Praise Song or Hymn?
I wonder if you and I were to sing the same 16 words over and over again, night and day after night and day forever, if God would think our song was shallow and unworthy of His ears or would he prefer something more along the lines of a hymn or Psalm?
Well let's ask King David and the other authors of the Psalms, then let's ask the four living creatures spoken of in John's Revelation, chapter 4.
"Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come." Revelation 4:8 (NIV)
Now I ask, "Is that a hymn that is spoken over and over or is it a Praise and Worship chorus?" Hmmm. It's worth looking into, especially since the difference seems so important to modern Christians and we're going to have to listen to those same sixteen words over and over again, night and day after night and day, because as the Word says, "They never stop!"
Some may argue, "The four living creatures are not singing, therefore it's not a song; John doesn't mention anything about singing!"
Maybe Praise and Worship should be spoken over and over again and only hymns should be accompanied by music.
As far as I'm concerned, if you want to give the Lord a gift I'll be glad to carry it to Him with you. I hope you'll do the same with me, because, quite frankly, I don't care if you like it or not; my song is for the Master, not the congregation.
Sleep well. Don't forget to say your prayers, and sing a hymn or a Praise and Worship chorus.
God will love whatever gift you offer.
5 comments:
i've been forgetting to sing a hymn as i fall asleep at night. shoot. guess i've missed the boat.
so i did some reading last night. and some of what i read made some sense.... there are lyrics that simply float, taking us to a very shallow level of understanding. example: "yes Lord, yes Lord, yes yes Lord, yes, Lord, yes Lord, yes yes Lord, yes Lord, yes Lord, yes yes Lord.....amen."
now, i'm all for saying YES to God. and i think that someone who is already dissatisfied with "praise and worship" in a contemporary setting would look at those words with disdain. but then i started thinking...there are verses to that song. i think they go something like this:
"we are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but we are not destroyed." 2 corinthians 4: 8-9
we can find feel-good words and faulty theology in old church hymns as well as newer songs of a different style. i'd also dare to suggest that just as some walk away from "worship time" with nothing more than an emotional fix, some may walk away from a brass band performance or having preached an eloquent sermon with the same.
we just have to ask ourselves where our heart is and are we going deeper? anyway. good thoughts. welcome to the blogging world. :)
Nice . . . i like what you've done with the blog. My letter is almost done. I'll be sure to let you read it. Lets have a spoken word worshp sometime at church . . . see how that goes.
This doesn't have to do with the Praise and Worship conversation happening although I have many many comments - all of which have already been said and said much more eloquently than I could have ever put it.
Can I come to your spoken word worship service? That sounds awesome.
Thanks for the insight and the wisdom,
Joy Mikles
Awesome.
Hey, here's a little known fact, Sarah has been known on occasion to bust out in a hymn in the middle of a deep sleep! Man, now there's a heart that don't stop singing! Make fun of her for that, I know you will do it with much skill!
Hope you all are doing fabulous in Charlotte! I am hearing that there are awesome things happening with your "flock." Praise God! You are all in our prayers! Please tell your wife and family that we said hello!
Blessings!
anna and justin
I'm So Proud Of You JOhnny!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
OH I'm excited to see your in the Blog World now! I have a blog spot page, but I mainly use it to link to other's sites. My xanga is my main place...www.xanga.com/kimisloved.
Happy Blogging! Talk to you soon, my little pocket johnny...lol.
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