Song of My Heart

I have always loved the way that we romanticise music. We obsess over musicians, and crave noise. It makes the actions of the world flow more smoothly, otherwise we would never place soundtracks in movies. We believe that music speaks when words fail, and as Christians we believe that music is a way to directly praise and communicate with God. But this, this soul to soul connection we feel, of burning, and praising, and surrendering, is not merely music, but worship. It is praise.

I had one of my first full moments of surrender during worship at my first DNOW in sixth grade. I remember how excited I was to raise my hands during worship like all the older high schoolers did, and I remember in that moment thinking: this feels right. That's the thing that we fail to recognise about worship when we obsess over whether or not we are simply "good singers"; worship is a time to surrender. Because worship is not merely an instance of vocal prowess or a display of talent, but it is a heart condition. Psalm 63:1 says, "You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water" as a way to describe what it means to praise the Lord with your inner most being and Psalm 103:1 tells us to "Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name" in response to how we should live.

Praise is not a designated time at church- it is a state of being that our souls should long for in the same way we long for food, or water, or shelter.

I have had the privilege of being raised with a worship pastor as a father, who taught and led by the example that raw, pure worship is a wonderful and beautiful thing. But lately, it is becoming more and more apparent to me that "worship" doesn't look at all like what the world considers "worship" to be. When you ask a Christian what it means to have a time of worship, they envision tears streaming down one's face and people down on their knees. They see a big church, with a rocking band, and a "Jesus party" in their midst. And worship can be all those thing, but it can also four people alone in their home office with nothing but an acoustic guitar and willing hearts. Worship can be a bunch of teenagers at a camp, learning that it's okay to have upturned hands in praise because they are spiritual infants learning to walk. It doesn't negate the significance and the beauty of corporate worship, because that is a precious and wonderful thing that the Lord wants us to have, but it is so much more.

Worship and praising the Lord does not limit us with confines of what that should look like, but opens us up to the possibilities of praising and rejoices and being made to fully display the love we have for the Father at all times. It is a spiritual state of being, dependent on our hearts and the surrender that we purpose within them.

When praying over an idea for this week's blog post, I was listening to worship music and came across the song "Dancing on the Waves" by We the Kingdom.

In it, this song says: "I'm reaching out, yes I am. I'll chase you down, I dare you to believe how much, I love you now, oh don't be afraid, I am your strength, we'll be walking on the water, dancing on the waves. Can you see us dancing? I'll turn your sorrow into shouting, I'll turn your fear into faith, on the waves. Come on let's go, I set every star into place, so you would remember my name, I made it all for you! You are my masterpiece! You are the reason I sing! This is my song for you! Every star in the sky, I set every star into place, so you would remember my name, I made it all for you!"

I don't know about you, but that song excites me because it's true! The Lord was so intentional with His plan for you and the world, and there are little fragments of His name everywhere - like His own personal watermark for the beauty of life He created. The stars are placed to remind us of Him, He is evident in the big ways like calling us to walk on water and out of our comfort zones, and he turns our sorrow into shouting! That is something that I think is worthy of praise, but it is not a revelation that I am limited to within a church building or strictly with other people!

David was a great example of praising the Lord, because he told God, "I will become even more undignified than this if it means I am praising the Lord!" (2 Samuel 6:12-22). Regularly, David was making himself a fool in effort to praise the Lord, because God is the one and only god worthy of our praise, our attention, and our affection! He is what we get passionate about, and it is within this time of praise that we can find our purpose. It is passion with intentionality, because it is our souls communing with the Lord.

If you are in constant communication with someone, then it will be very clear where you stand with them, the intentions of your relationship, and how close you are. Our relationship with God is the same: if we are constantly seeking a heart and mindset that is aimed at praising God, then all the other issues in life fall away. We begin to see how each and every aspect of life is put into place so that we remember the name of Jesus, and not just remember, but praise Him for what He did for us on the cross.

The trends of music and the style of worship change with time. They always have and always will. The volume is always going to be too loud for some people, and the lights won't be bright enough, and the music will be too trendy or it will be too old, but that is not what our hearts are entered on. Because worship is about our spirits communing with the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, whose opinions is greater than any audience we will ever face.

Here's to performing for an audience of one...

-Emma

"Be fearless in pursuit of what sets your soul on fire."