I was born again in 1978, just before my 27th birthday. In the church, it was a time of renewal, a time when songs that were based on Bible passages were being written by young and not so young composers and lyricists. Our Spirit-filled Methodist church embraced these new songs with joy and gladness and so my young Christian life was filled with this music.
My mother was also a member of a Methodist church, but one with a more traditional liturgy and music. She loved our church when she came to visit and enjoyed entering into praise and worship in a new way for her. I had a different attitude at the time.
For the first few years of my Christian walk, I avoided traditional liturgy and music. I had trouble about not having an attitude of worship, feeling that it just wasn’t the same as I was experiencing. But the problem wasn’t the traditional hymns, the problem was me. At that time, I remember God was teaching me about worship. He taught me that He was worthy of worship no matter how I felt about my life circumstances or the style of worship in the church. I had to learn that worship was about who He was, not how I felt. I confess it was hard for me; I preferred up-tempo contemporary songs over what seemed to be the dreariness of hymns. When I attended an event at a more traditional church, I would dread the music. Then God led me to actually read the songs.
I discovered most were based in Scripture; I had never seen it before. As I read the words in a Methodist hymnal, the phrases from God’s word leapt off the page and were quickened by the Holy Spirit to me. Just because they were not the style where I was born again did not mean they were not full of His praise and worship. I remember clearly hearing that God was worthy of worship and I needed to decide to worship Him in Spirit and in truth no matter the style of song or leadership. The truth of the following verses was then manifested in my life:
Ps 40:3 And He has put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many shall see and fear (revere and worship) and put their trust {and} confident reliance in the Lord. AMP
Ps 96:4 For great is the Lord and greatly to be praised; He is to be reverently feared {and} worshiped above all [so-called] gods. AMP
I realized that by choosing to enter into worship, not because I felt like it but because He was worthy of my praise, I would demonstrate to others that He was faithful in all circumstances. I also discovered that my feelings and soul would follow my spirit’s lead. I also realized that my preferences for a style of worship were purely selfish and self-centered; what makes me feel good is not a recipe for every circumstance. Indeed, being stretched to worship no matter the style has grown me into a believer who is able to take an attitude of worship into any circumstance, no matter the opposition or setting. While I may initially enjoy some worship styles more than others, now I am able to choose to worship no matter who is leading or how they lead.
In my church right now, there is a refreshing occurring. The younger worship team has been writing songs and those songs reflect the style of their generation. I have found again that I have a choice to make: Will I choose to enter into worship or will I shrink back? This weekend was a good example. Our youth and young adult team led praise and worship. The exhilaration of youth prevailed including one song with several very large white beach balls being tossed into the congregation and batted up and around throughout. It reminded me of the incense that was burnt on the altar in the Holy Place in the Old Testament; people kept sending up the balls, giving others the opportunity to do the same, as if they were sending glory back to God, the glory He had sent.
It certainly wasn’t the style of hymns, or the contemporary worship of more than 30 years ago, and definitely not the deep quiet worship of the 80s. But it was worship of the living God and I chose to delight in Him in a new way.
Is God stretching you to worship Him in Spirit and in truth?
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