It is way too easy to walk into church on a Sunday morning and sing songs without meaning what we sing.
I couldn't count on both my hands the number of times I've been guilty of this. I don't think the structure of our church services is fully to blame for this, but mostly our hearts. We succumb to mediocre Sundays. Just another week, just another service, just another song.
This begs the question: Does our half-hearted singing frustrate God? There is no doubt in my mind that when I sing my thoughtless melodies to the air, I grieve the Spirit of God. The Old Testament tells time and time again of a God chasing after the hearts of the Israelites. He didn't just want their actions, he wanted their hearts to be right. Psalm 51 verse 17 says, "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise." Rather than walking into church like we have better places to be, we should tremble at the knowledge that God has done everything required to save us and bring us back into his family.
As a worship leader, I am often thinking about how to help our congregation worship God. After all, that is the job of a worship leader; to encourage people to worship God, and to choose and play songs that facilitate this. Whilst it is the Holy Spirit's job to inspire us to worship, there are practical things that can help, like songs being in a key that is easy to sing, melodies not being too difficult to sing and not using five new songs on one Sunday. There are also things that we can do as individuals in the congregation to prepare our hearts to worship our great God.
Firstly
As the scriptures say in Matthew 5 verses 23 and 24, consider whether anyone has anything against you. If you have wronged a brother or sister, go and be reconciled to them before offering your worship to God. This is pretty clear. No need to read between the lines. It's a clear instruction from Jesus himself.
Secondly
If possible, set aside some time before you leave for church to sit, read the Bible and wait on God. Let him speak to you and reveal anything hardness of heart or sin that may distract you from worshipping him whole-heartedly. Confess these things and repent of them. We so often stroll into church thinking about our emotions and our complaints. Meanwhile, we neglect to remind ourselves of the very reason we can stand before God in worship: The gospel of Jesus Christ! By spending time in the Word of God before church, we position ourselves under his authority and under the loving arm of our Father. We can remind ourselves of the gospel; what Jesus has done for us, despite our sinful condition.
Thirdly
When you're in church, I find it helpful to close my eyes and listen to the words being sung rather than just jumping in and singing. This helps me to reflect on God's goodness and grace in my life and causes my own heart to then sing. The Holy Spirit inspires me to worship as I come with an open heart, not a closed heart.
Lastly
It is most helpful to understand that worship is not about you. We, myself included, are self-centred and self-obsessed. This is our sinful state, the core of our beings that seeps in and affects not just the way we relate to other Christians, but the way we approach our God. We often enter church with an agenda of what we want from God, based on how we're feeling at the time and what we're facing.
Whilst I'm not saying that we can't bring our emotions or personal struggles to the throne of God, I'm aware that these are often what determine whether or not we mindfully worship God on Sundays at church. Here's the truth: God is worthy to be worshipped no matter what emotion you're experiencing or situation you're facing. Bring these things to him when you come into a service, but don't let them rule your heart.
The Bible calls us to, "in view of God's mercy, offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to the Lord, for this is your spiritual act of worship" (Romans 12 verse 1). Worship is a stance we have before God every single day. It should not be limited to singing a bunch of songs on a Sunday morning. Ultimately, if your goal is to be a disciple of Jesus and offer him your body every day, you will need to know more and more of the grace he offers you.
Funnily enough, understanding more of the grace he offers you will lead you to want to give every single day to him as your spiritual act of worship. Jesus is so worthy of all of our heartfelt, mindful praise.
Sarah Young is completing her Masters in Clinical Psychology and loves spending time engaging with young people. She spends her spare time writing songs, running and going on adventures with her husband, James.
Sarah Young's previous articles may be viewed at www.pressserviceinternational.org/sarah-young.html