Twenty-five plus years of leading worship has done one thing in my heart for sure. As a rule, it takes more than just a good series of chords to move the needle of my affections. At this point, I’ve heard them all. But there are days when I listen to a song, and I hear a bass lick, or the organ slide in, or whatever, and it hits me deep inside. Makes me shake my head, get a little stank face, and say, “Ooooh, that’s nice!”
Music moves us. The question in church becomes, “How much should music move us?” I have likely spent months of my life since 2001 reading the varied opinions on this subject. I grew up in a very guarded church culture regarding this question. But even as a child, I noticed something. The corporate worship during church was fairly solemn, but if we had a gospel group come and do a “singin” with us, that solemnity would lift somewhat, and people would respond to the music. I mean, don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t a Pentecostal, shuck-the-carpet, let-loose response, but it was clearly different. What was the difference? Well, when you throw in a few more instruments and a few more voices leading the congregation, there’s a different response.
I’m arguing here that it’s not only normal but also biblical for music to move us. I’ve worshiped in megachurches and small churches, with bands and lights, pianos and organs, and even with Mennonites who don’t use instruments at all. One thing remains consistent across all of them: when done skillfully, worship music moves your heart’s affections toward Jesus. Let’s start there: skillfully done.
Skillful musicians make a difference.
“Sing to him a new song; play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.” – Psalm 33:3
This message is for worship leaders, song directors, musicians, and vocalists. Sharpen your skills. Don’t settle for “good enough.” Playing skillfully means you’ve refined your talent. Practice. Don’t just show up. Put in some time beforehand. Your efforts to improve your craft benefit everyone else in the room. Now, this isn’t an invitation for shredding guitar solos or spicy vocal runs in every lull or anything like that. Skill doesn’t need a spotlight. But combined skills will definitely uplift the entire room. When the tide rises, every boat rises with it.
Notice the last phrase of that verse, “with loud shouts.” Skillfully done worship encourages everyone to raise their voices. Loud shouts aren’t happening in a vacuum. They occur alongside skillful musicians. The congregation becomes more boisterous in worship when the worship leaders are doing their ministry well. Is that a promise? No, but a lack of skill will distract just as much as an overcooked drum solo. Maximum participation happens with skillful musicians.
Music is meant to shift the attitudes of our hearts.
“’But now bring me a musician.’ And when the musician played, the hand of the LORD came upon him.” – 2 Kings 3:15
This verse comes from a famous scene in 2 Kings. Jehoram, king of Israel and son of Ahab, asked Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, for help in fighting the Moabites. Jehoshaphat agreed, and they marched together for seven days. At the end of those days, there was no water. Jehoshaphat asked if there was a prophet of the Lord through whom they could inquire for guidance. Jehoram told him Elisha was nearby.
When they arrived at Elisha’s house, Elisha was indignant to see Jehoram. He had issues with the king of Israel for continuing to do evil in the Lord’s sight. In fact, the only reason he agreed to meet with them was that he had regard for Jehoshaphat. Elisha was clearly upset that Jehoram was bothering him.
To get his heart right, he summoned a musician. When the musician played, Elisha’s heart softened, and the “hand of the Lord came upon him.” This illustrates an important principle. Worship music should shift your heart and influence your emotional state. Elisha began feeling indignant, but the music changed his attitude so that the Lord could speak through him.
Take note: this isn’t a new approach. Elisha didn’t just come up with this on the spot. Music had been playing a significant role in Israel’s prophetic life for a long time! The band of prophets in 1 Samuel 10 comes down the hill with harp and lyre, and the temple musicians in 1 Chronicles 25 prophesy with lyres, harps, and cymbals. The music wasn’t just a mood enhancement tool. Music had been reliably tied to prophetic ministry time and time again in Israel’s story. The Holy Spirit had a track record of moving along with the ministry of musicians.
That challenges the idea that we shouldn’t let music “manipulate” our feelings. Perhaps manipulate isn’t the best word, but if the prophet Elisha knew instinctively that a musician could change his emotional state to something the Lord could use, then on what grounds can we argue that worship music shouldn’t be used to alter our emotional states? I am completely comfortable saying that I need my heart shifted during worship. I need to sense a tangible change in my affections toward Christ when we gather. Why? Because I know there’s nothing good in my flesh. I know that whatever state I walked in with isn’t the peak of my experience with the Lord. I need to be uplifted. I need encouragement. I need to be pulled out of the miry clay.
So did Elisha. And he didn’t just stop, drop, and read the Scriptures, though there’s nothing wrong with that. He didn’t call for a scribe to recite the Torah, which he could have done. Instead, he called for a musician.
Music conditions our minds.
“Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever. Give thanks to the God of gods, for his steadfast love endures forever. Give thanks to the Lord of lords, for his steadfast love endures forever;” – Psalm 136:1-3
One criticism of modern worship music is that it’s too repetitive. That criticism is short-sighted and forgets about hymns and psalms that use repetition. Sometimes, the criticism goes further, claiming that the repetitive nature of these songs is like mantras used to condition the mind. Yes, it is. What they see as a flaw, I see as a feature.
Across all genres, music is mind conditioning. It is by design, and the Lord knows this. He uses that design feature in the Psalms. Psalm 136 is the most repetitive Psalm in the entire Psalter. The hymn “Blessed Be the Name,” to my recollection, is the most repetitive hymn in the hymnal. Yet Psalm 136 is included in Scripture, and “Blessed Be the Name” has been sung regularly in countless churches. No one criticizes those for sounding like mantras that influence our minds!
Worship requires repetition because our hearts and minds need to be conditioned to His praise. As the hymn says, “tune my heart to sing thy praise.” Whether you say “tune my heart” or “condition my heart,” the idea is the same. Worship music should be used to shape the heart through repetition. This happens within a song’s lyrics, through the regular use of familiar songs in our liturgies, and regardless of the critics, we repeat the same phrases, passages, creeds, psalms, and lyrics again and again so that our hearts will be tuned—conditioned—to His praises.
Music must be shepherded.
“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” – Philippians 4:8
Since music does condition us, we must choose our playlists carefully. This is true across the board in all our musical selections, especially in worship, whether private or corporate. People don’t recite sermons to themselves. They sing in the shower. They whistle while they work. Make sure that the music you use in worship speaks truth to your heart. This involves discipline. You need to know the Word. If you don’t know the Word, you won’t recognize truth when you hear it. Sadly, much of what passes as worship music is very “I” centered. Let me explain.
There are two types of “I” songs that pass for worship. I will categorize them with two phrases that largely represent the attitudes of each category. You have “I bless the Lord” songs and “I’m gonna get my blessing” songs. The Psalms are littered with the “I bless the Lord” type songs, and they’re perfectly acceptable. Songs that express our love and devotion to the Lord – I bless the Lord – are good and shouldn’t be shunned. Songs that have the “I’m gonna get my blessing” attitude are more tuned to receiving blessings than offering blessings. I’m not going to list examples; I’m just going to give you these metrics to do some of your own testing as you listen.
Do your best to worship with songs that contain truth-filled lyrics. Songs that are declaring who God is and what He’s done. Songs that tell the truth about your love for Jesus. Songs that point us toward true belief, true affections, and a true experience of the Lord. Those are the songs that should shift us, change our emotions, and elevate our experience of the Spirit’s presence in our gatherings.
