Why do we lie when we sing?
I am very much guilty of this as well. We had a pastor in Italy that made the comment, “We lie the most when we sing.” It never really hit me until one Sunday we were singing:
“So I'll stand with arms high and heart abandoned
In awe of the one who gave it all
I'll stand my soul Lord to you surrender
All I am is yours”
Guess where my hands were...in my pockets. I sang my heart out but never once lifted a hand. Why?? I know it was because I am afraid of what others would think. We have a very liberal church worship style…no one would care, but I care what other think. So guess what that is doing to my worship…NOTHING, but hindering it. Inside I am jumping for joy and going nuts for God yet on the outside, I stand with my hands in my pockets doing some good harmony with the tunes. Our former worship pastor here told the worship team one Sunday "If you can't sing and MEAN every song we sing on Sunday, please don't sing. I would rather have you not sing, than stand in front of the church and lie to them".
Here is a song that I was singing with on the radio on Friday and it hit me again.
Bring the Rain by Mercyme:
I can count a million times
People asking me how I
Can praise You with all that I've gone through
The question just amazes me
Can circumstances possibly
Change who I forever am in You
Maybe since my life was changed
Long before these rainy days
It's never really ever crossed my mind
To turn my back on you, oh Lord
My only shelter from the storm
But instead I draw closer through these times
So I pray
Bring me joy, bring me peace
Bring the chance to be free
Bring me anything that brings You glory
And I know there'll be days
When this life brings me pain
But if that's what it takes to praise You
Jesus, bring the rain
I am Yours regardless of
The dark clouds that may loom above
Because You are much greater than my pain
You who made a way for me
By suffering Your destiny
So tell me what's a little rain
So I pray
Holy, holy, holy
Is the Lord God Almighty
Let me tell you something, I am still going through an illness that is/was brought on by my Generalized Anxiety Disorder and made worse with attacks from Satan. I may never get over it, just have to learn to accept and learn to live with it. I would have never prayed this “When this life brings me pain, But if that's what it takes to praise You, Jesus, bring the rain”. After having gone through this illness, I can now see what good it has done for me and others. This has helped 3 people directly that I know of. If you would have told me 10+ months this was going to happen, I would have said “No thanks, I can help them another way, I’ll pass”. But it was something that God wanted me to go through. I can remember on the day they did my brain MRI, I changed my prayer from “Heal me God” to “I hope they find spiritual growth in there”. I now sign the song “Bring the Rain” with whole new gusto…I see it as a challenge and triumph now. 1 Corinthians 1:31, 2 Corinthians 10:17, 2 Corinthians 11:30, and 2 Corinthians 12:9, all have the same word for “boasting”, kaucaomai. Per Strong’s Concordance, it means: to glory (whether with reason or without) to glory on account of a thing to glory in a thing.
Am I healed, No. Did I learn something, Yes. I am in Christian counseling for my GAD and learned something great…”God does not promise to give us a pain, free life, but he does promise us that he will be there.”
Monday, May 12, 2008
We lie the most when we sing!
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6 comments:
One of the things you said, just reminded me that we have these misconceptions about God. And one of them is, "That God is going to give me the perfect life." I'd like to know where in the Bible it says that? Sure John 10:10 says, "The thief comes ONLY to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have LIFE, and have it abundantly." I think we translate that as, God is going to give us this good life. From Strongs, the word is ZOE, which translated means, "life real and genuine, a life active and vigorous, devoted to God, blessed, in the portion even in this world of those who put their trust in Christ, but after the resurrection to be consummated by new accessions (among them a more perfect body), and to last for ever."
Gives you a better description of life... don't you think?
Again, I think people get this misconception... as we just heard in church a few weeks ago, that God is in control of everything and that he'll give them this perfect life.
I teach a class on Wednesday nights and we discuss...of all things...worship. I asked a question that goes right along with this.
"What songs do we sing, or specifice lyric phrases do we sing that, if we really believed them we would act, think and ultimately live differently?"
You've posted a couple of great ones already. Here's another one...I surrender all....yeah right."
I just clicked on this blog and instantly realized I was in the danger zone!!!! Waahooooo negative on the flyby!
Way of the Pastor,
Joe Drew
Kirby, you can fight it all you want...avoid talking about it, work your day around it so you stay out of it's way...even tell yourself you want no part of it...but soon and very soon you will have to make a decision...one that we have all had to make...the decision to jump on the bandwagon and have your own ...podcast!!!! The circle will then be complete!
Way of the Pastor,
Joe Drew
Sunday mornings when we sing isn't the only time we are lying. Read Romans 12:1-2 in the Message. Our lives are offerings...worship. When we don't fix our attentiion on God, well we all know what happens. But God is willing to help us...do we allow Him to do that???
I often ask myself, is God crazy? How can he love us and put himself out there like that? That is so huge isn't it? Knowing that he gave angels the choice to be with him, losing a third of them.... and then... allowing us to do the same thing? He is a risk taker to say the least!
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