God help me to love your glory, more than the fleeting praise of men. The glory of God is God’s primary and deepest passion. His greatest faithfulness is to himself. Our faith and salvation depend on that truth. (Isaiah 42:8) The glory of God is the goal of biblical worship. As worship leaders, it is central for us to understand that we are agents of provoking affections and calling attention not to us, but to the glory of God. We apply the gospel to our lives by remembering we are accepted solely on the work of Christ, not by our own merit.
God, help me to love the people I lead more than the songs I sing. Make it your practice to not love people for what they can do for you, or to help further your “ministry”. Love people because this is central to the Gospel. (John 13:34-35) John the Baptist joyfully pursued a smaller platform. Most of us grasp endlessly for a larger one. Avoid the tendency to love the experience of music more than your experience with the people of God. Invest in what is eternal.
God, help me to value the word of God above the creativity of man. Biblical truth in worship is our foundation. (John 4:24) Sift through the endless resources and choose songs that are grounded in truth and accessible for your church. Christian worship is built upon, shaped by and saturated with the word of God. Value art for what it is: a common grace God uses to glorify himself. However, value the word of God as preeminent in congregational worship.
God, help me to view the whole scope of Christian worship, not just the worship service. As a worship leader, your role is to call your church to the entire scope of worship practices: corporate, family and personal. (Deuteronomy 6:5-9) Don’t let the idea of worship end with liturgy. If we underestimate corporate worship, we do our people a disservice by not honoring the sacredness of our gatherings. If over estimate the corporate experience, our people will not be taught the invaluable experience of walking in communion with God in the inextricable practices of family and personal worship.
God, help me to walk in character, not to operate out of gifting. Gifting in the church today will give you a platform to gain the praise of men. Character will give you the enduring reward of leading the people of God. Gifting is vital to the function of leading worship, but character is central to its practice. Without character, gifting is reduced to an entertaining skill set. Our greatest calling is not to be a “gifted” people, but people who are holistically impacted by the sustaining joys of the Gospel. (John 14)
Excerpt from Doxology & Theology. Click for full article.
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