The "Right" Worship Song

(As you read this, don’t over think it. I have some other blog posts that go into the depth of and talk about the deeper theology of worship. This is a starter to just reflect on, as I was today and just wrote down some thoughts)

I was thinking today about worship music. I was thinking about what worship music seems to tug at my heart the most toward God and seems to help me understand my role as a worshiper. The first song I was taken to was “Revelation Song”. Most of us know it. It is a song that comes right out of scripture. It is a song that comes right out of an experience being in the presence of God (before Gods throne in Heaven). It is a song calls us to sing songs that we will sing (or like them) for eternity.

All those pre cursers stand out to me for what is Worship:

1)   Right Out of Scripture (or very close paraphrasing)

2)   Comes out of an experience of being in the presence of God (as seen many time in scripture) or describes or takes us into an encounter with the Presence of God (John 4:23 – that word worship means to “encounter” or have a “moment of” worship.)

3)   It is calling us to sing the words we were created to sing (What we would sing before the fall of man and after Christ returns and we are again in the presence of God forever)

These are song that exalt God’s holiness, His worthiness, is beauty, is power, and Glory. Songs that echo the songs of heaven!

So much discussion is gone into what make something a “worship song” and what makes it not one. There is so much depth to this but today I am thinking simple. I am thinking worship is “recognizing God (the one we worship) is greater then myself (the worshiper)”. If the song does that, if the lyrics point us to that, if the melody drives us to that moment of truth, then the simple purpose of worship is complete. We have made God greater. We have worshiped the creator. We have done what we where created to do!

On a side note here is what I think worship is NOT based on this same simple approach and scripture. Worship songs are not:

1)   A sermon (it is not meant to preach to us the singer) –

2)   It is not prep for a sermon. (Worship is for God a sermon is for us, let us not confuse the two and rob God of what is for just him)

I am saddened many times how our churches and worship times our focused more on the words of a preacher making us feel good about God and ourselves more then they are actually about the worship of God. If you doubt me on this, do the math. How much time is devoted to just worshiping God with the language and values of worship we see declared in heaven and on earth verses how much is for us to hear stuff to make us “better” Christians? How much of what we call “worship” on Sunday is actually theologically backed as what the Bible calls “worship”?

Before you answer, I challenge each of us to really know what the Bible says about Worship and please do not misquote Romans 12 as you process this (The word is not translated correctly if you see “worship” in there). Start with John 4 and see were it leads. Go to Revelation and see what you see. Go to the Psalms and see what you find. What is the worship that “God seeks” (John 4:23) and how much do we actually do it as believers? How many of our songs and times are the “right worship” songs.