Two Very Different Songs

The last week that we visited Valley Church, the worship team sang these words:

Trouble won't throw me

Won't break me

Won't scare me

No more

Fear must have thought I was faithless

When it came for my heart

'Cause I got a song that will never die

I know your love is the reason why

I'll sing the night into the morning

I'll sing the fear into your praise

I'll sing my soul into your presence

Whenever I say Your name

Let the devil know not today

In comparison, the congregation at Downtown Church sang these words often:

I once was lost in darkest night

Yet thought I knew the way

The sin that promised joy and life

Had led me to the grave

I had no hope that You would own

A rebel to Your will

And if You had not loved me first

I would refuse You still

But as I ran my hell-bound race

Indifferent to the cost

You looked upon my helpless state

And led me to the cross

And I beheld God’s love displayed

You suffered in my place

You bore the wrath reserved for me

Now all I know is grace

While the worship team performed the first song, I realized I could not sing the words. There is nothing genuine or biblical in these lyrics. The song is about me and the control I have over my life. It communicates that Jesus gave me the power to be in control. It says that when I call on Jesus, it’s not about him; it’s about me. Also, I have a message I want Jesus to give to Satan. Yikes.

In contrast, the second song is also about me. But it speaks truth and brings praise and Glory to the One who is worthy. The second song reminds me of what is true about my God: that he loves me even though I am weak, sinful, and hopeless. I can sing this song to God, knowing every word is true. I am only living in God's grace because He has poured out the wrath I deserve on Jesus Christ and offered me His love.

Our God, the God of eternity, the King of all Kings, the all-powerful, just God full of mercy and grace, is worthy of true worship. Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire (Hebrews 12:28-29).

The Worship in Careful Worship

When my friend was selecting songs for children’s ministry worship, she said something that has stayed with me for years. She said, “The songs we sing here will be stuck in these kids’ heads when they’re 30, so they need to be good.”

I know that she was right. The songs I learned as an 8-year-old are still rattling around in my brain, occasionally surfacing. Her focus in selecting worship music was to find lyrics that would still speak to a child’s heart of worship in twenty or twenty-five years when the song pops into their heads randomly.

So, as she selected the songs, she took the task seriously, reading through the lyrics carefully to ensure that she was offering acceptable worship and words of reverence. Her time selecting these songs was a part of her service to God and his church. She dedicated her time to serving God well, making her service holy and acceptable. She spent a few hours carefully reading over the lyrics, considering what each song said, and finding songs that contained true words of worship about God, while weeding out those that were flippant or sounded pretty but lacked the substance of genuine worship. In this task, she was worshipping. She worshipped God by committing her mind and spirit to discern truth and setting it aside to share with young disciples. She worshiped with her work long before she worshiped by leading a room full of children.

So often, as I sit in a worship service at a well-meaning church and read the words on the screen, I wonder if anyone on the worship team took time to worship God through their work that week. Did they spend a few hours, or even minutes, reading over the lyrics to discern truth and find authentic worship of our God? Or did they select some pretty-sounding songs they like and start practicing?

We will worship forever and ever. That is a beautiful and overwhelming thought. One day, we will worship perfectly. Will not repeat a chorus 37 times so that it loses its meaning by the end. We won’t sing about ourselves except to boast in our lowliness and praise the One who exalts us. We won’t sing to impress each other. We will sing to worship the One worthy of all worship with joy in unity. This Sunday, we should worship as we will forever: in truth.

Lyric Credits:

"Not Today" by Joel Houston and Matt Crocker

"All I Have is Christ" by Jordan Kauflin

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