Worship through song in the church today is a very controversial issue. Each individual church conducts worship through song in a unique way. Whether it is with the traditional hymns accompanied by only an organ, or with a huge choir accompanied by a full orchestra, the styles are innumerable. But, that is what they are – styles. The heart of worship is so much deeper and greater than they type of song song, the instruments used, or the person (or people) leading.
God calls us to worship Him in spirit and in truth (John 4:24). He doesn’t just want us to sing to Him. The song is the means by which we let our guard down and come face to face with the reality that God is God, and I am not, and praise Him for it. It is the means by which we tell Him how grateful we are that He is so much greater than we will ever understand and the eternal results of our lives do not ultimately depend on us. The song is the means by which I draw nearer to my Savior, the creator and lover of my soul.
The way a person prefers to do that is unbelievably diverse. A person’s church should be the place where they come to celebrate, with other believers, who God is. His attributes, His character, His immense love for us. Yet the fight among us is alive and well—HOW do we do this? WHAT type of instruments, songs and leading will allow the congregation to draw near to the Lord and offer Him our praise and thanks? The answers to these questions are undoubtedly not going to satisfy everyone within any given church. There will be those who wish things were more traditional. There will be who think the traditional worship style is boring and stuffy. There will be those who don’t like either, but can’t figure out what it is they do like.
This fight is exhausting. It is tricky, it is never ending, and it is ultimately over secondary things. C.S. Lewis said “You can’t get second things by putting them first. You get second things only by putting first things first.” I believe this is such an important truth. The “first thing” in the fight over worship is the condition of your heart. What is your motive in fighting for your preference? Are you incapable of drawing near to God through a style of worship different than your own? If you do get your way, what was the cost? You can “worship” in your preferred style, but is your heart still right with the Lord? That kind of defeats the purpose, doesn’t it?
I would say, check your heart. Ask the Lord “search [your] heart…see if there is any offensive way in [you]” (Psalm 139:23-24). If you can ask the Lord to help you set aside your preference and draw near to Him in worship through song in a style different than your own, I think you have gained something richer than winning your battle.
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