A recent turn of events got me questioning why I sing.
Today, I attended a choir concert that a friend of mine was performing in. They performed a setlist of carols and other songs. One of the songs included this phrase: I sing because I’m happy; I sing because I’m free.
In our church worship band, we used to have a segment where we shared with each other the reasons why we sang. This is an act that sadly no longer happens. I miss it. It was a wonderful and interesting segment. I remember talking at one of these segments, but I have since forgotten the words I said. 3 and a bit years has passed. The church has changed. Things we used to do have been forgotten in favour of new things.
Recent circumstances have got me questioning whether or not I should stay in the worship band. I love to lead worship; I love to sing praise to God. I love to dance in His presence. I love to rest in God’s presence. But I don’t love being told that I should quiet down when I’m worshipping because I’m going for it too much. I don’t love being hindered, or used. Therein lies the dialemma. My love of God is greater than my dislike for limitations. Thus, I presently remain in the worship band.
Earlier on today, I was listening to Freedom Song by Jason Mraz. It’s pre-chorus goes: I feel good; and when I feel good I sing; and the joy it brings makes me feel good. This is true for me when I worship God. Worshipping God makes me feel good and it makes me want to worship God more.
When I was 7 years old, I was in church. I’d grown up in church all my life. At 7, I found myself listening to a sermon, delivered by my Grandfather. That sermon really spoke to me. Correction, God really spoke to me through that sermon. I simply had to do something about it. So that night, as a young boy, I gave my life to Christ on my Grandfather’s knee. And so my spiritual journey began. This is the greatest journey I have ever been on. At school, I tried to live for God the best I could. Where others hid, I stood up for my faith. Where tough spots arose, Jesus guided me through. At the age of 14, I was baptised at a church that I would later attend regularly. In front of strangers and my family and everyone else, I publicly showed that I was prepared to follow Christ. The next year, I would be baptised in the Holy Spirit. And from there onwards, I’ve been trying to live for Jesus. He shapes my life; He shapes my career and where I go, who I meet and who I have the pleasure of spending time with. He gives me opportunities to tell others about Him. He is always there for me when I need Him, or when I just want to chat. He welcomes me with open arms, despite the guy i’ve been.
Y’see, about 2011 years ago, Jesus sacrificed Himself. He could’ve stayed in heaven, but He chose to come to earth and be born as a baby. He was born in a stable – the King of Kings and Lord of Lords lying in a manger. Jesus grew up and performed many miracles. He taught about many things. He got rid of the old sacrificial system of coming to God by sacrificing Himself. (Y’see, we disobeyed God, who made us and wants to be in relationship with us. We’ve been downright nasty and rude to Him, but He still loves us anyway.) Jesus died for all of us so that we could become closer to God. Then He conquered death. He sent the Holy Spirit to live within us and He promises to take us home at the end of the world, to live with Him for all eternity. We just have to repent and put our faith in Him.
I guess thats why I sing. I sing because my redeemer lives. I sing because Jesus loves me and because I love Him. I sing because thinking about the goodness of God stirs up song within me and I can’t help myself. I sing because I am loved. I sing because I’m happy; I sing because I’m free from sin.
2 weeks to Christmas. Captain America gave me a chocolate present. The calendar, that is…
Earlier on this week I was at worship band practice. This is not out of the norm for me. There I was, and donning a top hat (because, quite frankly, why not?) giving THE LORD some praise! We ran through the sunday setlist.
We also practiced some carols with a choir of volunteers. It seemed a smaller choir than last year, but they were still willing to sing it out. It was a fairly good practice.
After the choir had practised with us, we took a short break. A young gentleman approached me and told me that my dancing in worship really blessed him. I found this heartily encouraging. I do it for God, but sometimes I am very aware of the eyes of the congregation looking at me and it puts me off a little. That encouragement got me back to body popping; I roboted in worship this morning to hillsong’s you deserve.
I love to worship. I see singing and writing and playing music as a release for me. Whether its singing with the gospel choir or playing the baritone, music helps me relax.
This evening, I was jamming on my guitar. I had written a piece of music earlier this week in a bit of spare time. The lyrics I had didn’t really fit the tune and the overall composition sounded like it needed an extra something. Tonight, I picked up my guitar and played a chord sequence from that piece of music. Then I just played with the notes. What started off rocky became a sort of country/ rock tune and I got this really nice solo lined up. It had fast movements, tap strumming, the bending of notes – it was pretty good. Well, I thought it was pretty good; I’m not particularly skilled at making guitar solos. I should’ve recorded it. It was my first solo to span all the strings – it was a milestone of sorts.
I’m looking forward to the holidays, when I can relax a bit more with my music and my guitar. I thank God for music.
The chord of the week is a classic Em.
The chord progression of the month is also a classic – G D Em C.
Hey there! Since I had a mega early start today and now i’m incredibly tired i’m going to do a short, but christianity themed post. I want to plug a few websites that deserve a good plugging!
Do you love manga? How about the King James Version of the bible? If you answered yes to one or both of these, why not download Siku’s KJV Manga bible for free off Biblefresh (THATS RIGHT ITS FREE!!!) Also, if you want it as a book it will be available on amazon later! Interested? Click this link!
Are you a worship leader? Do you enjoy worshipping God? Need some inspiration or perhaps some fresh music to sing/ play? Check out worship central. Its like the toolkit for anyone who wants to worship God. Or something like that. Anywho, check it out!
ONE HERE ON WORDPRESS! Thats right! Congratulations, its a blog! If you would like a daily reading plan for the bible and some commentary (and also video commentary), be like me and do the Bible In One Year.
Oh yeah, to do point 4, you might as well use an online bible. There are many translations available, and its free! LINKETY LINK LINK
Oh yeah, and heres a bonus for you. A track from OWL CITY!!
If I’m more awake tomorrow, I’ll get back to the usual post style! These links might be hyper, but i’m flippin’ tired!
So, i’ve been playing a lot of Zelda: Skyward Sword lately (if you have a wii and haven’t got it, I highly recommend it!). The zelda games are some of my favourites of all time. I like the music of them too. My edition of Skyward Sword came with an orchestral zelda CD. The CD has some brass music and some strings and vocals, and some harp and xylophoney things too. The great fairy’s fountain theme is particularly harp-themed. I was listening to this track and thinking of the way that just hearing the music takes you back to those moments in the various games when you visit the fairy fountains. I was also thinking of how fitting the music was, and how iconic it has become over the years (it even appears in the film Scott Pilgrim vs. the world, and was quoted by director Edgar Wright as being ‘the lullaby of a generation’). I am of the Nintendo generation. I find the music iconic.
And then I thought about reality for a minute. What will the music in heaven be like? I pondered upon this thought. I wondered about the layout of heaven and whether or not different music appears in different scenarios. Like, are there orchestral movements that change as you move around? I guess I won’t know until i’m there. And when you’re closest to the throne of God, what will it be like? Will there be silence as you find yourself in awe of The Almighty One? Will it be soothing harp music? Will there be triumphant and somehow patriotic brass music stirring up your soul? Or will it be something else entirely?
I asked some people at church what they thought. One guy did not take me seriously at all and suggested that God should ‘dubstep it’. I do not feel that this will be what happens. But then again, I’m not God. I will be very surprised if I hear dubstep in heaven.
Because, lets face it, all dubstep is the same! It is though, isnt it? Yes it is. Don’t believe me? Try this formula.
Song example to be dubstepped: Video Killed the Radio Star by The Buggles
I heard you on my wireless back in fifty two two two two two two two two
twotwo twotwo twotwo twotwo
twotwotwotwotwotwotwotwo
tttttttttttttttt
WUB WUB WUB WUB WUB
WUUUUUUUUUUUUUUB
WUB WUB WUB
WUUUUUUUUUUUUB
And so on and so forth. Add sounds in the background that sounds like someone constructing the entire Ikea catalogue.
So yeah, anyway I guess I’ll only find out what the music is like in heaven when I get there.
HOWEVER, even though I do not know what heaven will physically sound like, I do know some of the lyrics! Lets have a gander (I will reference a few):
Revelation 4
New International Version (NIV)
6 Also in front of the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal.
In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. 7 The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. 8 Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying:
9 Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say:
11 “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”
Revelation 5
The Scroll and the Lamb
9And they sang a new song, saying:
“You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation. 10 You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign[b] on the earth.”
11 Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. 12 In a loud voice they were saying:
“Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!”
13 Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying:
“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!”
14 The four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped.
Revelation 7
New International Version (NIV)
10 And they cried out in a loud voice:
“Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.”
11 All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying:
“Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!”
I think its great that we know the lyrics to the songs of heaven! We can adapt these lyrics to a tune and sing alongside them! I think theres something beautiful about worshipping God with the songs of the angels and the 4 living creatures; I think its wonderful that we can echo the praises of heaven on earth.
One day i’ll find out the answer to my question about the music of heaven and it will be awesome. But until then, i’d just like to say Holy Holy Holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!
Today, I attended worship band practice. It was fairly straight forward. We practiced some carols and moved onto the Sunday morning setlist.
One of the other worship leaders suggested that we learn a new song and intro it on Sunday morning. This did not happen, so as a team we were discussing what songs we should sing. It was interesting to hear what people engage with. One of the worship leaders said that she found the first verse of Hillsong’s ‘you hold me now’ hard to engage with. For me, that song has powerful lyrics that stir up your spirit. For me, it also has a deep sentimental attachment. You see, when my grandfather died last year, this was one of the songs he worshipped along to a lot near the end. The first verse speaks of heaven – and for him it was so true. In the last weeks of his life, he was so in tune with the Holy Spirit – he was truly a man on fire for God. He looked forward to his reward in heaven, which he went on to see.
The song reminds me of how, even in the face of death and all his friends, we can burn brightly for God. It reminds me that there will be no more pain or suffering in heaven; no weeping, no hurt, no sickness… no cancer, no heart disease, no diabetes… It will be perfect. And I think of my grandfather, who in spite of his fatal condition, praised God and proclaimed His word to the very end of his days on earth. I thank God for my grandfather. I sometimes think of him just hanging out with God. I think of how wonderful it must be for him resting in God’s presence right now.
I see the sickness and the hurt in the world, and I know that he has gone to a better place. And I know that through Jesus’s unfailing love, I will be hanging out with God in heaven one day too.
Sorry, I digressed a little there.
Erm… For me, personally, I find songs like Hillsong’s ‘you deserve’ hard to engage with. I think the lyrics are great – maybe its just the key that we sing it in that is hard. Its so high… But, regardless, I sing it out. After all, its not for me or about me – its all for my Audience of One.
Also at worship band practice, a few of us were discussing what God had talked to us about in the week. 3 of us had received similar things from God about being still and relaxing in His presence; but not just this – also, going back to the heart of worship – stripping back the layers of sound and instruments and just praising God intimately with the overflow of your forgiven soul. Joining with the angels in song, and hearing the heavens roar.
You see, the heart of worship is intimacy with God. Thankfulness for what Jesus did on the cross for us. Unending joy in the Holy Spirit. Just, letting God know how much you love Him.
I think sometimes about how undeserving I am of His love. If I was God (which, thank goodness I’m not!), I’m not sure I’d have died to save someone like me. But you see, I’m not God. God is God. Jesus is God. The Holy Spirit is God. And together, they are the Holy Trinity. And they love me so much. Even though I frequently mess it up, God loves me. Jesus died to save me from my sins so that I might get to know Him better – so that my eyes would be opened to the awesomeness of God. The Holy Spirit dwells within me, and gives me all that I need to make it through each day. I do not deserve any of this, but by the grace of God, I have been given it as a gift. For this, I am eternally thankful. Jesus came and He died for us. And after 3 days, He conquered death and rose again. DEATH. HAS. NO. HOLD. ON. US!!!! AMAZING!
Lately, in my bible in one year passages, I’ve been reading the christmas story in the book of Luke. I read it and I think back to the birth of Jesus. Jesus being God, He came to earth as a baby. He had to live like us; In school and the temple, He had to learn about Himself from the scriptures and prophecies. He was sinless in a corrupt world. He gave His all for us.
Listen to this song. It is amazing. It makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.
Its basically the life story of Jesus (whilst He was on earth) in about 5 minutes:
But before He did any of that, He had to be born on earth.
Luke 2
New International Version (NIV)
Luke 2
The Birth of Jesus
1 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while[a] Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to their own town to register.4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.
8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
21 On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived.
The King of the universe; The God who saves; Emmanuel… He was born in a stable and spent His first night on earth in a manger. Even from birth, this world rejected Him. And yet He still loved and loves us. The only anointed one – the Messiah is born unto us! The saviour of the world is lying in a stable.
Meanwhile, some shepherds are watching their sheep. It was probably a pretty normal day of shepherding. A baa here and a baa there, and so on! Suddenly, an angel appears and the glory of the Lord shines around them. Note here that the shepherds are terrified, but there is nothing to say that the sheep are scared! It’s like I pointed out here, I think that the animals know who God is!
The angel tells them not to be afraid. And then the angel gives some great news.
“Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
The saviour of the world has just been born! And the first people that are told are shepherds. Did you ever think about this? I know that Jesus is described as the good shepherd to His sheep (the church), but I think there is also another significant point to be made here – shepherds were not one of the highest members of society. They were common and of low status. They were also in Jesus’ heritage. On earth, He was a descendant of the line of King David (the one who wrote a lot of psalms). Before David became King, he was a shepherd! I think its interesting, but not at all coincidental that the first people to visit Jesus are common people, who are also in His bloodline. Jesus did not just come for the rich and well off people – He came for EVERYONE. And I mean EVERYONE!
The shepherds nip off to see Jesus. When they do, they go and spread the word – the long awaited Messiah has been born! They can’t contain themselves. They erupt with praise and they worship God.
The news was so brilliant for the shepherds that they could not keep it to themselves.
The news remains the same today. Jesus came to earth to die for you and me, and everyone who ever was, is and ever will be. He died to take away our sins. He conquered death. He tore down the walls that separated us and God. He wants to know you. Before you were even born, He set you apart. He loves you.
I’ve just told you this news. How will you respond?
Today was a windy day. The fierce gusts lashed my car and pushed it around. Swirls of browning leaves flew across the road as I concentrated on keeping control of the car. The harsh winds howled. Regardless, I worshipped to some Tim Hughes and Soul Survivor. Why? Because my God is greater than the harshest storm and He is more powerful than anything this world throws at me. My God is greater; My God is over all. He can calm a storm with just His voice! I didn’t need to worry about a bit of wind- I have the King of the universe by my side!
Check this song out! This was one that I was worshipping along to!
Tonight was a momentous occasion; It was the first time I’d ever sang in the CU worship band. You’d have thought I’d be more nervous about this, but no! I was fairly confident! (see why: BOOM!). The only drawback to this was my mouth/throat. Y’see, Its been troubling me for a few days now. Apparently, I have an infection or something. The word ‘tonsillitus’ was used in passing when talking about symptoms… I may or may not have this D: !! Regardless, I was able to worship in spite of the discomfort.
The thing about my mouth/throat though, was that it took my focus out briefly. (Also, for some reason I felt really tired after singing too… I felt so tired that I had to leave straight after; I thought that if I left it any longer I wouldn’t have been able to drive home safely.) Usually, before I sing in a time of worship, I like to pray it through. I pray to see a glimpse of heaven touching earth. I pray that I would burn brightly for God. I pray that God, by His power, would touch people’s hearts through the time of worship. But not today. Today, I was downing a bottle of water.
It came to the time and I went up to sing. It was different to leading in church – for one it was just me and 2 singer/guitarists. Theres something nice about cutting back the sound/distortion/FX pedals/ drums/ electric in a time of worship. It creates a sort of intimate atmosphere. I feel this was achieved tonight. As a result of this atmosphere, there were no fold-back speakers, so you couldn’t just hear the musicians. We did a 3 song list; 2 songs before the sermon, 1 song after. And God granted me the desire of my heart.
Things I have usually prayed through many times before worship sessions happened tonight. I glimpsed the glory of the Lord. I heard the sound of heaven touching earth. I heard the people worshipping alongside me. I don’t often get to hear this as there are usually drums and electric guitars behind me, but tonight I heard it. I saw the people giving their all in worship. I heard the sweet sound of God’s children bringing Him praise. It was wonderful. Oh, to bask in that moment – it is like being in the heart of worship! God’s children intimately singing praise to their loving Father in Heaven. Heaven roars God’s praise; His children echo the roar. It was such a blessing to be part of this experience. It was a holy moment. There are times for selah moments – but there are also times to hear the heavens roar. And even if the roar is soft, there is a time to hear it! For a second there, It was like we weren’t on earth! It was like we were just resting in His company and serenading the Lord with song. And. it. was. lovely.
That said, here’s a psalm to ponder on! Or at least part of a psalm!
Psalm 33
New International Version (NIV)
Psalm 33
1 Sing joyfully to the LORD, you righteous;
it is fitting for the upright to praise him. 2 Praise the LORD with the harp;
make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre. 3 Sing to him a new song;
play skillfully, and shout for joy.4 For the word of the LORD is right and true;
he is faithful in all he does. 5 The LORD loves righteousness and justice;
the earth is full of his unfailing love.
6 By the word of the LORD the heavens were made,
their starry host by the breath of his mouth. 7 He gathers the waters of the sea into jars[a];
he puts the deep into storehouses. 8 Let all the earth fear the LORD;
let all the people of the world revere him. 9 For he spoke, and it came to be;
he commanded, and it stood firm.
Praise the Lord! God is worthy of praise! He made EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE and yet He still meets with me! He still has time for lil’ old me!
Even when my I’m not 100%, or when the distractions of this world grab my attention, God always re-aligns my heart! And when I bring God praise, He meets me powerfully. He never ceases to amaze me! He always welcomes me with arms open wide! And I love it. And I love Him.
Our God is coming, you can hear the heavens roar!; hold on, get ready for the glory of the Lord!
God can speak to you through anything. God can use anything.
…
I think its a pretty well known fact that I like Marvel Comics. (And DC and Shonen Jump, amongst others.) I Like the graphic novels, the films, the clothing – you name it! My work bag is even a marvel bag! One of my favourite marvel characters is Iron Man. I always liked how intelligent and outspoken he was; how much confidence he had. And also the whole metal flight suit thing is pretty darn cool! So yeah, I like iron man. (There is a point to this; i’m CONTEXTUALISING!)
…
Last weekend, as I mentioned in an earlier post, I was at a soul survivor naturally supernatural conference. It was awesome! I hung out with God! At one point in the evening session, the leader of the session (Mike Pilavachi) felt that, in the Holy Spirit, all the people in the room under a certain age needed to be prayed for. Naturally, I stood up and went for prayer.I’m a bit of an introvert, so the concept of standing up in front of a lot of people scared me a bit. Its an issue i’ve been needing to deal with for a while. But standing up and going out for prayer was the right thing to do. I could feel it in my soul. Two guys ended up praying for me. The first guy prayed some really nice things and it was really encouraging. But its the second guy that I want to focus on.
As he was praying for me, he was getting things from the Holy Spirit; like, by this I mean the Holy Spirit was giving me spiritual gifts/ doing things spiritually for me as he was praying for me. That night, as the man was praying for me, he suddenly got from the Holy Spirit that God was going to build up my confidence; that I would no longer rely on my own strength, but that I would rest in His divine power. And then the guy said something peculiar. (I had my eyes closed at this point and was in the generic ‘receiving’ pose). He said that he was getting the word for me that I would become more confident. And then he said, it would be like an iron man. Which he then quickly corrected from an iron man to iron man. At this point I opened my eyes. Never in my whole life has God spoke to me through iron man! Then the guy asked me if this meant anything to me. Being the big comics fan I was like yeah it does. I was slightly confused though. I don’t know why! God made me – He knows I like iron man too! He knows how I admired the confidence of iron man/ Tony Stark. The guy looked a bit confused too. I don’t think it meant anything at all to him. So I closed my eyes again and the guy continued to pray for me. Then as he was praying, he got a word from the Holy Spirit that God was going to bestow upon me the confidence of iron man and it would be like a physical iron strengthening of my bones! Although I was still a bit confused, I was excited by this! It was from God and through His holy power – I’m all up for that! And as the guy prayed for me, I did feel the Holy Spirit do something to me. Some of my bones did physically shake at the time too! It was great!
Since then, I’ve already seen a change in myself. In leading worship on Sunday morning, I went all out in worship. Apparently I moonwalked. That hasn’t ever happened in church before.
In seminars and things, I’ve felt more open to speaking up.
In evangelism, I’ve felt prompted and just gone with it.
In meeting new people, I’ve just had the drive to go for it.
In prayer, I’ve felt the need to pray for certain people about certain things. I’ve been moved to tears in prayer. I’m becoming more sensitive to the Holy Spirit and i’m loving it.
I have the confidence of iron man, but it is through the power of God! And God’s strength beats iron man’s any day!
…
I was reading my bible earlier tonight and a psalm caught my eye:
A psalm. A song. For the dedication of the temple.[b] Of David.1 I will exalt you, LORD,
for you lifted me out of the depths
and did not let my enemies gloat over me. 2 LORD my God, I called to you for help,
and you healed me. 3 You, LORD, brought me up from the realm of the dead;
you spared me from going down to the pit.
4 Sing the praises of the LORD, you his faithful people;
praise his holy name. 5 For his anger lasts only a moment,
but his favor lasts a lifetime;
weeping may stay for the night,
but rejoicing comes in the morning.
6 When I felt secure, I said,
“I will never be shaken.” 7 LORD, when you favored me,
you made my royal mountain[c] stand firm;
but when you hid your face,
I was dismayed.
8 To you, LORD, I called;
to the Lord I cried for mercy: 9 “What is gained if I am silenced,
if I go down to the pit?
Will the dust praise you?
Will it proclaim your faithfulness? 10 Hear, LORD, and be merciful to me;
LORD, be my help.”
11 You turned my wailing into dancing;
you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, 12 that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent.
LORD my God, I will praise you forever.
Some verses in particular spoke to me. I will print them together:
2 LORD my God, I called to you for help, and you healed me.
4 Sing the praises of the LORD, you his faithful people; praise his holy name.
6 When I felt secure, I said, “I will never be shaken.”
9 “What is gained if I am silenced, if I go down to the pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it proclaim your faithfulness? 10 Hear, LORD, and be merciful to me; LORD, be my help.”
12 that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent. LORD my God, I will praise you forever.
God took my problems and my insecurities and placed them in His hands. And He gave me confidence. But If I do not use it, then what good am I? No good, thats what! So, I’m going to make use of my new God-given confidence and live out His will. My heart will sing His praises and not be silent.
He lifts me up when I am insecure. He gives me the confidence of iron man when I need it most. He gives me exactly what I need to keep moving forward. O LORD my God, I will praise You forever!
Today, I went to the Soul Survivor Naturally Supernatural conference in Salford! Above is the wristband! And God met powerfully with me. He filled me up with His Holy Spirit. We sorted some things out. We hung out together, and He built me up! But thats not the main focus of my blog today. No no no. My focus today is worship and also treasure hunting.
Worship
Worship runs through everything we do. Worship is central to our lives. With every breath we draw, we even breathe in and out the hebrew for God’s name.
Today I heard a brilliant talk from Mike Pilavachi, which I just have to share with you. He was talking about worship in relation to moving in the power of the Holy Spirit. (If you do not know what this is, it basically means that you humble yourself before God and ask Him to do what He wants through you. This can involve things like AoKs [acts of kindness], healing others, encouragements, prophetic words and much much more). Mike made a few brilliant points. I will try and remember them/ write them down. One of them was this: “worship is the greatest weapon in spiritual warfare; it is what brings heaven closer to earth”. Wow! Love it! So true!
Some people see worship as a couple of songs before a meeting in church. Others see it as a warm up act for a sermon. HOW WRONG THESE PEOPLE ARE!!! Their eyes are blind to what worship truly is. If you are one of these people reading this, I pray your eyes would be opened to the truth about worship. Although worship does involve music, it is not solely about songs. It can include poems and drama and dance, amongst other things. BUT it does not stop there. Worship is wired into us – and we can worship God with EVERY part of our lives. From washing up the dishes to being faithful to those you love to being nice to people at work to cleaning out the cat’s litter tray. Like I said, we can worship God with EVERYTHING we do. Its a choice we have. Worship is not a warm up act – it is the main event! It happens continuously. And it will do far into the future.
I’d like you to think towards the end times. If you haven’t already, read the book of Revelation. It will tell you about whats going to happen in the future, and its all true. So, assuming you’ve read that (SPOILER ALERT: GOD WINS AND REIGNS FOREVER!), think to the creation of the new heavens and the new earth. The perfect ones. I don’t know if it will be like the earth now – I don’t know if we’ll drive cars, have jobs, study hard, go on holiday and whatnot – I can’t tell you this. But one thing I do know – we (those who believe in God and who believe Jesus died to take away their sins) will spend an eternity in God’s presence. And it will be a thick and strong presence, like being honey-glazed with God’s spirit. I think its safe to say, we’ll spend most, if not all of our time worshipping Him. Because He is worthy to be praised. I love the King and the King loves me. And in those days, there will be no evil; there will be no pain or suffering; there will be nothing to tear us down – it will just be us and God and Jesus and the Holy Spirit spending eternity together. Its going to be wonderful!
To summarise we worship God with what we do now, and we will worship Him in the future! Every knee will bow to Him and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord. SO yeah, not just the christians, EVERYONE will end up worshipping Him. Everyone! That includes you too! Even people who are atheists will worship Him. Those who slander His name in this life will worship Him. EVERYONE WILL WORSHIP HIM! Got it? good!
But why wait until then? There is always a reason to give God praise! Why not take a moment to worship God right now?
So, as we worship Him in this life, God can do amazing things; draw close to God and funnily enough He draws closer to you. Psalm 22:3 says that God inhabits the praises of His people. What does this mean exactly? It means that God is never far away from us; He is even closer when we bring Him praise. And when we ask Him, He can work through us. Like, sometimes in a worship session, you might get the need to pray for someone or go and talk to them – and through that, God can heal someone and really break into their situations; like, if they’re in need of something, God can give it to them! Or it may be something that you personally need – physical or emotional healing or something else. When we worship God, we focus on Him. We place our worries and our pains in His hands, we lay them at His cross. And as we keep our eyes on Him, He can do wonderful things for us. We just have to put our faith in Him. The anointed one; the Messiah; Jesus Christ! There is tremendous power in His name! Sometimes, even as we focus in on God, the Holy Spirit can sneak round the back as it were and heal us/ build us up/ give us exactly what we need! Hallelujah!
Interlude: Psalm 24
Psalm 24
New International Version (NIV)
Psalm 24
Of David. A psalm.1 The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it; 2 for he founded it on the seas
and established it on the waters.
3 Who may ascend the mountain of the LORD?
Who may stand in his holy place? 4 The one who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not trust in an idol
or swear by a false god.[a]
5 They will receive blessing from the LORD
and vindication from God their Savior. 6 Such is the generation of those who seek him,
who seek your face, God of Jacob.[b][c]
7 Lift up your heads, you gates;
be lifted up, you ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in. 8 Who is this King of glory?
The LORD strong and mighty,
the LORD mighty in battle. 9 Lift up your heads, you gates;
lift them up, you ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in. 10 Who is he, this King of glory?
The LORD Almighty—
he is the King of glory.
Selah. Pause and reflect on what you have just read.
…
Now give God the Glory!
Practical application: Treasure Hunting
Now, I know what you’re thinking and no I haven’t lost my mind. There is a link between God and treasure hunting, but it isn’t for conventional treasure. Its not like something from Pirates of the Caribbean or anything like that. We are not looking for gold or relics – we search for people!
I was alerted to the concept of treasure hunting today, and I think it is something I am going to start doing. It is a practical application of a) worshipping God, b) being sensitive to the Holy Spirit, c) living out the great commission and d) being naturally supernatural. In short, its all good stuff. And if you mess up, its OK – just keep trying and keep listening to God’s voice. Ask Him to speak to you. He will! Besides, there are many occasions in the bible where people that God had chosen to do things messed up (one example of this is samson, who neglected his God-given strength because of a woman, and then ended up losing it along with his eyesight.) Here are some practical steps on how to treasure hunt.
If you haven’t been baptised in the Holy Spirit already, then make sure you do this. Being baptised in the Holy Spirit is inviting God to work through you/ to minister to people through you and do what He wants. Oh, and there are many cool things that come with being baptised in the Holy Spirit, i.e. the gifts of healing and prophecy, amongst others. The first time people were ever baptised in the Spirit was called Pentecost, and you can read about it here.
Invite the Holy Spirit to work through you, to talk to you, and to give you words of knowledge about someone, or ask the Holy Spirit to guide you to someone who needs His help. Perhaps you could ask Him to guide you to someone who needs prayer or healing, or to someone who needs to know the unfathomable love of Jesus. Ask for certain details about the person so that you can find them. The Holy Spirit can reveal them to you. This can be physical features, locations, names, clothing – whatever! Just ask Him to reveal these things to you.
Write them down so that you don’t forget. Then, search for the person that you have asked the Holy Spirit about.
When you find the person, tell them what you’re doing and ask them if you can pray for them (or at the least tell them about Jesus). If you have a word of knowledge for them, share it. If the Holy Spirit tells you that they need prayer or healing, do it by His power! If the person asks for prayer for something, then pray it through with them. Spread Jesus’ love to people. You’d be amazed at the results. And don’t worry if you mess up or get it wrong – we all get it wrong sometimes! Just keep trying and asking the Holy Spirit for guidance.
Repeat as necessary.
Thank you God for hanging out with me today. I pray that Your will would be done in my life. I know my days are gifts from You, and I pray I’d use them as You want me to.
Earlier on this evening, I went to worship band practice. Having missed it for 2 weeks due to my illness, I was really missing being there and I really wanted to sing and worship God. I love to proclaim God’s praise loudly and I also love the house where His glory dwells. I crave it.
So, I set off to go there, I was coughing a bit. When I got to practice, I found that we had a good setlist for sunday morning, but a lot of songs that are high (sometimes too high for men to sing, especially with a hurting tongue/ throat/ ear situation). But I desperately wanted to worship God with the rest of the band. I pulled it together and sang the best I could! That is, until my throat went raw and started really hurting. Its still hurting now. I wasn’t able to hit the notes I could usually hit. My voice was weaker. I had to cough mid-phrase. Despite this, I’m glad I went and sang praises to God. Because in the end, He sees and hears it all, knowing the intentions of our hearts. Even though it may not have been the sweetest sound i’ve ever made, God accepts it!
I am reminded of a song that is on my iPod; It is called hallelujah and it is by Leonard Cohen. It is on the Watchmen soundtrack. A certain verse spoke to me:
I did my best, it wasn’t much
I couldn’t feel, so I tried to touch
I’ve told the truth, I didn’t come to fool you
And even though it all went wrong
I’ll stand before the Lord of Song
With nothing on my tongue but Hallelujah
I tried my best to worship God. And perhaps it was alright. But perhaps it went wrong. Whatever the circumstance or whatever it may feel like at the time, I will always try to stand before my Lord in song and worship Him. Every cloud has a silver lining; theres always something we can praise Him for! For me personally, it was that I could sing again. That I could be in fellowship with the worship band. That although my voice didn’t feel like it could hold, it did. And for this, today I am thankful! Its an improvement on yesterday!
Hallelujah! I will praise the Lord for He has been good to me!
Clothing Percussion - The inexpensive drumkit (depending on where you get your clothes)
For the most part of a week, I have been stricken by a despicably nasty illness and so have felt like a bit of a lemon. I had to miss the worship training day (which i’d been looking forward to for weeks ) and I had to miss some other events too. On the subject of lemons, i’ve found Lemsip to be a good aid at a time like this. And catarrh pastilles.
Due to this illness, i’ve found myself to be of limited vocal capacity. This saddens me, because I love to sing. Moreover, I love to praise God through my singing. Its sort of a release for me. So, having been at a bit of a lyrical loss this week, I thought it was best to step up and do something.
I prepared myself. I took the lemsip. I took the catarrh pastilles. I took water. And then I set sail on the seas of change towards the pentecostal gospel choir. THATS RIGHT! Pentecostal gospel choir. It was well good. I didn’t know any of the songs before hand, but it’s nice to worship God with songs of a different style to the usual soft rock/ alternative style of Hillsong. And the harmonies were beautiful. Even though I wasn’t in the best of voice, I sang the best I could. This gospel style of worship music inspired me. Practice ended and I made my way back to the car.
I thought back to the worship songs i’d attempted to write and record. Whilst they all carried their unique values, their styles were pretty similar. And in terms of drumbeats that i’d thought of putting to them, I mainly think of one drum pattern. It sort of drums its way through my head all too often. A sort of boom tsch ka tsch boom tsch ka tsch…
AND THEN IT HIT ME!
I suddenly became very aware of the way I walked. My shoes were squeaking a little bit. My baggy-ish jeans were making a bit of a noise when I walked fast. The drum beat of my songs is familiar because its the way I walk!!!! Having my right foot play the part of a bass drum, my left foot the snare drum and my legs/ baggy trouser material the part of the hi-hat cymbals, my walk sounded something a little like this: boom tsch ka tsch boom tsch ka tsch. This is an all too familiar beat! Its ingrained within me! haha! Its funny how my worship songs reflect a true part of me – not just my own heartfelt feelings, but even the beat that I ‘march’ to, so to speak!
I am reminded of this Psalm:
Psalm 150
New International Version (NIV)
Psalm 150
1 Praise the LORD.[a] Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty heavens. 2 Praise him for his acts of power;
praise him for his surpassing greatness. 3 Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,
praise him with the harp and lyre, 4 praise him with timbrel and dancing,
praise him with the strings and pipe, 5 praise him with the clash of cymbals,
praise him with resounding cymbals.
This psalm tells us that we should praise the Lord with what we’ve got. Usually I praise the Lord with my voice, but as it’s failed me a little bit this week then i’ve turned to other methods. Clothing percussion opened my eyes to the beat of my personal worship stylings, but its not the only way i’ve managed to praise God this week. I’ve done it through guitar, piano, dance… And on top of that i’ve still tried to croak out and whisper His praise. God’s surpassing greatness has given me the means by which I can praise Him! And so praise Him I shall. He is good to me, even when I don’t feel 100%! He hears me even when my voice doesn’t make a sound. He listens even when the praise and prayers I bring Him are off key or are crackly or muted. He loves me regardless.
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Even if you don’t think you have the strength to, try! You can still glorify God whilst being virus-ridden / sick as a dog!
A recent turn of events got me questioning why I sing.
I think theres something beautiful about worshipping God with the songs of the angels and the 4 living creatures; I think its wonderful that we can echo the praises of heaven on earth.
) and I had to miss some other events too. On the subject of lemons, i’ve found Lemsip to be a good aid at a time like this. And catarrh pastilles.
