). The Spirit helps us in weakness (Rom 8:26), and Christ intercedes for us (Heb 7:25). A simple pattern many find useful is adoration, confession, thanksgiving and supplication.

The whole word of God is of use to direct us in prayer, but the special rule is the Lord's Prayer (Q. 99; Matt 6:9-13; Luke 11:2-4). It is both a prayer to pray and a pattern for all prayer. The Catechism explains each part:

Our Father which art in heaven teaches us to draw near with all holy reverence and confidence, as children to a father able and ready to help us, and to pray with and for others (Q. 100).
Hallowed be thy name: that God would enable us and others to glorify him in all that whereby he maketh himself known, and dispose all things to his glory (Q. 101).
Thy kingdom come: that Satan's kingdom may be destroyed, the kingdom of grace may be advanced, ourselves and others brought into it and kept in it, and the kingdom of glory hastened (Q. 102). This is the evangelist's and apologist's petition.
Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven: that God by his grace would make us able and willing to know, obey and submit to his will in all things, as the angels do in heaven (Q. 103).
Give us this day our daily bread: that of God's free gift we may receive a competent portion of the good things of this life, and enjoy his blessing with them (Q. 104).
Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors: that God, for Christ's sake, would freely pardon all our sins, which we are encouraged to ask because by his grace we are enabled from the heart to forgive others (Q. 105).
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: that God would either keep us from being tempted to sin, or support and deliver us when we are tempted (Q. 106).
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory: we take our encouragement in prayer from God only and praise him, and say Amen in testimony of our desire, and assurance to be heard (Q. 107).

How does the Shorter Catechism define prayer, and in what way is prayer Trinitarian?Show answer

Prayer is 'an offering up of our desires unto God, for things agreeable to his will, in the name of Christ, with confession of our sins, and thankful acknowledgment of his mercies' (Q. 98). It is Trinitarian because through Christ we have access in one Spirit to the Father (Eph 2:18). The Spirit helps us in our weakness (Rom 8:26), and Christ intercedes for us (Heb 7:25).

offering up desires to God
agreeable to his will, in Christ's name
with confession and thanks
to the Father, through Christ, in the Spirit

Choose two petitions of the Lord's Prayer and explain what the Catechism says we are asking for in each.Show answer

In 'Thy kingdom come' we pray that Satan's kingdom may be destroyed, the kingdom of grace advanced, ourselves and others brought into it and kept in it, and the kingdom of glory hastened (Q. 102), which makes it the evangelist's and apologist's petition. In 'Give us this day our daily bread' we pray that of God's free gift we may receive a competent portion of the good things of this life and enjoy his blessing with them (Q. 104).

accurately state two petitions
kingdom: grace advanced, glory hastened
daily bread: free gift, competent portion
Lord's Prayer is prayer and pattern

Private and family worship

Jesus assumed his disciples would pray privately: go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret (Matt 6:6). He himself rose early to pray in a desolate place (Mark 1:35). The Westminster Confession says God is to be worshipped in private families daily, and in secret, each one by himself, and more solemnly in public assemblies (21.6). Private devotion does not replace the church, and the church does not replace private devotion.

Family worship is the household gathered to hear God's Word, pray and sing. Deuteronomy 6:6-7 commands parents to teach God's words diligently to their children, talking of them at home and on the way; Ephesians 6:4 calls fathers to bring children up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. The Church of Scotland's Directory for Family Worship (1647) urged it on every household. It need not be long or polished: read a passage, explain it briefly or ask a question, pray, and sing a psalm or hymn. Ten minutes most days does more than an hour once a month. Husbands and wives without children, and single believers with housemates or friends, can practise the same pattern.

Many have found helps in older writers: Luther's A Simple Way to Pray (1535), written for his barber, teaches praying through the Lord's Prayer and the commandments; Matthew Henry's A Method for Prayer (1710) gathers the words of Scripture into prayers; Robert Murray M'Cheyne's calendar of daily readings (1842) takes readers through the whole Bible in a year, with chapters set for family and for private reading.

How do private devotion and gathered church worship relate to each other, according to the section?Show answer

Jesus assumed his disciples would pray privately (Matt 6:6) and himself rose early to pray (Mark 1:35). The Westminster Confession says God is to be worshipped in families daily, in secret by each person, and more solemnly in public assemblies (21.6). Private devotion does not replace the church, and the church does not replace private devotion.

Jesus prayed privately
WCF 21.6: secret, family, public
neither replaces the other

What does family worship need to include, and how can those without children practise it?Show answer

Family worship is the household gathered to hear God's Word, pray and sing, as parents are commanded to teach God's words to their children (Deut 6:6-7; Eph 6:4). It need not be long or polished: read a passage, explain it briefly or ask a question, pray, and sing a psalm or hymn; ten minutes most days does more than an hour once a month. Married couples without children, and single believers with housemates or friends, can practise the same pattern.

Word, prayer, song
short and regular beats long and rare
Deut 6:6-7; Eph 6:4
couples and singles can do it too

Scripture reading and meditation

The blessed person delights in the law of the Lord and on his law he meditates day and night, becoming like a tree planted by streams of water (Ps 1:2-3; compare Josh 1:8; Ps 119:97). Biblical meditation is not emptying the mind, as in Eastern religions, but filling it with God's Word and turning it over until it shapes the heart, like chewing food slowly so it nourishes.

A simple method: read a passage prayerfully; ask what it reveals about God, about Christ and the gospel, about sin, and about what to believe or do; choose one verse to carry through the day; and turn it into prayer. Memorising Scripture gives the Spirit material to bring to mind when you are tempted or questioned. Jesus answered each temptation with Deuteronomy (Matt 4:1-11).

Be realistic. Spiritual disciplines are means of grace, not ways to earn favour, and missing a day does not make God love you less. Set a fixed time and place, start smaller than you think you should, and join reading to prayer. Use the Shorter Catechism with your family or yourself: it was written to be memorised and turns doctrine into worship.

How is biblical meditation different from meditation in Eastern religions, and what simple method does the section suggest?Show answer

Biblical meditation is not emptying the mind but filling it with God's Word and turning it over until it shapes the heart, like chewing food slowly (Ps 1:2-3). The method: read a passage prayerfully; ask what it reveals about God, Christ and the gospel, sin, and what to believe or do; choose one verse to carry through the day; and turn it into prayer. Memorising Scripture also gives the Spirit material to bring to mind, as Jesus answered temptation with Deuteronomy.

filling, not emptying, the mind
read, ask, carry a verse, pray
memorise Scripture
disciplines are means, not merit

How these means sustain an apologist, and where others depart

The early apostles devoted themselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word (Acts 6:4). When the rulers saw the boldness of Peter and John, they recognised that they had been with Jesus (Acts 4:13). Paul ends his description of the armour of God with prayer at all times in the Spirit, asking for boldness to proclaim the gospel (Eph 6:18-20). Apologetics without worship becomes cold, combative and proud; worship without study can leave us unable to answer. Prayer keeps us dependent on the Spirit, who alone opens hearts (Acts 16:14). Before a conversation, pray for the person by name; after it, pray again. Meditation on Scripture stocks your mind with the Word that is living and active (Heb 4:12). Gathered worship reminds you that you belong to a people, and that your hope does not rest on winning arguments.

Other groups in the course worship and pray differently. Muslims perform the ritual prayer (salat) at five set times daily in Arabic, facing Mecca, as submission to God (Islam module); Christians pray as adopted children, in any language, through a Mediator. Roman Catholics also ask Mary and the saints to intercede (Roman Catholicism module); Scripture knows one Mediator (1 Tim 2:5). Jehovah's Witnesses teach that prayer should be addressed only to Jehovah through Jesus (Jehovah's Witnesses module), yet Stephen called on the Lord Jesus (Acts 7:59). Latter-day Saints pray to a Heavenly Father who, they teach, has a body of flesh and bones (D&C 130:22; Latter-day Saints module). Jewish prayer centres on the Shema and the Amidah of the synagogue liturgy (Judaism module). Each difference is an opening to talk about who God is and how we may draw near to him through Christ (Heb 10:19-22).

How do the means of grace sustain an apologist, and what happens when apologetics and worship are separated?Show answer

The apostles devoted themselves to prayer and the ministry of the Word (Acts 6:4), and the rulers recognised Peter and John 'had been with Jesus' (Acts 4:13). Prayer keeps us dependent on the Spirit, who alone opens hearts, meditation stocks our minds with the living Word, and gathered worship reminds us our hope does not rest on winning arguments. Apologetics without worship becomes cold, combative and proud, while worship without study can leave us unable to answer.

Acts 6:4; 4:13
prayer: dependence on the Spirit
worship: hope not in winning arguments
without worship: cold and proud

How does the section answer Roman Catholic prayer to the saints and the Jehovah's Witness teaching that prayer should go only to Jehovah?Show answer

Roman Catholics ask Mary and the saints to intercede, but Scripture knows one Mediator between God and men (1 Tim 2:5). Jehovah's Witnesses teach that prayer should be addressed only to Jehovah through Jesus, yet Stephen called on the Lord Jesus as he died (Acts 7:59). Each difference is an opening to talk about who God is and how we may draw near through Christ (Heb 10:19-22).

one Mediator (1 Tim 2:5)
Stephen called on Jesus (Acts 7:59)
differences as openings for conversation

Key texts

John 4:23-24: True worshippers worship the Father in spirit and truth. Worship must be heartfelt and governed by God's revelation.
Leviticus 10:1-3: Nadab and Abihu offered unauthorized fire that God had not commanded. A sobering foundation text for the regulative principle.
Deuteronomy 12:29-32: Israel was not to borrow pagan worship nor add to or take from God's commands. Shows that God, not the worshipper, defines acceptable worship.
Matthew 15:8-9: Worship taught by the commandments of men is vain. Jesus applies Isaiah 29:13 to human tradition in worship.
Matthew 6:5-13: Private prayer in secret, a warning against empty phrases, and the Lord's Prayer as the pattern for all prayer.
Psalm 1:1-3: The blessed person meditates on God's law day and night and bears fruit. The foundation for daily Scripture meditation.
Deuteronomy 6:4-9: The Shema and the call to teach God's words diligently at home. The biblical basis for family worship.
Hebrews 10:24-25: Do not neglect meeting together. Gathered worship is commanded, not optional.
Colossians 3:16: Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and singing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Word and song together in worship.

Objections and answers

Try answering each one yourself before you open the response.

“The regulative principle is legalistic. If you only do what's commanded, you'd have to ban chairs, microphones and church buildings.”Show a response

The regulative principle governs the elements of worship, not every circumstance. The Westminster Confession itself says some circumstances common to human actions and societies, such as time, place and order, are to be arranged by the light of nature and Christian prudence according to the general rules of the Word (1.6). Chairs and microphones are like the meeting time; they serve the commanded elements. What the principle excludes is adding new acts of worship, such as images, ceremonies or rites God never appointed. Far from legalism, it is a charter of freedom: no church may bind your conscience with rituals God never required (WCF 20.2).

“If God is sovereign and has decreed everything, why pray?”Show a response

God ordains the means as well as the ends. He has decreed to accomplish many things in answer to his people's prayers, just as he ordains harvests through ploughing and sowing. Scripture puts sovereignty and prayer together: Daniel read God's promise in Jeremiah and was moved to pray for its fulfilment (Dan 9:2-3); Jesus, knowing the Father's plan, still prayed and taught us to pray Thy will be done. James says you do not have, because you do not ask (James 4:2). Prayer is not informing God or changing his mind; it is a child's dependence on a wise Father who delights to give through asking. Sovereignty is the reason prayer is not wasted.

“Isn't praying the Lord's Prayer word for word the vain repetition Jesus warned against?”Show a response

Jesus warned against empty phrases used as if many words would earn a hearing (Matt 6:7). In the same passage he said Pray then like this and gave a prayer (Matt 6:9); in Luke he said When you pray, say (Luke 11:2). So he gave the words to be prayed and the pattern to be followed. The problem is not repetition but empty repetition, words without heart. The Psalms are full of repeated refrains (Ps 136), and heaven repeats Holy, holy, holy (Rev 4:8). Pray the Lord's Prayer thoughtfully, and use its petitions to shape your own prayers, as the Shorter Catechism teaches (Q. 99-107).

“I'm too busy for family worship and daily devotions. Isn't church on Sunday enough?”Show a response

Busyness reveals priorities. Jesus had more demands on him than anyone, yet he withdrew to pray (Luke 5:15-16). Deuteronomy 6 assumes God's words will fill ordinary household life, and Psalm 1 calls the person blessed who meditates day and night. These are means of grace, not burdens: they are how God feeds you through the week. Start small and realistic: five to ten minutes of reading and prayer each morning, and a short reading, prayer and song with your household most evenings. Missing a day does not change God's love for you, but a steady habit will change you. Sunday worship is the centre, but it is meant to overflow into every day.

“Worship is about my heart. If a song or a style really moves me, surely God is pleased with it.”Show a response

Your heart matters enormously; God does not want lip service, and Scripture calls us to sing 'with grace in the heart'. But Jesus said true worshippers worship 'in spirit and truth' (John 4:23-24), not in spirit alone. Feeling moved is not the same as God being pleased. Nadab and Abihu offered fire 'which he had not commanded them' (Lev 10:1-3), and what made it wrong was not how it felt but that God had not asked for it, and Jesus warned of worship shaped by 'the commandments of men' (Matt 15:8-9). The point is not that emotion is bad, but that God alone knows what pleases him, and he has told us: his Word read and preached, prayer, praise and the sacraments. Christians in other traditions sincerely want to honour God too, and we can say so warmly. But the safest place for a moved heart is in the worship God has asked for, centred on Christ.

“Why do I have to pray only to God through Jesus? Wouldn't it help to ask Mary or a saint who understands what I'm going through?”Show a response

I understand the longing for someone who truly understands you. The good news is that you already have exactly that in Christ. Scripture says 'there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus' (1 Tim 2:5). He is not distant: because he became truly man and was tempted as we are, he can sympathise with our weakness, so we can 'draw near to the throne of grace' with confidence (Heb 4:15-16). He 'always lives to make intercession' for his people (Heb 7:25), and the Holy Spirit himself helps us pray when we do not know how (Rom 8:26). Through Christ we have access in one Spirit to the Father (Eph 2:18). Many Catholic friends sincerely love Christ, and we can say that gladly. But why go to anyone else when the Son himself welcomes you?

Written task

Write a 300-400 word explanation, suitable for your Bible class or a new church member, of how a Christian should worship God on the Lord's Day and through the week. Explain the regulative principle with at least two Scripture texts and the difference between elements and circumstances; describe the normative principle fairly; explain the Shorter Catechism's definition of prayer and two petitions of the Lord's Prayer; and close with a realistic weekly plan of private and family worship that would sustain a Christian who wants to defend the faith.

Hand this in to Mr Scott. He will look for:

States the regulative principle accurately with at least two relevant texts (e.g. Lev 10:1-3; Deut 12:32; Matt 15:8-9; John 4:24) and distinguishes elements from circumstances
Represents the normative principle and other traditions fairly, without caricature
Explains the definition of prayer (WSC Q. 98) and two petitions of the Lord's Prayer accurately
Proposes a concrete, realistic plan of Lord's Day, private and family worship grounded in Scripture
Connects worship and the means of grace to the life and character of an apologist (e.g. 1 Pet 3:15; Acts 4:13; Eph 6:18-20)