Worship Matters – Part 3

The next excerpt in the series from Worship Matters deals with skills. Keep in mind, Kauflin is not undervaluing skill and development, he is merely placing it in its proper place:

While God values skill, he doesn’t accept our worship on the basis of it. Even if I can play the most complex chord progressions, write better songs than Matt Redman, or play a song flawlessly, I still need the atoning work of the Savior to perfect my offering of worship (1 Peter 2:5).

We worship leaders can struggle with discouragement when we miss an entrance, play a wrong chord, or forget the lyrics. We can feel elated when everything goes well. But God isn’t listening to the sound of our music of the quality of our performance. He’s hearing the sound of our hearts.

Years ago I heard a pastor say, “God isn’t looking for something brilliant; he’s looking for something broken.” We’ll never impress God with our musical expertise or sophistication. What impresses God is “a broken and contrite heart” (Psalm 51:17) that recognizes our weakness and puts our faith in the finished work of Christ.

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Valuing skill to highly can yield some ugly fruit. It becomes an idol. We arrogantly think our church’s worship is better than the church down the street. We over-rehearse and get impatient when others make mistakes. We minimize spiritual preparation and devote ourselves entirely to musical issues. We evaluate failure or success solely on the right tempos, in-tune vocals, and well-executed plans. We take pride in our polished performance rather than being humbled by God’s mercy.

After a time of corporate worship, I’m always a little disappointed when someone says, “I loved your keyboard plaing!” I don’t want them to even focus on my playing, except as it helps them see God’s character and works more clearly as we sing.

God wants us to realize that the point of our practice isn’t to receive the praise of others. It’s to bring him glory.