“To worship God from the depths of the human soul is to discover worship in its purest form, unaffected by the world around; and it is deeper than any mere human emotion.” – A.W. Tozer
Music has been a huge part of my life for as long as I could remember. As a musician and a worship leader, music has played a large role in bringing me closer to God. I have felt God’s presence in my living room many nights when it was just me playing on my guitar and singing to the Lord. I have even felt God’s presence in small and large worship services. But on the contrary, I have been in many services where I did not sense God’s presence at all. I have been in awesome worship services where the music was great and everyone is raising their hands and singing fervently but God’s presence was missing. Growing up in church, I have always heard that God inhabits the praises of His people. But why is it I don’t sense God in the majority of our worship services?
This is something that has weighed heavily on my mind for a long time. I didn’t fully understand it until I started leading worship for the youth at my church in Lubbock, TX. The teenagers really liked a popular Christian band and they wanted to do one of their songs for worship. I must admit, the song is really catchy and as a keyboard player, I really appreciated the synths and sampling in the song. So I decided the song would be perfect for the youth. I found music for it and handed it out to the members of the youth worship band. I instructed them to learn the song on their own and we would piece it together the following week. When we assembled the following week, something very unusual happened. I couldn’t sing the song! I didn’t understand it because I sang it all the time with it blaring in my car but I couldn’t get the words out during practice. It was as if I was being hindered from playing it. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get the notes out so I decided to postpone it for another week. When we arrived the following week, the same thing happened again! This went on for three weeks. It was frustrating but I did the one thing I knew I could do – pray.
I spent quite a bit of time in prayer about it and God reminded me of a story from Leviticus 10:1-3. “Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu took their censers, put fire in them and added incense; and they offered unauthorized fire before the Lord, contrary to his command. So fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord. Moses then said to Aaron, “This is what the Lord spoke of when he said: “‘Among those who approach me I will be proved holy; in the sight of all the people I will be honored.” The word that stood out to me was “unauthorized.” I did a little digging in my Strong’s Concordance and found the Hebrew word used in the original text was “zoor.” Zoor is defined as to turn aside; strange and profane. The sons of Aaron offered profane fire before the Lord and they were immediately struck dead in the presence of God. Some people might say it was their act of disobedience that cost them their lives but God’s response in verse 3 gives us a clearer picture. I like what the NKJV says. He said “By those who come near Me I must be regarded as holy; And before all the people I must be glorified.” The reason Nadab and Abihu were killed wasn’t because they were disobedient; it was because their worship before the Lord was irreverent and unacceptable!
God used this story to show me that our worship must be reverent and acceptable. God must be approached with holy fear; even with our worship. I’m not saying we have to go back to the hymns and I’m not saying the new genres of Christian music are bad. I grew up on the hymns and cherish them and there are a lot of anointed worship songs being played on the airwaves today. In fact, you’ll find that I have a large collection of these songs in my iTunes library. The lyrics have a great message and I encourage anyone to listen to them. But with that said, not all types of music are appropriate for worship. A lot of songs are pleasing to the human ear but it doesn’t necessarily mean it will produce a sweet smelling aroma to God in a worship setting. The ultimate goal of worship is to invite the holy presence of God; not to create an atmosphere of hype for ourselves. But somehow worship has become more about ourselves and what we like and has very little to do with pleasing our Creator. Many Christians worship music instead of using music to worship God. A lot of churches pour tens of thousands of dollars on sound equipment, lights, smoke machines, and projectors to enhance the worship experience. Worship has evolved into a production and performance based show. The crowd is hyped, the music is loud, and the bass is thumping but the presence of God is missing from the equation. God’s presence should be our TOP priority but we have inadvertently traded it in for a concert-like experience! Perhaps our worship has become profane.
Our worship must be reverent and acceptable so we must approach worship with a right heart and a right attitude. Sometimes members of a worship band treat it like a gig instead of an offering to God. Some worship band members enjoy the attention and the spotlight. This is sometimes evident in the sound booth where the guitar channels are usually turned down because some guitarists get a little too carried away with the solos. Worship directors often put more emphasis on the structure and organization of the music that they forget our hearts probably need more structure and organization of its own. The simple fact is, worship isn’t about the band or about the people; it’s about the presence of God. God will not visit or anoint worshippers if there is sin in the camp. If there is a time that the church needs the presence of God, it is now! That is why I always make it a habit to pray before I approach the platform. My prayer each week is if there is anything in my heart that is displeasing to God that it would be washed in His blood so I can worship Him with clean hands and a pure heart. Once my mind is clear, I pray that God anoints me and then I invite the Holy Spirit to be welcomed. John 4:24 says “God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” God doesn’t want our abilities or talents; He wants our hearts and full measure of devotion. God doesn’t care about how good the music sounds or how talented the musicians and singers are; He wants someone who will worship Him in Spirit and in truth.
After this became clear to me, my approach to worship drastically changed. I now sense the presence of God and my worship is more sincere and heartfelt. The reason is because my worship for God is reverent and acceptable before the Lord; both the music and in my heart. Nothing is more beautiful than the presence of God. It’s time we re-examine what the true heart of worship is and return to our first love. I really like how Matt Redman puts in his song the Heart of Worship:
I’m coming back to the heart of worship
And it’s all about You, it’s all about You, Jesus
I’m sorry, Lord, for the thing I’ve made it
When it’s all about You, it’s all about You, Jesus
Joshua Hawk 