There are times in the church when someone dips into the essence of genuine worship, when a meeting place is filled with sweet music that lifts one's heart, spirit, and soul into the presence of God.
Sometimes it is under the leadership of someone who understands the path from lively corporate praise that pulls your thoughts from the entanglements of the day into a focused direction toward the Father, to the softening, the mellowing of music that transitions from a corporate "We lift our hearts in praise" to "I worship you alone!"
It is the "we" who have parked our cars, attended to our children's lost Sunday School folder, greeted Brian and Denise, congratulated Eddie on his new job, consoled Mrs. Jenkins whose husband passed last week, and found a seat several rows from the front.
These and other thoughts are filling our minds right now, but we didn't come here to continue in them. The music begins. Where will it take us?
Hopefully it will acknowledge briefly that I have come here with many others, and rousing praise is a great way to start the movement. But the goal is not to blend a lot of voices in time with the beat or even the melody. The music is like water in the river, enabling the traffic to easily move to a destination. The goal is the presence of God, and that presence illumines all that needs to be seen, both the sins of the heart and its longings.
So the music should help me get there. Sweet music with lyrics that suggest the conversation between just me and my Savior, individually, hearing His Spirit in my spirit. "Unto Thee O Lord, do I lift up my soul..."
When I think of the longing, I am drawn to remember when music did that for me, and I loved it. It was true worship, designed to help me come to God.
I hope you also have had some experience with that, I am sure many have not. I have heard modern "worship" music, and I can only shudder with grief. Not all music in church is born in the crucible of the Cross, but when you find some that is, drink freely and let Him work!
