It’s funny how we say worship isn’t about us – that it’s all about the glory of God. But our focus doesn’t always reflect such a passion.
What are we most mindful of? If you’re like me, I mainly think about myself.
- How do I sound?
- How do I look?
- Who is getting blessed?
- Who out there thinks I should record this song?
When the flow of worship is feeling good, I can’t wait to bask in the praises of man. When it’s terrible, I want to go find the nearest cave and camp out.
That’s because my focus is too often on my image, my performance, or the advancing of my career. It doesn’t make for humble, powerful, Gospel-centered worship leading.
5 Realities Worship Leaders Need to Know
How do I pull myself out of this funk? But reminding myself of these 5 powerful realities.
1. You Are Not the Worship Leader
Truth is, the Holy Spirit is leading worship. He is illuminating the person of Jesus to our hearts. He is leading, drawing, and awakening us to see the glory of God. Next time you feel pressured to make something happen, take a deep breath and realize the Holy Spirit is moving. And He can do a lot more than we can.
This is why I like to lead with my eyes open – to see what He’s doing.
So next time you are faced with a train wreck worship set, realize something. The Holy Spirit is alive and well, already doing massive work in the hearts of people. Rest in that, believe in that, trust in that and relax. There’s nothing you can do to change a life or awaken a heart. But God can. And He is more than willing.
2. Corporate Worship is a Miracle – The more we worship God, the more familiar it becomes. But did you know that worship is a miracle? That fact that finite, broken, sinful beings like us can come into this presence of Holiness without dying is truly a miracle. The veil has been torn. We have been given access.
“For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).
When you realize this miracle, you worship differently. Your congregation worships differently. You ascend the hill of the Lord slowly in light of God’s terrifying glory, yet run with full access into His presence because you have been made right with God. Amazing.
3. God is Fascinating – I’m a firm believer that even eternity will fail to unveil the complete glory of God. He is inexhaustible. He is incomprehensible. He is beyond our understanding. This is why worship is a journey of discovery and a worship leader’s greatest challenge and goal is to stay amazed. We need to never stop seeing, exploring, gazing, and discovering more of who God is.
4. I Am My Congregation – When I first started leading worship, I thought I was God’s gift to the church. It was a display of my talent that inspired the church to worship, right? The better we performed as a band, the better our worship was, right? Not exactly.
It wasn’t until I put myself in the shoes of my congregation that I began to lead with a greater urgency, depth, compassion, and pastoral sensitivity. Don’t see yourself as “the worship leader on stage”. See yourself as a broken person in need of God’s grace. You will lead differently.
5. Real Life Fuels Real Worship – We don’t just worship because we are blessed. We use all of life’s experiences as a platform for praise. This is much easier said than done. Try worshiping when your healthy pregnancy results in a stillbirth. Try singing to God when your life doesn’t make sense.
This is the stuff that worship is made. Don’t avoid singing difficult truth. Don’t leave your baggage on the outside. Bring it into the presence of God and cast your cares on Him. Real life fuels real worship so cast your cares on Him.
What experiences, realities, or Scriptures change the way you lead worship? I’d love to hear from you.
Comments are always my favorite part of blog posts. I want to hear your heart. You can leave a comment by clicking here.
[ois skin=”Beyond Sunday 2″]
Just want to say thank you. Thank you for being ridiculously honest and always pointing to the Father. As I read I couldn’t stop shaking my head in agreement to my own pathetic thoughts and then out of awe of what God does and who he is. To worship out of the overflow of my relationship with Him…that is my heart. Blessings!
Wow – so encouraging. Thanks Amanda! Keep leading with an open, honest heart!
Wow, just what I needed to hear. Haven’t been on your blog for a few months but God has incredible timing. The youth worship ministry has been needing a revival and as leader, I’ve been feeling the pressure. Thank you for the encouragement!
Welcome back, Ruben! Praying God uses you powerfully with the youth worship ministry!
So encouraged by this today.
The last paragraph in #2. Amazing indeed.
That’s awesome, Mark. #2 is so present for me as well. Thanks for the reply!
Thanks David! This was just what I needed to read this morning. Been leading the worship and so focused on avoiding train smashes and having the congregation engage in the worship that my own heart became disconnected from the Source. I yearn to worship alone with him as I’ve done in the past, yet my life seems so very busy with life.. I have temporarily stepped down from leading the worship to get me connected with God again and standing amongst the congregation after 10 years on Sunday and having someone else lead was horrible for me.. I saw the truth for what it was.. how I’ve allowed myself to stop surrendering to Him and running on what I could do best. I am not a worship leader I realize today. The Holy Spirit is. Praise God that He spoke to me today through your blog. God bless you David and your ministry
Esther, thanks for your vulnerability here. I understand what you’re going through but let me encourage you. These “wilderness” seasons are often the most powerful times of preparation for what God has next. I believe your best leadership and ministry are ahead of you. Use this time to be refreshed and get ready for it!
Also, I love the term “train smashes” – much more powerful than the oft-used “train wreck” 🙂
Hi David,
This totally blessed me today. I stepped down from being the worship leader for about a year and a half now. I too like Esther felt horrible when someone led. I felt myself being caught up in the praises of man until I left the main audience out. I stepped down mainly because I received no support from my church leadership or my team. Most of my team were jealous of my worship & coveted it more so than anything else. My only goal was to engage the congregation in worship. Needless to say, after so much stress, I stepped down to allow God to show me what I was doing wrong & this blog just put it even more in perspective. Thank you & May God continue to bless & keep you! KEEP WORSHIPING my brother!