Merge Worship

Musicians always seem to struggle with pride. It’s a constant thorn in the side of most musical and creative people. We’ve all read the scriptures that God “opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble” and “pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.” I read a new one the other day that really caught me off guard. It was Proverbs 17:19. It says this:

The Hebrew there for “exalts his gate” loosely translates to “glorifies his/her position”. The Bible says that people who do this “seek destruction”. I thought about the numerous times I felt it important to tell other people where “God had taken me"(telling about people I’ve met, worked with, written with). Sometimes this can be shared in very positive ways with close friends or new relationships, but I think most creative people could say that they’ve been in conversations where the person was clearly using those conversations to “exalt their gate”. I’ve been guilty of it. I’m sure you haven’t. ;-) Our heart tells us when we cross that line.

It was eye opening for me to see that when I do this, I’m actually getting the opposite of what I was hoping for. I have done that in the past to try and solidify my standing to the person/people I was talking to, but according to Scripture I was actually seeking out my own destruction. The Bible is full of warnings pointing to the destructive nature of pride, but this was the first one that clearly told me that a prideful person is not only due for destruction (Proverbs 15:25), but actively seeking it. That’s a scary thought.

Those closest to me would hopefully tell you that I’m not the most prideful guy on the planet. I try hard to keep that in check. I pray that God would help me retain humility and be able to spot and stop pride in all its various forms in my life. David actually prayed that God would “cut off all flattering lips and the tongue that speaks proud things” (Psalm 12:3) and instructed that “blessed is the man who does not respect the proud”. (Psalm 40:4)

I see humility as a crucial component in my personal journey to be used by God for His fame and to see people exalt Him. As you pray today for God to use you, let a request for humility be close by. Don’t let the destructive nature of pride convince you that if you are just forceful enough, charismatic enough, gifted enough you will have influence and favor. Peter said it this way after quoting Proverbs 3:4: “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time.” Our position as worshipers and believers should be to have lives that exalt Him. We should let God be the one to exalt us, where He wants us, when He wants us.

Hebrews 2:11-12 says "For both He (Jesus) who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one Father; for which reason He (Jesus) is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying,"I WILL PROCLAIM YOUR (Father God) NAME TO MY BRETHREN, IN THE MIDST OF THE CONGREGATION I WILL SING YOUR PRAISE."

This passage is a guiding passage in worship for me. Notice that Jesus says here that he proclaims the Name of God to us and sings God's praise in the congregation. When we gather in our congregations, large or small, Jesus shows up to sing the praise and name of the Father.

The names of God are numerous and encompass every aspect of His character that He has disclosed to us. I believe that Jesus stands up in the midst (King James word ;-) of our gatherings and begins to declare the name of the Father that best describes what God wants to do. I have been in meetings where it was evident that God was there to heal. Based on this passage, I believe that Jesus was there singing out "Jehovah-Rophe" the God that heals. Take some time to reflect on the names of God and the character they reveal. Names like Jehovah-Rophe (healer), Jireh (provider), Tsidkenu (righteousness), Nissi (banner), Shalom (peace), M'Kadesh (sanctifier), Elohim (Lord God) and Rohi (Shepherd). The list could go on. Here's a great site to use for reflection on this: http://ldolphin.org/Names.html

Psalms 22:3 says that He is "entrhoned on the praises of Israel". Which literally means, He sets up His rule where He is praised. Jack Hayford said once that he felt it meant that God would "set up His kingdom rule in the way most appropriate to that situation."

The next time you're leading people in worship. Be listening for the song of Jesus to help you see what the Father's desire is for the people gathered in that place.