June Cerza Kolf remembers a time when her family had gathered in California for a yearly reunion. On Sunday morning they all went to church, and while they were singing the first song, an earthquake hit. The building shook, and the overhead lights swung back and forth. In true California style, they never missed a beat, even though they had to grab the pews in front of them to steady themselves.

After the service was over, the pastor came over to greet the out-of-town relatives. One of them grinned as he shook the pastor’s hand and said, “I’ve been to a lot of church services in my life, but I can honestly say this was the most moving one I’ve ever attended!”

This reminds me of another moving worship service, one that is recorded in Acts 4:31—“After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.”

After they prayed…hmmm. Perhaps prayer is the key to a moving worship service.