Merge Worship

It’s a cloudy, dreary, rainy day here. Not one of the best days to live near a beach. During a prayer, our (great) Children’s Director was praying and she said:

“Lord. Thank You for the rain. Help us to see what the rain brings. Help us to see the results, not just the dreariness and darkness.”

I thought about all the past and present storms in my life. If only I could take that perspective to “look past the rain” and see the results that it is going to bring. It is so easy to focus on the now circumstance and no further.

Father help me today to see past the storm and find the growth and beauty that Your rain is bringing in my life.

Recently I’ve had a friend of mine talking to me about who I’d like to, if given the opportunity, hang out with/learn from. I thought of some names that I’d like to get to know and hear what makes them tick. Israel, Paul Baloche, Tommy Walker, Perry Noble, Fred Hammond, Brennan Manning, Glenn Packiam, Bob Kauflin and some others immediately came to mind. This friend started telling me that it could be a real possibility to meet a couple of these guys. Needless to say, I was pretty pumped and then Monday I had an epiphany. (I am still excited about any of those opportunities should they arise)

I was listening to Tommy Walker’s “Just Worship” and was thinking how much I’d like to meet him. I even thought about how much fun it would undoubtedly be to write with him. I’ve listened to him for some time and would love that. As I was thinking about it, it hit me that, when this life is over the only name that will matter in the end is Jesus.

Now I’m all about networking and exploring relationships that God might have His hand on, so don’t think that I’m saying anything against that. God has been faithful to introduce me to the right people at the right time. I’ve been blessed with many things and I am not the type of guy to go 200 MPH to track down someone I admire. Maybe that’s a fault and maybe it’s not. Most of the time, I’m pretty sure it’s a little of both.

What I am saying is this. Monday, I had an epiphany that is causing me to look differently at others and myself. As gifted as all the guys I’ve mentioned are, we all serve the same God and get our inspiration from the same Holy Spirit. God has given them a platform to share their gifts and He has placed me where He wants in His kingdom. While I am believing God for bigger and better things to best utilize the gifts He’s placed in my heart, I no longer want to be impressed by people. Respect their giftings, callings and wisdom? Yes. Seek out relationships that God could use in my life and use me in theirs? Absolutely. Be blown away by a person? I hope not.

In the end, His name is the name that will matter. When we’re singing “Just Worship” around the throne, I’m not going to be looking for Tommy then. (although maybe we’ll write some there) ;-) We’ll all be concentrated on the object of our worship. There’s several people that I would more than welcome the opportunity to meet, work or write with, but ultimately there’s One NAME that matters. His name is Jesus.

One of the great joys of my life is being a Dad. I love being with my kids and especially love when we get an opportunity to talk about the real way God interacts with His children. The other week, my son was forgetting a part of a verse we've been praying through every night. I told him that Jesus said the Holy Spirit would help him remember everything that Jesus taught us and had him ask the Holy Spirit for the word. Immediately he said "compassion" with this big look of surprise on his face.

A couple of days later, I was talking to my kids, 4 and almost 7, about hearing God speak to us. I used my son's example from a couple of days earlier and I was encouraging them to ask the Holy Spirit to speak to them in prayer, give them direction etc. My four year old interrupted me to tell me that she already knew that God wanted to talk to her. She learned it in Sunday School. (big shout out to our 4 year old teachers!) So I asked her if she'd ever heard God speak. Here's how the conversation played out:

Mercy: Oh yeah.
Me: What does he sound like?
Mercy: Daddy. He sounds just like you.
Me: (muffled sound...trying not to cry)

My wife and I have always hoped to be the kind of parents that our kids would grow up to say, if God is like Mommy and Daddy, then I want to know Him. We've also prayed that they would far exceed us in all things pertaining to life and Godliness. Here's believing that these are just the first in a long line of confirmations that they are well on their way.

Here’s the last installment on Psalm 138. I’ll have a blog up early next week about something family/worship oriented. Please feel free to leave some comments on your thoughts on Psalm 138.

“Though the Lord is on high, He looks upon the lowly, but the proud He knows from afar. Though I walk through the midst of trouble, You preserve my life; You stretch out Your hand against the anger of my foes, with Your right hand You save me. The Lord will fulfill His purpose for me; Your love, O Lord, endures forever-do not abandon the works of Your Hand.”~~Psalm 138:6-9

So, the worshiper moves from a personal choice to worship, to a cry for justice, to a personal prayer. He first acknowledges the Lord’s elevated state and then articulates one of the great mysteries of Diety. That God “looks upon the lowly”. Isn’t it amazing that God takes time to look on us? I find great comfort in this. Knowing that He walks with me in trouble, preserves my life and reproofs the anger of my enemies. What an amazing God.

One interesting warning here is that while God looks on the lowly He “knows the proud from afar”. The psalmist was again looking back to Solomon’s wisdom. This time in Proverbs 3:34:

“The Lord opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

Sidebar-This is an important point for worship leaders in particular. As musical people we are more naturally inclined to egotism and should be doubly on guard for this. God not only “sees the proud from afar”, but the scripture further teaches that He is in opposition to those that are filled with pride. That’s why Peter preceded his quote of this proverb with “Clothe yourselves in humility toward one another, because…” (1 Peter 5:5) God forbid us from walking in the “I’m better than they are” mentality and competitiveness in worship that actively blocks the Lord’s favor and presence.–Sidebar End

Verse seven is one of my favorites in this passage. This exiled and belittled worshiper realizes that God is not finished! He will accomplish His purpose. The psalmist recognizes, and relishes, God’s authoritative plan and reason for this season of his walk. That the love of God endures forever regardless of what present circumstances would seem to say.

This worshiper sets the tone for those of us who find ourselves suffering under the hands of the unjust. First we choose to worship, then we pray for those causing the trouble, prophesy over them and find our conclusive peace in the fact that God has not forgotten us.

As I’ve studied this passage I am very grateful that they left the last line in. “Do not abandon the work of Your hands.” After this empowering worship time, the worshiper is still checking to make sure that God is still there. I love to see the humanity of the writers of the Psalms. One moment he is prophesying the release from exile and a few verses later reminding God not to forget about him. That makes me feel a little more normal.

Here’s part 2 of the study on Psalm 138. I’m trying this out this week and will return to mainly blogging about worship leading stuff next week.

“May all the kings of the earth praise You, O Lord, when they hear the words of Your mouth. May they sing of the ways of the Lord, for the glory of the Lord is great.” Psalm 138:4&5

If you’ll remember from the previous post on this chapter, this was most likely written while Israel was in captivity. It’s interesting that after the psalmist made his choice to worship personally, his next step is to pray that all the rulers would do the same. This is a worshiper not contented with just worshipping on his own, but someone passionate about seeing God’s fame proclaimed in every place.

He not only prays that they would praise the Lord. He prays that they “hear the words of Your mouth”. He is praying here for a pagan king to hear and respond to the voice of God. Perhaps the Psalmist had Proverbs 21:1 in mind. “The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord; He directs it like a watercourse wherever He pleases.”

If, as some scholars say, this was written during the Babylonian exile, then we see the answer to this prayer in 2 Chronicles 36:22, Ezra 1:1.

"In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah, the LORD moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and to put it in writing:"This is what Cyrus king of Persia says:" 'The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and He has appointed me to build a temple for Him at Jerusalem in Judah. Anyone of His people among you—may the LORD his God be with him, and let him go up.' "

I find that fascinating. That this psalmist; this “composer of sacred songs” (as defined by Webster’s) would help be a catalyst for this kind of social change. Going from a society devoid of faith, to a king proclaiming his “appointment” to rebuild a place of worship for “THE Lord, THE God of heaven” (emphasis added) and crediting God for being the one to "give him the kingdoms of the earth".

I pray that God would use songwriters of this generation to write songs that stir the faith of the church to believe in the power of God to change the hearts of kings.

I was reading Psalm 138 this morning and thought it might be a good exercise to try and go through this chapter in 3 parts and dissect it some. Hope it's has fun to read as it is to write. This is my first crack at this kind of blogging, so we'll see how it pans out. I'm not wanting to depart from my usual, worship leading focused stuff, just was struck by this passage. I will be posting part two on Wednesday with part three coming on Thursday. Here we go:

"I will praise You, O Lord, with all my heart; before the "gods" I will sing Your praise. I will bow down toward Your holy temple and will praise Your Name for Your love and faithfulness, for You have exalted above all things Your Name and Your Word. When I called, You answered me; You made me bold and stouthearted."~~Psalm 138:1-3 (NIV)

Some people have said that, based on verse one "before the "gods" I will sing Your praise", that the psalmist (probably not David) was most likely exiled in a foreign land when he wrote this. Some believe it was written during the Babylonian exile.

Imagine the scene of being in a place that was unfamiliar to you. Almost everyone else is worshiping a false "god" or idol. You are surrounded by people who most likely ridicule your faith. The psalmist declared that even in the midst of all that that he would not be stopped in his pursuit of praising God. He said he would sing the praise of God before all these other "gods". When faced with things claiming to be bigger than God Himself, the worshiper responds by offering praise to the one true God and to Him only.

Many times in our worship service we will use verse 2 to inspire worship. God has exalted His Name and His Word above all things. Above principalities, power, disease, sin and death. The worshiper here is taking comfort in knowing that although he is surrounded by falsehood and oppression, God is exalted above all those things. That despite what present circumstance would seem to say; God is still filled with love and could still be called faithful.

Have you ever been in a circumstance that would threaten to rob you of the desire to worship God? Surrounded by people that worship other things? Overwhelmed by your present predicament? The worshiper in this passage says that worship happens regardless. Maybe he took his cue from David who penned these words after pretending to be insane before Amibelech to preserve his own life:
"I will bless the Lord at all times. His praise shall continually be in my mouth."~~Psalm 34:1
He also echoes the sentiment of David further down in Psalm 34 by declaring that the Lord not only heard, but answered and made him "bold and stouthearted".

I don't know about you, but I've found myself in some situations in the last year that required me to be stouthearted beyond my capabilities. It is in times like these that worship can be a catalyst for life-changing connection with God that can fill us with that that we need most. Wherever you find yourself today, take some time to sing out with all your heart. He's ready. Not just to hear; but respond and make you bold and stouthearted.

Hey everyone. Just wanted to let you all know that I was featured in the Worship Leader Profile section of Worship Leader Magazine this month (May 2008). I connected with Phil @ WL about a year and a half ago and have enjoyed getting to connect with them. I've enjoyed their magazine for about 6 years now. I'm extremely humbled/honored to be featured and have the opportunity to contribute in some small way.

You can pick up a copy in your local Christian Bookstore. If you're a worship leader or pastor, I would recommend that you get a subscription. I look forward to reading it every time it comes in.

Here's an interesting audio blog from Pastor Steven Furtick at Elevation Church. It's about how worship leaders can serve the vision of the Senior Pastor of the church. Check it out if you're a worship leader or a pastor.

http://www.stevenfurtick.com/audio-blogs/me-and-my-worship-leaders/