In my last blog, I started discussing how certain traditions of the Western church have caused us to stray from fully encountering the Holy Spirit, specifically depending on a sermon, pastor, or church to hear from God. In this blog, I’ll be talking about how worship in the Western church can do the same, and how we can make room for the Holy Spirit.
I’ll start off by saying that worship on the race has opened my eyes more than I could tell you. I know this is true for my squadmates as well, so I asked some of them to share their personal testimonies of how the Lord has transformed and moved through worship on the race. I asked them a few questions, and here are there answers:
From my squadmate Delaney Bonfield:
Q: What has worship on the race taught you?
A: “Worship on the race has taught me that worship isn’t always the hype songs that make you feel something. Sometimes it’s just sitting down with a guitar and singing to the Father with no expectations. Worship isn’t something that is meant to be a performance but a way to connect to the Father.”
Q: How has it opened your eyes?
A: “It opened my eyes to the way that I had learned worship. Being a worship leader in a mega church at one point left me striving for perfection in my performance just so I wouldn’t be kicked out. It showed me that everything I was taught in the past is not reflective of how God created worship to be in its simplest form. No lights on a stage, loud music, or microphones can change the way the Father hears your praise.”
Q: How have you seen the Lord move through worship on the race?
A: “In Month 7 of the race, the Lord made a promise to me that he would redeem worship in my life. What used to cause me fear and anger, was redeemed into something beautiful. The Lord used worship to teach me the simplicity in loving Him and trusting Him through all of His promises.“
Q: How do you think the western church can move towards an emphasis on spirit led worship?
A: “I think that the Western Church could move more towards spirit led worship by letting go of making worship a concert every Sunday. What is pleasing to the people performing is not always going to be pleasing to the Father. We need to turn back to the simplicity of worship, living in awe and wonder of a God that wants a relationship with us.”
From my squadmate Kaylin Stanley:
Q: What has worship on the race taught you? How has it opened your eyes?
A: ”Worship on the race has taught me a lot. It has taught me a lot of freedom. Worship isn’t just singing. It’s something you do in every moment. I worship Him in laundry. I worship Him in dance. I worship Him in surrender. I worship Him with every act that I do.”
Q: How have you seen the Lord move through worship on the race?
A: I grew up singing my whole life. It wasn’t until the race that I realized how much intimacy comes from worship for me. Worship on the race has brought a lot of freedom and unity for me. Freedom, because there isn’t a specific way the Lord calls us to worship. He calls us to be true worshippers. This looks like worshipping Him in everything. He has freed me from traditional worship and walked me into worship where I feel the spirit every time. He has brought me unity because worship and music bring people together. I’ve learned overseas that music is one of the best ways to bring people together regardless of the languages they speak. I can connect with Haitians, Dominicans, and Costa Ricans through worship and I think that speaks volumes.
Q: How do you think the Western church can move towards an emphasis on spirit led worship?
A: I think I grew up believing that there was a certain amount of songs or a time period of the sermon that worship should be boxed into. I now know that when we step back on the planning and the schedule we are actually allowing the spirit to move in new ways. We don’t put a time limit on him. I think the Western church could bring it back to the basics. Just worship. Praise, praise, praise. Whatever that looks like for you as an individual. I think it would be beautiful if the church accepted you screaming your loudest praise or on your knees in full surrender. I think I’ve seen a lot of leaders and followers when it comes to worship. I believed that I was looking to the people on stage performing. They couldn’t mess up. They couldn’t add in an extra song spontaneously. They couldn’t sing off tune or go off beat. I was so dependent on their performance for worship. Being on the race I realized that it’s all about me and God. Messing up brings humility before the Father. It’s not about who’s leading and who’s singing. It’s “let’s all praise our Father together”. I think worshiping with this mentality can bring so much growth and welcome the spirit well.
And personally, from my perspective:
Worship on the Race has taught me that worship is not an act we do to get some “fuzzy” or “feel good” feeling, or because it looks and sounds pretty, or because other people do it, or something we do to get blessed in return; it something we do solely because we are truly in love with Him and desire deeper intimacy, because He is worthy of praise. I’ve learned that worship doesn’t look like denying the state of heartache to proclaim that He is good, but rather bringing our whole selves, with all of our brokenness, before Him in humility and recognizing that He is just as good in it, that he will sit with us in that place. I’ve learned that worship isn’t one-sided, but that the Lord speaks through worship. When we are doing more than just simply singing song lyrics and bringing our whole heart before Him in adoration, the spirit is moving. Worship isn’t just singing, it is a constant state we get to choose to live in.
Maybe you’re still wondering what the point of all of this is, so I’ll just say it: There is freedom in worship and how we worship. There is power in worshipping freely. I think the Western church has put so many boundaries and expectations on worship and what it should look like, and I want to clarify that it’s actually as simple as making room for the Father. This means we get to worship outside of scheduled worship times, we get to take all the time we need to praise and be with Him, we get to sing our own song to Him without it sounding good or catchy or having microphones, instruments, lights, and a stage. It means everyone gets to lead in worship, while worshipping however they need to: whether that’s laying on the floor, arms wide open, on your knees, dancing for joy, embracing stillness, or sobbing your eyes out. It means we get to let the Holy Spirit lead: because if we aren’t letting Him lead, then we are doing it out of our own flesh.
“But an hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in Spirit and in truth. Yes, the Father wants such people to worship Him.” -John 4:23
pic creds: Anjali Joy
Alleluia!!!!