[Have you seen my other “Worship Leading Secrets” post? Check it out here.]
I was inspired recently by a blog post from Carlos Whittaker, worship leader & blogger over at Ragamuffin Soul. The honesty that exudes from this post really got me thinking about my own journey and what I consider to be another “secret” for worship leaders to embrace:
DON’T HIDE YOUR SUFFERING
I think many church leaders are a bit confused in this area. They preach healing but don’t know how to reconcile their own pain with what they preach. Until the sting of suffering hits you, it’s difficult to understand. While I wholeheartedly believe in the healing power of Jesus, I also struggle with ongoing illnesses.
As Carlos mentioned, LEADERS: don’t hide what you’re going through. The very people you are leading are going through the fire as well. Singing “Blessed Be Your Name” isn’t just a nice, popular song for times like these. It’s an anthem for the distraught, a song for the weary, a breath of fresh air for those struggling to breathe.
Worship leaders, share your pain and struggle. But then worship like a desperate, crazy person. Don’t subtly teach your people to deny their pain to sing happy songs. Teach them to carry it right into the Presence of Jesus and worship with all they’ve got.
I have diabetes. I have dermatomyositis. I struggle to sing sometimes due to my condition and I have meds that keep me alive. But I still worship with all my might because my hope is in the Lord.
Some preachers may view sickness as a lack of faith. But I view suffering worshippers as those with the greatest faith in the world.
DON’T HIDE YOUR SUFFERING. Your greatest ministry may very well be behind it.
Question: What suffering do you experience? How can you harness that to encourage others?
You’re right, until you suffer long term especially as a leader , you can’t fathom the battle of the mind and spirit that goes on, and it DOES take alot of Faith to keep on going and encouraging others to look for their healing. But you know you have to keep trusting, laying it down before Him and worshiping like there’s no tomorrow!
Amen! Welcome to the blog comments, Donna! You and Joe are a huge testimony to what this post is all about.
Great thoughts, David. I can relate to this.
Thanks Becky. Glad it could help!
I’m basically a woman of little consequence on a once a month worship team in the middle of nowhere. However, I do worship in truth and in spirit and with my WHOLE heart. I can’t do less than that. I find that when there is much spiritual attack before a worship set, the blessings poured out on the body and the deep impact of worship is huge. I try to be transparent and authentic. I don’t hold back and I don’t worship differently in front of the body than I do in private worship. This sometimes makes a few people uncomfortable. But, if I were to change my worship then it would no longer be in truth and in spirit (Jn 4:21-24). A good test for spiritual suffering and lack of peace before worship is this: Are you in unforgiveness? Are you in sin? If no to both – it is most likely attack. We are warriors in a battle – of course the enemy is going to want to pick us off. I look at the worship of Keith Green. He didn’t hide his suffering and he was transparent in his worship. His worship is still influencing the Kingdom today. I consider that there is pain in my offering but it is worth it to worship the One worthy of it!
David, this is so powerful, man. I’ve been dealing with this condition where my eye sight has decreased significantly over time. It’s called keratoconus. The only thing that will reverse it is surgery. It has been a hard road, not being able to see. But I KNOW what God has called me to. I know that I still will worship him no matter what. I know that God wants to heal me–whether it be supernaturally or through surgery, but I also know that I will not stop serving him with my gifts. I hope my team sees this and will worship through their pain as well.
Thank you for putting this on here! I see that it was quite a while ago but your honesty is still reaching people. I’ve been a worship leader to a church that’s just getting back on it’s feet after more than a few hard years. I started leading at a young age and struggled finding God deeper and growing up at the same time… now I’m almost 30 and I find that the struggling only changes. I feel weak minded, strong and vulnerable all at the same time. I am being attacked in a new way. The Holy Spirit is so real to me. I hear Him in a still small voice, I feel His peace on certain things but when I open the Bible… I read of stories, phenomenon’s and things that just don’t seem like it could happen in real life. I’ve never saw it this way until I watched a movie on the 10 Commandments and even though I believe in God fully, I feel like things aren’t “real” and the stories sound like bedtime stories. I know this is an attack because I have changed and been healed in so many ways emotionally, the church moved into a new building and personal life changes are happening all in the past 10 months. So it’s obvious to me that it is an attack since my Faith is still there. But, it’s real to me and it’s here at this moment. Now, I feel like I can’t tell anyone because they will judge me and tell me that I need to step down from leading. When I worship, I feel God so much… even when distractions happen… He’s always there with me but why can’t I have that same touch from Him when I read His Word, why can’t I push aside all those ridiculous thoughts and just have the childlike faith I had growing up? That’s my struggle… but I know it will end but I don’t know when.
Really? Your suffering is that you can’t sing well enough? Come on now. Its not that hard to keep going when that’s all your “hardship” is. I am a paraplegic. I would love to not be able to sing well as my suffering.
Hey Ed – I’m so sorry to hear your suffering is that intense. We all have different levels of suffering and pain. I actually have two chronic diseases that I deal with on a daily basis so the lack of singing ability isn’t all I deal with 🙂 Thanks for chiming in brother!