Acts 13:1-4 "In the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers:  Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul.  While they were worshipping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, 'Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.'  So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off."

The second verse says "they were worshipping the Lord and fasting."  Frequently the only kind of prayer with which we are familiar is 'petition' prayer.  We are always petitioning God to do something and, of course that is scriptural.  But in Antioch, above the people were not petitioning God to do anything.  They were worshipping the Lord and fasting.That is the prayer of worship.  When we come together, we minister to one another.  Most of our services are designed that way.  We sing, but very few of the songs minister to the Lord, we minister to one another.

When we pray in church, often our prayers are primarily  petitions.  We are petitioning the Lord to move in our midst, to manifest Himself among us.  Then when the song service is over, and the minister speaks, he is not ministering to the Lord, he is ministering to the congregation.  To call most church services 'worship services' is a misnomer.  very little worship of the Lord goes on during the service.

**Now we do need to Praise the Lord.  We need to say good things about the Lord, and what He has done in out lives.  It is a wonderful thing when Praise of the Lord turns into worship to the Lord.**

By far, the major portion of all of our praying is more of a petitioning kind of prayer than any other, and we have gotten away (if we ever were there) from having worship prayer.

There is more than one person involved in this account for it says, "While they were worshipping the Lord and fasting."  This is the prayer of worship.  God made man so He would have someone with whom to have fellowship.
 

It is true that God is concerned about us; He is interested in us and wants to meet our needs.  He says for us to ask.  Jesus said your Heavenly Father knows that you have need of these things, and then He told us to ask.  But, too much of the time we are in our praying saying  "My name is Jimmy and I'll take all you'll give me."

When it comes to praying, this seems to be the only kind of praying that we know anything about.  We need to take time to wait on God and minister to Him  -  where we are not asking Him for anything, where we are not petitioning but we are ministering to Him.  This is the kind of atmosphere where God can move.  As they worshipped the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said.....the Holy Spirit manifested Himself  -  the Holy Spirit said something.

God made man for His own pleasure, so He would have someone with whom to have fellowship.  He is our Father because we are born of God.  No earthly parent ever enjoyed the fellowship of his children more than God enjoys the fellowship of His sons and daughters.