Worship

Philosophy on Worship through Music

by William C. Doublestein

 

 

·         Psalm 86: 8-10

^“Among the gods there is none like you, O Lord; no deeds can compare with yours.  All the nations you have made will come and worship before you, O Lord: they will bring glory to your name.  For you are great and do marvelous deeds; you alone are God.”

 

·         I believe that God created us to worship Him.  Worship can mean anything that brings Him praise, including following his Spirit, helping other people, singing, playing instruments, abiding to his commands, painting, talking to people, or anything else that brings praise to His name and his purpose.

 

·         Because there are so many different ways to worship and each person is unique, it is important that individuals recognize which ways work best for them.  The goal of worship is to praise God, and it is important to realize that worship through music is not always the best way a person can bring praise to Him.  However, music is universal in that every person has music inside of them, and music is a very common way of reaching the most people possible.  Because of the limitation of time and the importance of community, it is important that a group of Christians be able to unite under a common method of worship, and because music works well for most people it makes sense that churches and Christian camps incorporate music into their services and activities.  Still, believers who can best praise God in ways other than music should be encouraged. 

 

·         Having said all this, it is also important that a music leader be able to worship in the way that best brings praise to God.  A huge dispute in Christian circles today is how much musical talent should be portrayed in front of other people.  Basically the question is, “Should a music leader play/sing to the best to his or her ability, or should he or she play/sing only the critical to not add any distractions?” 

 

·         After thinking about this a lot, my answer lies in Psalm 115:1 which says, “Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness.”  Therefore, nothing a music leader does should be with the intention of bringing the spotlight towards them.  However…

 

·         Everyone deserves to worship God in whichever way best bring praise to His name.  For musicians, this may very well be through making music to the best of their abilities.  Psalm 100:1 says “Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.  Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.”  Psalm 150 says “Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre, praise him with tambourine and dancing, praise him with the strings and flute, praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals.” 

 

·         Some Christians believe that their music should be downplayed or sugar-coated in order to prevent the congregation from being distracted towards the musician and away from God.  They feel that basic chords, patterns, arrangements and instrumentation should all be limited and that all the emphasis should be on the people they are leading.  I understand this thinking but mainly disagree.  Looking to the example of David upon the return of the Ark of the Covenant, he danced to the point of disrobement, and answered his critics saying “I will celebrate before the LORD.  I will become even more undignified than this… (2 Samuel 6:21-22).”  David put everything he had into his worship because this was the best way he knew how to praise God.  As it relates to worship through music, I believe that whatever God has given us as far as talents or skills should be used to bring praise to Him. 

 

·         In conclusion, worship is personal, individual, and for a music leader, tough to find the balance between giving everything he or she has and making sure that all the glory goes to Christ.