Prayer to Learn How to Worship with Abandon

Knowing how to worship with abandon is a powerful way to experience God’s presence, hope and love during the darkest times of life.

What is worshipping with abandon?

It is letting go of everything you are holding onto. Your life, your family, your job, your fears, your failures, your hopes, your dreams, your attempt to control your life; you let go and surrender it all to God. When you have let go of everything, you acknowledge that He is God and God alone, and you worship Him only. Whether in the dark nights of the soul or in the bright sunshine of a perfect day, God is worthy to be praised.

The dark nights of the soul are when I have found it to be harder to worship God through the tears and pain. Worshipping with abandon is something that doesn’t come naturally in hard times. We have to learn to put worship into practice.

Thankfully, I had a master teacher in my longtime mentor in faith John Frank Reeve.

John Frank, or “JF” as I called him, was a multi-talented musician. His rich baritone voice had him singing at church for most of his life, and singing as part of the New Orleans opera for ten years. He also sang the National Anthem prior to a New Orleans Saints NFL game in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Besides learning to love coffee, JF taught me many life and spiritual lessons over the years. Here are the key lessons.

Keep worshipping even when others try to stop you

In 2003, John Frank Reeve welcomed me into his home. It was a Saturday night and we had just completed a Saturday night worship service at Wedgwood Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas. It was one day after I had been served my divorce papers, but John Frank was already being used by God to salvage me. He welcomed me into his home when I thought I had to leave mine. He kept me close and kept me at the drum set on stage at Wedgwood when some people clamored for my removal when my separation from my wife and pending divorce were made public.

What John Frank saw in me was my heart for worship. It connected with his heart for worship.

Lesson learned: Connect with your heart, not your problems.

Evil can’t stop worship, even when a gunman killed 7 people in our church sanctuary

On September 15, 1999 our church was in a state of shock, grief and trauma after 7 youth and young adults were killed at the “Saw You At the Pole” worship event in our sanctuary by a demonic gunman on a rampage. ( See video Prayer Idea after a Mass Killing Tragedy – Prayer Ideas)

Despite the evil, we had experienced nights of worship in the following years that were true examples of the Body of Christ worshipping together. John Frank was an instrumental part of those worship nights. When rehearsals went terribly wrong he would pull us into the choir room behind the sanctuary and have us all pray together. We gave God the glory for what he was going to do and agreed together in prayer that the service to come would be all about Him and not us.

It was on those nights that I would walk out and sit down at the drum set, start playing the beat for the first song, and the youth group in the first ten rows would stand up and throw up their hands in worship. Two measures. We hadn’t started singing yet. No other instruments had joined in. Yet, led by teenagers, the room turned its attention to worship. The Spirit of God was evident in the room. This was to be the ultimate lesson I would learn from John Frank.

Lesson learned: Connecting with God’s spirit through worship is the only way to recover after evil attacks and tragedy.

“Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.” (Psalms 29:2 NIV)

“Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness; tremble before him, all the earth.” (Psalm 96:9 NIV)

“Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering and come before him. Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness. (1 Chronicles 16:29 NIV)

Keep worship with you no matter where you are

Whether we were in a small church in Louisiana, at a church music conference, or lounging in JF’s pool, we were always talking about music. Most of the time it was worship music. Music for the church. Music for the soul. There was even a “Lounge Worship” CD we would play at nights while we floated in the pool, escaping muggy Louisiana nights.

We talked about making much of God through the medium of music and the arts at a church. Our hearts were kindred spirits in that we could talk about or make music at any given time or all the time. We had a fraternal relationship that centered on Christ. God used JF in my life to shape who I would become post-divorce, and it was important to God that I be molded back into a worshipper. He needed me to get back to what I was made to do. The music that God put into my soul and every fiber of my being was aching to be set free to come out. JF helped provide that conduit.

When I talked about songwriting, JF never told me that I couldn’t be a songwriter. He just provided critiques about what I was writing; What sounded good and what was singable by a congregation or others.

Lesson Learned: Worship is always available as long as you are.

We also found out that our relationship with each other was built on a mutual trust when it came to music.

Always say yes to worship, even when you don’t feel you’re ready or prepared.

One particular Easter weekend my new wife Kelly (whom God had miraculously connected me with after my divorce) and I had driven to Lafayette, Louisiana, where JF was serving as Minister of Worship for First Baptist Church of Lafayette. We arrived on Friday evening, had planned on spending the day together with JF and his wife, Nancy, and we wound up on Interstate 20 headed east to New Orleans. JF and I had decided that we were in need of beignets and chicory-blended, hot milk cafe’ au lait’s from Cafe Du Monde in New Orleans’ French Market. I was driving JF’s minivan because I was the better long distance driver. JF and I were upfront talking about…well…music.

At one particular lull in the conversation, John Frank asked me, “Do you know the song ‘He’s Alive’?”

I replied, “You mean, the Don Francisco version? The original?”

“Yes, that’s the one,” JF replied smoothly. “How well do you know it?”

With confidence, I waded into my answer. “I’ve played it and sung it a bunch of times. I’m very familiar with it.”

I nearly drove the minivan off the road at what he said next.

“Great. I need you to play it for church tomorrow. You know. Play drums for church.”

I didn’t have my sticks. I didn’t have in-ear monitors with me. I wasn’t prepared. Yes, I knew the song, but no, I hadn’t rehearsed with the choir and orchestra for this song at any point in time. Ever! But there was a quiet understanding between us. JF trusted me to sit at that drum set for more than just one song. I trusted that John Frank knew what he was doing by putting me in the drum box for that song. We both trusted in each other that the sole reason for playing and singing this song together was to worship together, and to lead others to join us.

There were many times that JF put me out on stage as part of his worship team or handed me a choir folder and sat me in the choir at FBC Lafayette and I hadn’t been a part of the weekly rehearsals. But we were doing what we loved the most: leading worship.

Lesson learned: When you love to worship, you’re always prepared to join in.

Even when you aren’t able to worship, someone else can step in to help

It was the same trust that he would show many years later in March of 2022 when I once again sat at the drum set of First Baptist Church of LaFayette for Nancy’s funeral. John Frank put me there for the choir and orchestra performance of “The Majesty and Glory of Your Name”.* He needed me to help lead worship at a time when he could not.

Since we first met and stepped onto a stage together to lead worship, John Frank and I learned that we both felt at home worshipping together and leading others to worship the King who is worthy. The God who, alone is worthy to receive all praise for who He is.

“In a loud voice they were saying: “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!” (Revelation 5:12)

“Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.” (Psalm 96:6 NIV)

“Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. (Psalm 100:2 NIV)

“Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.” (Psalm 95:1 NIV)

“Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord.” (Psalm 150:6 NIV)

From dark nights of the soul sitting in front of a fire never speaking a word to massive performances with choir and orchestra, John Frank always reminded me to never lose sight of the One whom we were worshipping. The Lord God is the reason we sing.

And that is enough.

Lesson learned: Because God is the reason we sing, circumstances can’t prevent worship.

What about you? Can you learn to worship with abandon?

Is it for you? Do you need to kneel before the Lord your Maker and just worship Him for who he is? Do you need to find or come back to your heart of worship where it’s all about Jesus? Do you need to learn what it means to learn to “worship the Lord in the beauty of His holiness?”

Is He worthy of your worship?

John Frank would tell you to just abide in Him.

“I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5 ESV)

“You’re the Way, the Truth, and the Life

You’re the well that never runs dry

I’m the branch and You are the vine

Hold me close and teach me to abide

Be my strength, my song in the night

Be my all, my treasure, my guide

I am Yours, forever You’re mine

Draw me close and teach me to abide”**

Where are you in worshiping the Lord of Host? Are you close or far off? No matter where you are now, come to Him and worship at His feet.

John Frank Reeve went home to be with the Lord on January 18, 2025. He left behind a legacy of music and worship with abandon. The Lord in whom JF learned to abide, welcomed him home and now John Frank worships before the throne of God above. One day I will see him again, and once again our hearts will unite in worship as never before as we sing the song of the Redeemed. A song holy angels do not know.

My prayer is that you will one day find me and John Frank around the Throne of God and join in as we worship the Lord in the resplendent beauty of His holiness.

Prayer to Worship with Abandon

“Lord of Heaven and Earth, I acknowledge that you alone are God. I bow my heart in worship before You and You alone so that I keep your commandment to have no other gods before You. I bring my heart and give it to You. Make it new again, and make me an instrument of worship. May my life reflect You. Let everything I do be an act of worship before Your throne, and may it be a pleasing and acceptable sacrifice in Your sight, my Lord, my Rock, and my Redeemer. By the power of the Holy Spirit and in the name of Jesus I pray, amen.