ABOVE ALL

I’m not one for complicating things. Just the opposite in fact. I mostly like to distill things to their simplest form. So when it comes to worship I tend to avoid complicated philosophies and practices. And I like to focus on what we do, not endure long discussions about what we don’t do, and why not.

Perpetual navel gazing, endless introspection and second guessing belong with do-it-yourself dentistry on my list of things to avoid.

That said, from time to time it is good to step back and look at why and how we do what we do. In our church, we use contemporary music, in the belief that it helps us to worship God. I really believe it does!

But in the middle of all the good times, good music and good feelings it is possible to lose sight of why, and Who, we worship.

Nehemiah says this (Chapter 9, verse 5):

“…blessed be Your glorious name and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise.”

I think what Nehemiah is saying is this: let’s not become so in love with the way we worship, all the blessing and praise, that we accidentally exalt it above God Himself. Don’t just settle back and let the music and singing lift us up instead of the other way around. Sometimes we can forget why we started to worship in the first place. We started to worship because God is glorious, and worthy of the greatest praise we can conspire to offer. His glory is endless and His magnificence is immeasurable.

No song, regardless of it’s writer ever went close to fully expressing who He is. We just make do with the songs, the voices and instruments we have, knowing that when we get to heaven everything will change.

So when we come to church and someone says “It’s great to be in church today and it’s time to worship God”, let our first thoughts be not about the music or the presentation but about God Himself, the astonishing One who made us and loves us.

Nothing can ever take His place. His glorious name is exalted above all the blessing and praise.

The Worlds Least Famous Worship Song

She seemed very nervous as she readied herself to sing.

“I really felt the presence of the Lord when I was writing this” she said softly, obviously a little embarrassed. “Actually I didn’t even write this, He gave it to me”. Excitement mixed with a bad case of nervousness.

Eventually she began to sing, the voice a bit wobbly, but the sincerity and worship were obvious. Everything was great except for the actual song. The problem wasn’t really with the words or music as such. It was just the way it was all put together. The words didn’t really flow together logically, the melody was kind of repetitive and the chords were a bit, well, boring.

At the end she turned and looked expectantly at the Worship Pastor. No pressure. But he already knew what he was going to say. He had known from about 30 seconds into the song.

“ Well that was great”. His words were saying about 9 out of 10. The excitement level in his voice was about 2 out of 10. There was an awkward pause in which it became obvious that the enthusiasm she felt she was almost certain to find wasn’t there. Deflated.

“I think”, he began haltingly, “that song says something very beautiful and precious. But I’m not really sure it would be a song for our church to sing on Sundays”. And then he said the sentence that all budding worship songwriters don’t want to hear. “I think that it is a beautiful song just for you to sing to the Lord in your own worship times”. There were more words but they didn’t really matter. They simply made things more polite and caring. This song wasn’t going to be sung in church next Sunday or in fact, ever.

However, in Heaven other ears were listening. The Lord did indeed give that song to the woman. He shared it with her in a special time a few days earlier, just after she prayed “Lord, help me to know how to worship you in a way that You love”. The moments that followed were like being on holy ground, perhaps the closest she had ever felt to God.

She sang the song to God with tears in her eyes and that same tremor in her voice. Heaven paused to hear that most beautiful sound, a heart truly worshiping the heavenly Father.

A short time later, the singer had a thought. “I must share this beautiful song with others”. Hence the meeting, the audition, and now the awkward result. “Why can’t he hear it”, she thought. “It is so beautiful in it’s simplicity and honesty, and I know God loves this song.”

The truth is some songs really are just for God Himself. It is the purity and honesty of our hearts that mean so much to Him. After all He is the first prize of our worship. He is the one we want to bless, and I doubt there is a more precious song than one sung in worship to Him, without the desire or hope (on the writer’s part) for fame and admiration.

I wonder what God thinks when we are disappointed that our newest worship song doesn’t become an instant favourite with others? Wasn’t it for Him in the first place? So why the big let down?

There is no greater honor that heaven can bestow on us than to be given a song to sing to God alone. Never touched by other “helpful” hands, never sung by people who would rather be on their way home to Sunday lunch or to the sofa in time for the football game. Some songs are destined only to be sung for the audience of One, and sung from the heart every time.

If the price of such worship is keeping the song a secret, I’ll pay the price. Lord, may you be blessed by such songs every day, songs not clever enough for humans but pure and profound enough for You.

So if someone tells you one day “I think that is a beautiful song just for you to sing to the Lord in your own worship times”, let your heart get excited. This is a wonderful moment. What a privilege that the God of Heaven would entrust you with one of His special songs. All of Heaven is waiting to hear you sing the world’s least famous worship song.

About Songs and Theology

ABOUT SONGS AND THEOLOGY

There is an argument that bubbles on about worship songs and theology. This is nothing new, it has pretty much always been happening. Sometimes you hear it as an argument in support of old hymns as opposed to contemporary songs. Other times it will be about the various movements in contemporary worship music.

I remember years ago there was a song that we sang very regularly, and I had a theological problem with every line in it, right up until halfway through the second verse. As I moaned about this to the Lord one day, I felt the Lord say to me “Yes, but don’t miss the point”. The point was this; people were worshiping and having hearts changed by God. I humbled myself and entered in, and was blessed.

“Theology” can so easily become the refuge of the argumentative, bitter, insecure or reactionary person. It can be a mine field when it is misused in this way, equal to the dangers of having wrong theology. Jesus Himself used simple stories to explain aspects of the Kingdom of God. He used analogies that, if pushed beyond His intention, ultimately would break down. For example, John 15 doesn’t imply that God has an actual vineyard and spends His days doing the gardening. It is just an analogy that explains one aspect of God and the Kingdom. We are meant to understand it, live it, and then keep going.

Even the hymn writers of old had strong theological disagreements. The great Charles Wesley was broadly Arminian in theology, and was sharply at odds with many of his Godly contemporaries, including friend and great preacher, George Whitfield. The wonderful hymn Amazing Grace could be regarded as an incomplete theological statement by some.

There is an element of choice about this. If you are looking for that which is good, you will see good. If you are looking for that which is wrong, you will see that instead. Philippians 4:8 makes it very plain what we should be doing. Look for things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy. If a person is constantly seeing something other than these, I suspect they are looking for the wrong things.

Here are a few summarised thoughts about the issue of theology and worship.

1 Strong theology can be embodied in a few simple words.

2 Praise and worship is not intended to be the source of your theology. Don’t look to praise and worship music to balance every argument.

3 Theologians disagree with each other constantly about almost everything, including song lyrics. Argument is normal in those circles. In true worship, a spirit of agreement is “normal”. Arguments are very out of place in worship.

4 You can make any number of contradictory conclusions about the lyrics of a song. Just as there are various interpretations of Bible verses, there can certainly be various interpretations of song lyrics. Choose an interpretation you agree with and go with it. Give the writer some credit for being intelligent and spiritual.

5 Just because you can’t understand all of something doesn’t mean it’s not true. Just like a crossword puzzle, the fact that you can’t supply the answer to a particular clue doesn’t mean the whole crossword itself is wrong or incomplete. The problem is simply that you don’t know everything. (If you think you do, you may be officially in trouble.) Love the truth you know.

6 Praise and worship is not primarily about you, but God. If your heart is healthy and in the right place all the arguments start to look self-serving and small-minded.

7 If you look for fault, you will find fault. If you look for blessing, you will find blessing. Determine that in worship you will be a blessing to the Lord.

8 To the song writers; be men and women of the Word. Write truth fearlessly. Truth is a biblical word where theology is mostly a human construct that began in ancient philosophy.
Write truth, for it heals, brings faith, holds a mirror to the human condition and opens a window to heaven. Be shameless about the truth, and don’t shrink back.

The Greatest Revival Ever

I have always been fascinated by revivals. It began when I casually expressed interest in a comment made by an old pastor who, unbeknown to me, was completely obsessed by the subject. Next thing he loaded me up with 20 huge text books on the subject, and I read them all.

Revivals are wonderful, but they can also be pretty strange. I am always inspired by the way the church gets excited, gets active and boldly preaches the gospel to the world. I’m also frankly perplexed by the revivals where people start howling at the moon and crawling around the forest. Beats me!

Some revivals were short lived, and led by some seemingly unusual and fractured people. Others were long lasting and led by fantastic Christians. For example, the great revival led by John and Charles Wesley continued throughout much of their lives and probably saved England from a violent revolution such as occurred in France.

Nobody is really sure what leads to a revival. Most people believe, like starting an old lawn mower, it was the last thing they did before something happened. They may have been praying, preaching a message on grace or singing hymns. These are all great things to do, but there are no guarantees. There are those who pray and see revival break out, and those who simply continue to pray in faith.

Sometimes watching people wait for revival is like watching someone wait for the phone to ring. They pick up the phone, make sure there is a dial tone, look at the phone from several different angles, make sure they don’t wander out of earshot, chase the kids away, and then re-check for the dial tone.

When John Wesley was asked, “What is your secret for revival”, he replied, “Every morning I set my self on fire and then I invite people to watch me burn”.

The greatest revival in the world is the one going on inside your own heart. Revivals always start that way. They begin with one burning person who can’t help but share. Don’t wait for the phone to ring. Turn up the fire in your heart, and it is amazing how people notice, how bold you become and how God uses you.

A heart revival is the best antidote for cynicism, boredom, the blues and feeling useless. When you have a revival going on in your heart, that’s when your phone begins to ring. But it’s not to report revival news in some far away city, it’s to find out about the fire going on at your place.

Asaph Writes for A Friend

Of all the Psalm writers, I seem to connect the most with Asaph, one of the worship leaders appointed by David. Where David was a king, and led as a king, Asaph was a musician and a "church guy". Almost everything he wrote was either for, or on behalf of the people of God.

That's why Psalm 77 stands out. It just doesn't sound like an Asaph Psalm. Then one day I noticed at the very top of the Psalm an inscription that said "For Jeduthan". Jeduthan (sometimes called Ethan) was Asaph's friend and co-worker. I think Psalm 77 was written for Jeduthan at a time when he was doing it tough, and was struggling to find words to express what he was dealing with. After all, as a worshiper he didn't want to insult God, but his soul was in trouble.

Asaph simply stepped in, and said the words for him.

"I cried out to God for help; I cried out to God to hear me. When I was in distress, I sought the Lord; at night I stretched out untiring hands and my soul refused to be comforted."

Isn't it great when you discover that you are not alone in your struggle, that friends get it and are right there with you? But being a great friend, Asaph did just stop there. He went on to remind Jeduthan that God has always been faithful, and He is incapable of changing.

"I thought about the former days, the years of long ago; I remembered my songs in the night."

and

"Then I thought, "To this I will appeal: the years of the right hand of the Most High." I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.
I will meditate on all your works and consider all your mighty deeds. Your ways, O God, are holy. What god is so great as our God?
You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples. With your mighty arm you redeemed your people, the descendants of Jacob and Joseph. Selah (just think about that)
The waters saw you, O God, the waters saw you and writhed; the very depths were convulsed. The clouds poured down water, the skies resounded with thunder; your arrows flashed back and forth.
Your thunder was heard in the whirlwind, your lightning lit up the world; the earth trembled and quaked. Your path led through the sea, your way through the mighty waters, though your footprints were not seen."

God can't fail you. It would be easier for you to return the rain to a storm, or make the sea stand still like glass. And His unseen footprints wind their way through all the affairs of your life.

God doesn't change, even when circumstances do. He will rescue you and in the end, every circumstance will bow down to the Lord of all and submit to His grace and power. It's not over yet, but it will be one day soon.

Thank God For Miracles

I love reading the reports in the Bible about Jesus’ miracles. I try to imagine the impact that these miracles had on these people and their families: a blind man can suddenly see his children for the first time, a cripple person can work again, a seriously ill woman can rejoin her family for the first time in years.

But some people had some very unexpected reactions:
A man healed of leprosy was told by Jesus to keep it on the down-low, but he told the whole town about it anyway.
When one man was delivered from violent, dangerous demons, the town’s people got so scared they begged Jesus to go away. Now there is a mixed–up bunch!
Jesus healed one boy, and the crowd thought Jesus had killed him.
One time Jesus healed a crippled woman, but the religious people became angry because He did it on the wrong day.
Another time, Jesus healed a blind man, so the authorities tried to force him to implicate Jesus in a religious crime. Luckily, he was blind throughout most of the miracle so he had a great excuse to not identify Jesus. When the authorities went after the man’s parents, they cut their own son loose to avoid trouble for themselves.
A group of ten lepers were healed at the same time, but only one came back to say “thank you”.

But the greatest miracle of all is salvation- Jesus’ death for our sins. The worst deformity will only last until we die. And no one will call you “Duckface” in Heaven (sorry if that is your nickname). Once we get to Heaven, all sicknesses and disabilities will be gone.

But the miracle of salvation is eternal, the overwhelming, compelling reason to love God forever.

I want to be like that one leper who came back and found Jesus, to tell him that he was eternally grateful. That’s what a great worshiper is. This is what happened…

Luke 17:15-17.
One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.
Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?
Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?”
Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”

The healing of the nine guys was remarkable and the story even made it into the Bible. But this one man not only knew he was healed, he also realized Who had done it. He got loud and passionate in giving praise.

There is the heart of worship.

The Ramen Noodle Nation

Ramen Noodles are a very simple food. You open the packet, boil up the noodles in some water, add the flavouring, pour out the excess water and eat them.

They are a staple food for many college students who are either broke, busy or both. But it’s not just students who appreciate the simple beauty of these little packets of oriental greatness. I, too, am part of the Ramen Noodle Nation.

Each packet is like a trip to a slightly dodgy Chinese restaurant, except you can be eating your noodles is less time than it would take to even find a table, and each packet costs a tiny fraction of just the tip.

But there is an undercurrent of creativity that courses through the Ramen Noodle Nation. It seems there are many ways to make the humble noodle dish. Some simply follow the directions. Some use less water. Some make noodle soup. Some break the noodles up before cooking them (either vertically, horizontally, or both). Cook them in the microwave or a saucepan. Some even eat straight out of the packet, then follow up with a diet Coke.

I stumbled into this world of creative noodling one day when I accidentally threw away the pack before I meant to. Now the instructions were at the bottom of the kitchen tidy, and I couldn’t remember what I was supposed to do. I made a mistake which so improved the noodles, that I have done it ever since. I added the flavouring after I poured out the water.

Now my beef noodles had a strong, more manly taste.

I shared this secret with a friend who told me that he had been doing that for years, but had I tried adding an egg? I said no, I had not, could he show me how?

It turned out to be simple. When everything was otherwise finished, you just cracked an egg into the noodles and ate it all. I took this new recipe idea and decided to improve it by returning the noodles to the microwave for 45 seconds to cook the egg. Brilliant.

But then I began to think again. If you could use an egg, what else could be added to the golden noodles. My hands flew to the spice cabinet and fell upon the chilli flakes. They then hovered over the noodles, while my mind stuttered: how much should I use?

I settled on seven shakes of the chilli bottle, and as luck would have it, it was just about perfect. After a few days of testing this I also added a dash of olive oil and the recipe was complete.

Days passed in the smug recognition that I had created a true masterpiece. I thought this creation needed a name. I though hard. Then decided not to as it hurt a bit. Finally, I settled upon a name; Six Minute Noodles. Like most good names it needed little explanation, but it said it all.

Whenever I share my recipe, I find there is one of two responses. Bemused bafflement, or dawning happiness. Those outside the battlements of the Ramen Noodle Nation just don’t get it, but those true followers of the noodle take just seconds to recognise it’s innate greatness.

Six Minute Noodles fits all the criteria. It is fast, cheap, easy, and no-mess. And it tastes great. All the ingredients are found in just about every kitchen, and you use so little of everything that nobody really notices anything is missing until after the noodles are already gone.

You can’t really join the Ramen Noodle Nation. You are either in it or you are not. It doesn’t need a Facebook group, promotion or a budget. You can’t talk anyone into it, and you can’t talk anyone out of it. The RNN is an army of people who know that simplicity and truth are the foundation of all things great.

And the RNN is also a very secure group. We know that no one makes noodles exactly like another member does, and that’s a great thing. It’s all about creativity. However you make it, however you like it, that’s fine with us. Such is the power of the noodle.

In fact it says a lot about people in general. Despite the fact that most of us live in cities, towns or villages, we are all different. We are also creative. We all have our own ways, and we want to have room to express ourselves. That’s just fine, and how it is meant to be. We are creative, made by a creative God. He loves difference and spontaneity. He doesn’t want us all to be the same. But he does want us to belong.

He even has a nation. It is the Kingdom of God. No one will ever talk me out of it because I get it. His kingdom is where you can rely on things being simple and true. Taste and see.

Watch Over My Way

The other day I heard someone say that they were starting to believe in karma, an eastern philosophy which is (in part) about good being rewarded with good, and evil being rewarded with evil. Of course God Himself was the creator of this principle. He calls it justice, and the world runs on it.

In Psalm One, we read,
"For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish".

Call it justice, sowing and reaping, karma or any other name you choose, if we give things enough time, we will receive that which we deserve.

Every day I want to make sure that I am doing what I need to do so that God will watch over my way. The beginning of this same Psalm shows us exactly how to do it.

"Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,
or stand in the way of sinners,
or sit in the seat of mockers".

I can just see this guy's evil twin brother! He walks into a room where bad advice is given out freely, he stands there taking in what these people are saying about their exploits, then he sits down and joins in. It all seems very normal, even friendly. But it is so far from blessing and from God.

The man who is blessed has perfected the art of being in the world but not of it. He doesn't walk around being "hungry" because he is spiritually well fed. Have you ever walked past a bakery when you are hungry? Everything smells so good. It is always better to go to the supermarket when you have just eaten, or you may end up with a trolley full of stuff you don't even remember buying.

Same with our spiritual lives. Being full of the blessing of God is a great safeguard against swallowing spiritual "junk". For me, I see the things of God most clearly when I'm worshiping or praying. That's when I become spiritually filled up. Maybe that is why this bit of good advice appears at the very beginning of God's book of praise and worship. When your field of vision is full of Him, you are not easily drawn into life's junk-food aisle.

Be a daily worshiper, even if you don't think you sound good. When you go to church, try to get there in time for all the praise and worship. Be keen, and grab the opportunity as if it is the last time you will get to do this before meeting Him face to face. (It might be good to turn up in heaven knowing all of the words.)

Worship matters. It isn't the TV theme for church, that bit of music at the start that tells you the show is beginning but you haven't really missed anything yet. Praise is vital, it keeps us healthy and it blesses God.

So walk into His presence, stand before Him, and sit at His feet. God loves everybody, but He "watches over the way of the righteous".