Stop the Music!
We were having a "God Moment."
It was happening, not in the midst of an Israel Houghton medley with pulsating base and perfectly aligned monitor reception, but in the family sedan crossing the Courtney Campbell Causeway linking Clearwater with Tampa. I was on the cell phone encouraging my very weary-in-well-doing friend of God's richest blessings when I heard a little sniff coming from the backseat. It was abnormally peaceful, considering that my 3 children consider confined spaces hotbeds for rambunctious behaviour. Maybe it was the sun setting over the inter coastal waterway. Whatever it was, it had caused my 7 year-old daughter to contemplate God and He chose that moment to speak to her. Little Sniffy poured her heart out regarding God's message to her and we felt His presence distinctly filter into the vehicle like air through the vents.
"Let's just mark this moment with some praise to God," I told my kids as I fiddled with the stereo. Isn't that what we do when we feel God's presence? We immediately turn to the mood music to keep it going? Of course it is. One Christian station was playing a lament to teenagers who cut themselves (real song folks, for another time and another post), another was asking "Where my girls at?" and since I was still so rattled by the cutting song and this little Britney Spears wannabe and her misplaced girls, I began to panic. What will I do if I can't find the right music?!
STOP THE MUSIC.
Notice there was no exclamation point. It was almost as if God sighed it into my spirit. STOP THE MUSIC. I already knew what I should do. Instead of fumbling around trying to keep His presence palpable, I should just let it be. He had entered in the silence and HE was enough to fill the space. Praising Him was in itself enough to create the harmony, the melody, and the lyric.
Much has been said in earlier posts about the manufacture of worship. I applaud the spiritual sensitivity of the bloggers for, obviously, God is wanting to adjust our thinking towards His entertainment. Remember that song, "God don't need no matches, He's fire all by his self?" Obviously God don't need no B3 either. The intuitiveness we need...no wait...let me rephrase that. The ANOINTING we need in order to tap into the flow, that something we need in order to pick the perfect song for an altar encounter, is the same anointing we need in order to know when to stop.
I don't want to belabor the point, but I was in a service once where the Holy Spirit was like a haze. The message had been presented and received. It felt like humidity. There was a definate climate change in the room. Music was playing softly. Gentle voices joined in harmonic swells. Surely God was pleased. The mics went off. Hmmm, that was strange? Furrowed eyebrows all around. The Prophet continued to pray for people unhindered. The piano still still tinkling while the base player is heaving sobs and drummer is nowhere to be found. Strange?! The drummer is at the altar! During altar call! The piano player soldiers on...must...still...play...must...keep...going...until wouldn't you know it? POP! goes the system and we are left with nothing but the sound of praying.
It was happening, not in the midst of an Israel Houghton medley with pulsating base and perfectly aligned monitor reception, but in the family sedan crossing the Courtney Campbell Causeway linking Clearwater with Tampa. I was on the cell phone encouraging my very weary-in-well-doing friend of God's richest blessings when I heard a little sniff coming from the backseat. It was abnormally peaceful, considering that my 3 children consider confined spaces hotbeds for rambunctious behaviour. Maybe it was the sun setting over the inter coastal waterway. Whatever it was, it had caused my 7 year-old daughter to contemplate God and He chose that moment to speak to her. Little Sniffy poured her heart out regarding God's message to her and we felt His presence distinctly filter into the vehicle like air through the vents.
"Let's just mark this moment with some praise to God," I told my kids as I fiddled with the stereo. Isn't that what we do when we feel God's presence? We immediately turn to the mood music to keep it going? Of course it is. One Christian station was playing a lament to teenagers who cut themselves (real song folks, for another time and another post), another was asking "Where my girls at?" and since I was still so rattled by the cutting song and this little Britney Spears wannabe and her misplaced girls, I began to panic. What will I do if I can't find the right music?!
STOP THE MUSIC.
Notice there was no exclamation point. It was almost as if God sighed it into my spirit. STOP THE MUSIC. I already knew what I should do. Instead of fumbling around trying to keep His presence palpable, I should just let it be. He had entered in the silence and HE was enough to fill the space. Praising Him was in itself enough to create the harmony, the melody, and the lyric.
Much has been said in earlier posts about the manufacture of worship. I applaud the spiritual sensitivity of the bloggers for, obviously, God is wanting to adjust our thinking towards His entertainment. Remember that song, "God don't need no matches, He's fire all by his self?" Obviously God don't need no B3 either. The intuitiveness we need...no wait...let me rephrase that. The ANOINTING we need in order to tap into the flow, that something we need in order to pick the perfect song for an altar encounter, is the same anointing we need in order to know when to stop.
I don't want to belabor the point, but I was in a service once where the Holy Spirit was like a haze. The message had been presented and received. It felt like humidity. There was a definate climate change in the room. Music was playing softly. Gentle voices joined in harmonic swells. Surely God was pleased. The mics went off. Hmmm, that was strange? Furrowed eyebrows all around. The Prophet continued to pray for people unhindered. The piano still still tinkling while the base player is heaving sobs and drummer is nowhere to be found. Strange?! The drummer is at the altar! During altar call! The piano player soldiers on...must...still...play...must...keep...going...until wouldn't you know it? POP! goes the system and we are left with nothing but the sound of praying.
That's right. The sound of praying.
Hmmmmm...it apparently sounds like music to His ears.
(Happy Friday all! Have a great weekend!)
posted by courtney ballestero at
Thursday, March 06, 2008
3 Comments:
Courtney,
This is the most refreshing post I've read on this blog. Recently at my church we had a prayer conference with Bro. Jeffers and I loved the fact that after just a few minutes of the musicians playing at the opening of altar call, he politely thanked them and dismissed them to pray. Do you think that's really all we need anyway - just some music to sort of set the tone and get things started, but then it's enough? I'll admit that most of the time, I couldn't even tell you what songs were played at altar call - I'm not paying attention to that.
What do you think?
AA
Why is it that we so often feel the need to put a soundtrack to worship? Don't get me wrong. I came into the church in no small part due to some very anointed organ playing by my pastor's wife. But seriously. Why don't we have more of those a cappella worship moments?!! I have heard it said that part of it goes back to the early days of the charismatic movement, when things were getting out of control in some non-Apostolic tongues speaking churches. So to avoid the "out-of-control" wave, you'd just start playing a chorus so things didn't get too out of hand. What a reverse way of thinking. Anyway. Just rambling. Sorry.
There is nothing wrong with music. It was created for God. It was created for worship. But this post is so true, the worship doesn't come out of the music, the worship comes out of a life saturated with passion for Jesus, and music comes out of worship. We can express our feeling for God thru music, but it has to be much deeper than just words on a page, or a melody.
As for the Christian station playing the song about a girl who cuts herself (I assume you are referring to the song by Skillet, "The Last Night"), I am rattled by the fact that you were rattled by the song. I am not trying to be judgmental, but it does bother me when we want all the Christian songs to be about us; "make me feel good". Yes, this song is a real song, and it ministers to real people facing real pain. There are kids out there who don't know what Amazing Grace is all about, or even newer worship songs, which I, myself, love so dearly. But they can understand cutting, and suicidal thoughts, and that there is someone who loves them. The kids aren't just out there, they are in our youth groups as well.
I really enjoyed your post; just had to speak my mind on this one.
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