Worship Through Music

A few years ago, when I was just a babe in Christ, I attended an R.C. Sproul conference in Florida. John MacArthur was one of the guest speakers. I had just started listening to him and getting to know his preaching. They had a question and answer session one evening. Someone asked about Christian music. I don't remember what everyone said but I do remember what John said. The reason I remember it so well is because his response tore my heart out.

I am very grateful for John MacArthur's ministry. I think he is one of the true voices of God for our generation. I grow more in my knowledge of God through his teachings than almost anyone else that I listen to, and I listen to several. But that weekend I was very disappointed in his views of today's Christian music. He didn't really have anything nice to say about the songs of our day. He doesn't see much need or use for them. He likes the old hymns because they are more doctrinally correct. He called today's music 7/11, meaning the sames 7 words sung 11 times over, or something to that effect. And yes, he is correct to some extent. There are some songs like that. There are even some songs played on Christian radio that aren't very correct when it comes to the Scripture, but I would not assume to lump them all together the way John does.

When I first got saved, there were so many songs on KLove, having just discovered that station, which filled my heart with joy unspeakable to sing to my Lord. I can't even imagine the times my heart would have done without the praise, put to words, had it not been for those songs. Even now when I hear the songs I first heard years ago, my heart tenderly melts in memory of singing praise and adoration to my new-found King! And since then there have been literally hundreds of times when I am alone in my apartment, listening to Christian music, and a song comes on that draws me to my knees, and I lift my hands in the air and worship my Lord with singing. I can't imagine life without those songs!

But there came a time, probably between two and three years ago, that I started becoming critical in my spirit to some of the songs I was hearing on Christian radio. I thought they were so silly, stupid actually, if I'm being totally honest. I would think, "What's that got to do with the bible?" Or, "How can that honor Jesus?" I would hear, "Hands up, holler back here, let's get the party in gear. We brought the welcome mat, wherever we go, that's where the party's at!" I would get so nauseated when those fluffy songs came on that had nothing to do with God's glory, or so I thought. I wondered about my mother, when she was battling cancer, if she happened to turn on the station needing to hear something about Jesus, how she would have felt about the "Cartoon Song" and people saying, "Scooby-Dooby-Do-Ya." I truly went through a period of starting to loath some of the Christian music of today.

Then I remember hearing "Big House" by Audio Adrenaline. I couldn't stand that song! I thought it was one of the dumbest, most unimportant songs that had ever been played on Christian radio. What was the point? Where's the "Jesus died on the cross to save sinners from their sins! Praise God" kind of songs? And then I heard a story on KLove about how that song was used mightily in a little girl's life. That little girl was Maria Sue Chapman, Stephen Curtis Chapman's daughter, who was killed when she was hit by a car. I only heard the story once and don't know if I have all the details right but God made sure I got the point!! She was listening to that song one day and came into the kitchen to ask her mommy about it. She wanted to know if that song was something true about heaven. If so, she wanted to go to heaven. So Mary Beth, Stephen's wife, called Stephen into the kitchen to talk to Maria about how she could go to heaven. That was just a short time before her death. I heard that story as I was pulling into the church parking lot on a Sunday morning. Needless to say, I couldn't wait to repent of my sin of such a hard, heartless heart. Who am I to say what God can use to draw people to himself?!!

As God would have it, because He is just that awesome, He lead me to teach kindergarten Sunday school. And guess what song those children LOVED to sing. Yes, Big House! It wasn't too long before my son and I were teaching a kindergarten class and had to select the music for worship time. And of course, Big House was at the top of the list. We would play this little game with the kids where they got to dance around during the verses and then we would stop the music right before it got to the chorus. When the music stopped, the kids had to get in a funny pose. Then, when the music started back up, they would do the hand motions to the chorus. They had so much fun! And guess what happened to my little bitty heart? It grew TEN sizes in the Lord!! The pure joy of watching those precious babies sing about God, even if it was about football in heaven, was marvelous! I think I got more joy out of it than they did, and I know my heart was praising my King every time we sang it.

Here's my point, not every song has to be a spiritual giant to win souls to Christ. Not every song has to be a tear-jerker to give you a spirit of praise for Jehovah God, no matter what age you are. There are some people, when going through the hard trials of life, who need those light-hearted songs more than they need the ones that bring them to their knees in adoration and awe! Who knows what and when and where and how and why, about Christian songs??? GOD KNOWS!

So, as much as I praise the Lord for John MacArthur, I think he is missing out on a huge part of what God is doing though song. Do you find yourself not worshipping the King like you should on Sunday morning because you're not happy with the style of music? STOP! God is not pleased when we refuse to praise Him just because we can't have things our way. How do you think it makes your Savior feel when you harden your heart and refuse to give Him the worship He is due just because you prefer another style of music than that being played? Is your heart so hard and shriveled like mine was? Are you so stubborn that you won't offer your King your adoration because it happens to be traditional music when you prefer contemporary? You grieve Him when you have that prideful hardness in your heart. I know, I have been there. Even if I'm not familiar with a song, I see the words and know that they honor my King. So I sing them with all the love I have for the One who died for me. Can't you give Him that? Just ask God to do a work on your heart. And ask Him to bless someone else through that music being played. Then lift your heart and lift your voice to the One who is worthy of all praise!