My daughter, Nicky, asked me the other day for some tips on how to lead worship. Apparently she had been asked by her pastoral leader to lead their prayer group into worship during a forthcoming prayer meeting.
I know the feeling of anxiety when someone is asked to lead others into worship. Many years ago (several decades actually) when I was first invited to do this, I felt confident I knew what to do; after all, I had seen many others do it before, and I thought it was just a simple matter of saying a few opening statements, and then cut into singing and jubilant praise and have the music ministry take over. In other words, I didn’t prepare.
And so on the day of the prayer meeting, the moment the microphone was handed to me, I suddenly felt at a loss for words. I don’t remember what I said, but soon enough I got everyone to stand up, and we began singing our first worship song. I just closed my eyes and joined them in the praise song, trying to feel praise-y. My hands were held up, my voice was singing, while beads of sweat were streaming down my face. My nervous thoughts were on things like “what am I going to say next?” “What should our next song be?” and so on. I was literally winging it, and I was in a panic, to be honest. Then I took a peek at the participants who were standing around me, and I saw that they were all joyfully singing praises to the almighty God, rejoicing in His goodness, and extolling His wonderful Name.
I realized, “this isn’t about me, or my thoughts, this is all about God, about who He is, and what He has done.”
I’m certain that the Lord has forgiven me that foolish pride, and by His Spirit, has given me wisdom and fruitful experience, to begin anew. Glory be to our God of second chances!
Back to my daughter Nicky. So, I shared with her some of my thoughts about what I thought worship is, what I personally wanted if someone were to encourage me to go into worship, and how I myself would prepare for it (properly this time) on those occasions that I have been invited to lead a prayer group into worship. I put my thoughts into some sort of outline, and I’d like to share that outline here with you.
I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Eph 3:16-19
Thanks Kuya Eddie. Another helpful teaching. The tips are very good.