I once had a friend who asked me what this line means: "I'm sorry Lord for the things I've made it." I'm beginning to understand her issues with it. As much as I read it more conceptually to mean that we are sorry for focusing on other things in our worship when God should be whom we solely worship, that sentence is a bit vague. Can the act of worship be made into other things? It seems to do the very thing the song is warning us not to: a focus on the act of worship rather than whom we worship.
But that is not why I'm bringing up this song. I was reminded of it when I was praying this morning. Time and again, I find myself searching for meaning in all that I do, my work, my time, my life.
I was reading a devotion on Isaiah 41:21-42:17 in Raymond Ortlund's preaching commentary. What he says here stirred my soul:
More than we realize, our hearts complicate the profound simplicity of faith in God. And then we wonder why we’re disappointed with life.
God has a blueprint for human existence. He knows how human beings and human society can be at their best. He knows how to make us happy and fulfilled. And through his servant Jesus he’s bringing his plan down from Heaven, to reorder human civilization in a beautiful way.
God wants to take us where we’re helpless without him. To live free of idols is a new experience for us. It’s a path we have not known. God is saying, "Trust me enough to follow me. I want to show you a whole new way to live. As I lead you forward, I will not forsake you. I will be God to you."
That’s a miracle we urgently need — to love the Giver more than his gifts, to see in God our only ultimate delight and every other joy he gives as just one more reason to glorify and enjoy him. That way, we don’t have to cling selfishly to his gifts. If he takes them away, we’re not devastated, because we have him. That is worship — to be so rich in Christ, so filled with a sense of privilege, that we actually become happy on God’s terms.
If you will trust him enough to dive into the Ocean, he will make your life a story of overflowing salvation.
I'm now singing this song differently, not only treating worship in only music and songs but in all areas of my life.
When the music cadences of my daily living fades away, I come to worship and offer my life to God through Jesus Christ, my Lord, my Saviour, my all.
pearlie
Raymond C. Ortlund, Jr., Isaiah: God Saves Sinners, Preaching the Word Commentary Series
Mostly I think of that song as one of repentance - especially for song leaders who make a bit of a spectacle of their music ministry.
ReplyDeleteWhen I encounter words or sentences in songs I do not agree with I do not sing it or if I can I change it. Seeing I am not a "person-of-importance" I can change what ever I like and no one will know i do it.(well unless I tell them like now.)
ReplyDeleteThere a (my opinion) very few people out there, who is willing to only look to GOD and only see HIM and talk to HIM because HE is G-O-D. That it might be easy to fall into singing and performing and what ever else when one is more visible.
I suppose the pew-occupiers can also put on a show, or think what is being done is what is "expected" of a worshiper.
But then that also exposes what the Gospel is a person is living.
KB, yes...I do think that too. And I'm guilty of it as well.
ReplyDeleteRetha, i do that too...changing the words as I sing the song but since I can't do that when I'm worship leading, I will avoid those songs.
ReplyDeleteAnd I agree, and it was in my devotion this morning as well, the moment we divert our attention away from God in our worship, we are in idolatry.
Was not thinking of you as a song leader but of the several times I have spent 45-60 minutes on my feet singing because song leaders felt 'led' to sing a few more songs.
ReplyDeleteHmm...yea, that happens when there are no rules or fixed scheduled timing. I can't do it here because timing is quite strict and our PowerPoint slides are fixed already in the sequence, so we can't defer except maybe for just the last line. But if that happens to me, I'd just sit down and continue to sing :)
ReplyDelete