God loves to sing. Zephaniah 3:17 (NIV) says, “The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.” The New Living Translation version says that God “will exult over you by singing a happy song.” God enjoys His children so much that He celebrates over us with singing.
As a worship leader and songwriter, I’ve recently become more curious about God’s songs (and His singing voice). Can we even imagine the beauty, the creativity, the sheer wonder and awe of His melodies and lyrics—all combined with the power, purity and tenderness of His voice? That same voice spoke the galaxies into existence. And with the sound of His singing comes the release of His breath … the same breath that “breathed into it [Adam’s body, which He formed from the dust of the ground] the breath of life. And the man [Adam] became a living person” (Genesis 2:7b NLT).
As I’ve meditated on this the last several months, Psalm 32 struck me in a fresh way. King David sings, “You are a hiding place for me; You, Lord, preserve me from trouble, You surround me with songs and shouts of deliverance. Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!” (Psalm 32:7, AMP). With ringing cries and shouts of joy, God sings salvation, deliverance, freedom and victory over us!
As I look over my journey in worship, I want to share with you some key takeaways that are still transforming my worship.
1. When we sing to God, whether worshipping in our prayer closet or leading our congregations, God is also singing over us. Our worship will be transformed into a deeper sense of communion and intimacy with God if we understand that as we pour songs upon Him, He is also pouring songs upon us.
2. Considering that God “exults” over us with singing, offering shouts and ringing cries of deliverance over us, how much more should we offer our praise to God with the same intensity and passion? It’s sobering to consider how meager and passive our worship to Him must seem sometimes in comparison to the ecstatic exuberance with which He celebrates over us.
3. As worship leaders, when we prepare our song lists (we call them “worship wineskins” here at Gateway) for corporate gatherings, I’m sure we all agree that one key question we should always ask is: “God, what do You want us to sing to You?” If we think of worship as breathing, then we could say that this is part of the exhale of worship.
However, breathing involves not only exhaling, but also inhaling. In light of Zephaniah 3 and Psalm 32, I believe a generally overlooked but essential part of the inhale of worship is unveiled when we also ask, “God, what do You want to sing over Your people?”
This is one of many aspects of worship that’s very similar to prayer. Power in both is found not by declaring and petitioning out of our own thoughts and desires, but rather by asking the Holy Spirit to express through us the thoughts, desires and will of the Father. Both prayer and worship are all about joining with God to bring Him pleasure.
As you prepare the worship wineskin for your next opportunity to lead corporate worship, remind yourself that God has a great worship wineskin to sing over His people. As we learn to focus first and foremost on joining with God in worship … to hear His heart with both the exhale and inhale of worship, then the praise we offer to Him will go to a deeper level, both privately and corporately. The more deeply we inhale, the more fully we can exhale.
You experience unique challenges with your calling as a worship leader. As you read this, you may be facing disappointment and difficult circumstances, wondering if God really cares. You may feel exhaled out.
This very moment, I encourage you to take a deep, long breath from God’s glorious oxygen supply. Just as God breathed life into Adam, He wants to breathe life into you. Inhale the songs and shouts of victory and deliverance that God has prepared for you in the presence of your difficulties. Let the supernatural soundtrack of His worship wineskin pour refreshing into you. He’s singing over you … right now.
By Tim Sheppard
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