Remember when we talked about the two epic Songs of Moses here at My Song In The Night? These were meaty, gripping worship songs filled with praise to God and reasons for praising God. In fact, that Deuteronomy 31 song was meant to be gripping in more ways than one. Did you know that the worship lyrics we write, lead and sing can actually become records against us?
- Against worship leaders.
- Against songwriters.
- Against everyone in our congregation who sings along.
God says this:
“Now write down for yourselves this song and teach it to the Israelites and have them sing it, so that it may be a witness for me against them. When I have brought them into the land flowing with milk and honey, the land I promised on oath to their forefathers, and when they eat their fill and thrive, they will turn to other gods and worship them, rejecting me and breaking my covenant. And when many disasters and difficulties come upon them, this song will testify against them, because it will not be forgotten by their descendants. I know what they are disposed to do, even before I bring them into the land I promised them on oath.” So Moses wrote down this song that day and taught it to the Israelites. — Deuteronomy 31:19-22
Woe to any of us who take lightly the words in our songs of praise and worship. Sure, if we are in Christ, then His blood covers every sin. But we can still suffer loss of reward and much pain in this life when we let our hearts get numb and simply “go through the motions” of making music to God — or, when we lack the faith to live the words we’ve written and sung.
When Kristen and I suffered the death of our son Parker last fall, I told you that his birth and death happened to fall on the same day that our church Sojourn held a Baby Dedication. Parents dedicated about 30 children to God, then sang “All I Have Is Yours,” a hymn of offering I wrote with Rebecca Elliott. I said,
One of the challenges of being a worship songwriter occurs when you’re presented with an opportunity to live your words, and prove whether you really meant them or whether it was just a matter of rhyme and meter … can I really surrender everything to God, and even praise Him that “All I have is Yours”?
God’s Word makes radical claims, which seem to be “foolishness” to the world (1 Corinthians 1:23-25). We sing about these claims in our congregations and throughout the week as we listen to worship records or remember the songs from Sunday. Do we really believe them? Can we really believe them? Yes, in the power of the Holy Spirit.
When your faith is tested, when God reminds you of the words you sang to Him, this is the time to say, “Lord I believe — help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24). This is the time to admit our frailty, confess our shortsightedness and ask God to fortify our hearts.
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Thank you for this! I just hope worship leaders won’t continue to choose and write songs with lyrics they “can achieve,” but rather challenge and be challenged by the gospel to live Jesus-like lives!