Once in a while in a worship
service I have the thought, “Why am I singing this song? It’s the opposite of
what I feel right now.” One song that I often have a hard time singing is “He
Has Made Me Glad.” I realize that feelings aren’t everything and that there are
many reasons to have joy in Christ even when we don’t feel glad, but you have
to admit that many songs draw on emotional imagery and ideas to convey their
message. So I may end up feeling like a hypocrite for singing words that don’t
describe me at that particular time. (I’m assuming that the selected songs have
correct theology.) I think there are several truths to consider.
1) Worship is commanded.
“Worship the Lord in the
splendor of holiness; tremble before Him, all the earth!” (Psalm 96:9 ESV).
“Sing praises to the Lord, O you His saints, and give thanks to His holy name”
(Psalm 30:4). “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice”
(Philippians 4:4).
The biblical authors never
said, “Worship if you feel like it.” However, it should be noted that worship
is ascribing worth to God, which means recognizing and communicating what is
true about God. It is not necessarily an emotional display or an expression of
how we might feel at a given moment. Worship is about God, not us.
2) It’s not always
appropriate to sing.
“By the waters of Babylon,
there we sat down and wept, when we remembered Zion… How shall we sing the
Lord’s song in a foreign land?” (Psalm 137:1, 4).
In the context of this verse,
weeping was more an act of worship than singing would have been. The Israelites
remembered the Promised Land, and no doubt they also remembered their own sins
that brought them into captivity in Babylon.
3) Worship is more than
singing.
“…When you come together, each
one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all
things be done for building up” (1 Corinthians 14:26). “…present your bodies as
a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual
worship” (Romans 12:1).
Worship can take many different
forms, and I think churches obscure the truth when they label the musical
portion of a service as “worship” and they have “worship teams” whose duty is
to lead the music. Prayer, giving, and receiving biblical teaching are all
elements of worship.
4) We impact one another.
“…not neglecting to meet
together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the
more as you see the Day drawing near” (Hebrews 10:25). “…addressing one another
in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord
with your heart” (Ephesians 5:19).
As we gather together, some
people are joyful, some are sorrowful, some may be eager to sing, others may
yearn for prayer. We are to “bear one another’s burdens” (Galatians 6:2) and
“rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep” (Romans 12:15). At times
that may take the form of singing words that reflect the experiences of someone
else in order to remind all of us who God is and why we can find peace and joy
in Him.
I have a bit of a problem with
the statement from Kierkegaard that “God is the audience.” I understand that it
is a necessary corrective of the idea that the congregation is the audience.
However, I think it can lead people to think that worship is an act that we
have to perform for God’s benefit. The fact is that God does not need our worship,
though He deserves it, and we don’t have to invite Him to come to the
performance. And as the above Scriptures say, we are called to gather in
corporate worship for the mutual benefit that it brings to all of us. God
should be the focus of all worship, because He alone is worthy, but as His Body
we need one another as well. We need the frequent reminders of truths that are
best communicated through worshiping together.
So it may often be that we sing
songs that are theologically true even though they may not feel true on a
particular day. Hopefully those who are selecting music and Scripture readings
are considerate of the wide variety of experiences and emotions that are
represented in a congregation from week to week. The psalmists certainly acknowledged
both the ups and downs of life, and we should do the same. God is present in
the valleys as well as on the mountains, and so we can worship Him wherever we
may be in life.
“The hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will
worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people
to worship Him” (John 4:23).
© 2017 Dawn Rutan. Unless otherwise indicated all images are copyright
free from pixabay.com.
