A Different Form of Worship, but Worship Nonetheless

Music has a way of sticking with us long after a sermon. We are forever surrounded by music on our iPhones, in our cars, in stores, etc. Music is one of the ways wherein God speaks to His people as  it soothes, reassures, convicts, encourages, and gives hope. Aside from God's Word, nothing else speaks to me more than music...that's probably why I've spent 3/4 of my life making music in one form or another. Music also has taught me a lot about teamwork, pride, comparison, unity, purpose, and worship. Have spent more time making music than thinking about what goes on behind the scenes and what all is involved in ensuring that people can hear my music. Seriously, think about it...how hard can it be to turn on a microphone and push play on a CD player, right??

Ummmmm...yeah...take a look:

The first time I saw the sound board, I had no desire to even look at it...it was someone else's department and it was way over-my-head complicated. But the more I started observing and piecing things together during praise team practices (where it was about sound checks and monitors), the more that sound board became like this one giant puzzle that beckoned to be solved. There was this uncanny method to the madness that somehow required doing all you can to take music to the next level.

It's taken awhile to really decide if learning how to do sound for church is something I just want to "master" for the pure challenge of it (like I need something else to add to my schedule right now) or if it's something that God wants me to learn as another form of worshiping Him. The latter is one that I've spent a lot of time praying over because doing the sound is outright work and fast-paced stress (how can that be worship?). It requires attention to detail and a level of focus that means blocking out every single thing in order to hear what is in front of me. As I dabble in it some, God keeps showing me how doing the sound completes the circle of worship.

God further shaped my mind toward it today as He showed me what a pure gift (and responsibility) it is to be able to serve the praise team in this way. Over the past year, it has been such a joy getting to know the different people that sing and/or play instruments in our church because they are way more than musicians. I've enjoyed hearing their stories, watching them making decisions in their lives from school to dating to jobs, praying with a few of them as we go through life's challenges, and seeing how God is working in their lives to grow them whether they see the growth or not. Sunday worship may be the connecting factor, but there is daily worship happening during the week as we try to live for God in a culture that wars against all of that.

Therefore, it's meaningful to have this opportunity to be able to take such talent and hearts for worship and try to blend it in such a way that continues to brings glory to God and to make sure that each song is blended ever perfectly as a testimony of worship in our hearts. No, I'm not about creating a "goosebump worship moment" but it's about the process of worship and being able to see it come together from the very first note of Saturday practice to the last note on Sunday night. It's about taking every voice on the platform and merging it with the others in such a way that beautifully portrays the body of Christ as each voice functions within its own role. And when those voices blend, an underlying depth and richness form which enhance the message that is being sung. 

One of my favorite Psalms is Psalm 150. I have to admit that Psalm 150:4 instantly became my favorite verse when I was in fourth grade when I began playing the flute simply because it had the word "flutes" in it. However, as I've grown up, I began to understand more and more what Psalm 150 worship is about and the delight and beauty of being able to "praise God in His sanctuary" both literally and figuratively.

Praise the Lord!
Praise God in His sanctuary;
Praise Him in His mighty firmament!
Praise Him for His mighty acts;
Praise Him according to His excellent greatness!
Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet;
Praise Him with the lute and harp!
Praise Him with the timbrel and dance;
Praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes!
Praise Him with loud cymbals;
Praise Him with clashing cymbals!
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord!

As I compare Psalm 150 with God's design for creation and Christ's birth, death, and future return, it points to order not chaos, purpose not haphazardness, and something that is life-changing not complacent. How can our worship be anything but that? And why would we waste our time participating in anything less than that? And that fuels my desire even further to give what I have to follow God's design for worship and to give my friends in the praise team and the choir that kind of gift and to help them be able to worship with order and purpose so not only our hearts, but the hearts of those in our church, will seek God, praise Him, and worship Him together as described in Psalm 150. 

No pressure, right, especially with like, a hundred knobs that control something and will either enhance or detract from worship?? But yet at the same time, that is part of the beauty of worshiping God through doing the sound (and even with singing as I still experiment with that)--it pushes me beyond my comfort zone, myself, and my abilities and into a place of utter dependence on God knowing that if it's for Him, it has to be about Him and done through Him and by Him. It's when I am in the midst of Him that worship truly takes place whether it's with my flute, voice, piano, or sound board.

p.s. I had to google whether it's worshipping or worshiping and one p won out...had no clue it was such a debate! ;)