Teaching | Singing Prayer | Prayer E05

Practicing the Way with John Mark Comer

Practicing the Way

Christianity, Religion & Spirituality

4.9 • 1.9K Ratings

🗓️ 23 February 2026

⏱️ 35 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Can your singing actually be prayer to God? In this teaching, Alex Rettman explores three powerful truths about worship: it changes us as we behold God's glory, it moves God's heart when we offer costly praise, and it shifts circumstances as we lay a target for His kingdom to come. He shows us how worship isn't just about singing songs: it's about expressing our delight in God in ways that complete our joy and partner with Him in pushing back darkness.

Key Scripture Passages: Exodus 33v18-23; John 1v18; 2 Corinthians 3v16-18; Psalm 22v3; Isaiah 42v10-13

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello and welcome to the John Mark Komer Teachings podcast. My name is Yinka Dawson and I'm your host.
0:10.4	Each week we feature teachings by John Mark or other voices in the formation space. It's wonderful to have you with us.
0:16.8	We're continuing our prayer series, exploring the different facets of what it means to commune with God.
0:22.5	This week we're hearing from Alex Retman, exploring how our communion can actually be prayer to God,
0:28.2	and how worship has the power to change us, move God's heart and shift the circumstances around us.
0:34.7	Alex is a former pastor at Bridgetown Church, currently serving as a senior
0:38.4	leader of Saints Hill Church in Newburgh, Oregon. If you want to dig deeper into Alex's teaching,
0:44.0	check out Saints Hill Church podcast on your favorite podcast platform. Here's Alex.
0:51.4	Hey, so I've been at this church working here for about five years now, a little over five years.
0:57.4	And from the very beginning, something that has just been so deeply on my heart is that we would taste some of the heights of worship that we've been tasting together as a community.
1:07.5	I mean, hasn't it been awesome?
1:09.2	Some of the moments of worship that we've had encountering the Lord together, it's been just so, so good. And, you know, so kind of out of that season and out of desiring that, and over the past year, I have some things that I just want to share from my heart tonight. I don't know if any of it is going to be like intellectually mind-blowing, but it's just stuff that I've been
1:28.1	chewing on. We've been in this prayer series and talking about different forms of prayer. And so if
1:34.7	you think about a diamond, all of the different facets on a diamond, I want to just rotate that
1:39.9	diamond tonight and look at another facet. So specifically, I want to put forth this. If you're taking
1:44.9	notes, write this down. Your singing can be prayer to God. Your singing can be prayer to God.
1:53.4	Your worship, the songs that you sing can actually minister and connect directly to the heart of
1:59.8	our father. Did you know that? Augustine, one of the
2:03.9	church fathers once said, the person who sings prays twice. I love that. Isn't that good? So tonight,
2:11.9	I want to talk about three things specifically that singing to God does. First thing that singing to God does is it changes us.
2:20.5	Worship changes us. Worship moves God and worship changes circumstances. It's so simple. Three things.
2:28.3	Worship changes us. It moves the heart of God and it changes our circumstances. So first, worship changes us. Let's all
	...

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