Have you ever found yourself feeling a bit hypocritical
while singing a song or hymn in a time of worship? Maybe it was during a phrase like, “all to
Jesus I surrender, all to Him I freely give” or “take my life and let it be
consecrated”, “take my silver and my gold, not a mite would I withhold, or
“break my heart for what breaks yours.”
If you are anything like me, these invitations to God’s activity in our
lives can feel pretty drastic, if not downright impossible to live up to. I give ALL to Jesus? Really?
Has that ever been true? Even
within a 24 hour day?
So what do we do with this language of ours? What can we rightfully say in times of worship that won’t discredit us right
out of the gate before an all-knowing God?
Think of the words to this familiar contemporary worship song, From the Inside Out. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZ-fghqc8Oo
A thousand times I've
failed, still Your mercy remains
And should I stumble again still I'm caught in Your grace
Everlasting,
Your light will shine when all else fades
Never-ending, Your glory goes beyond all fame
Your will above all
else my purpose remains
The art of losing myself in bringing You praise
Everlasting,
Your light will shine when all else fades
Never-ending, Your glory goes beyond all fame
In my heart in my
soul, Lord I give You control
Consume me from the inside out, Lord
Let justice
and praise become my embrace
To love You from the inside out
Joel Houston (© 2005 Hillsong Music
Publishing Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing)
We are drawn in by the utter honesty of the opening
verse: God, I’ve failed you a thousand times, only to run headlong into your
mercy. And when I stumble again, Your
arms of grace are sure to catch me. Who wouldn’t want to worship this
God? But then it begins to get a bit more
dicey. My highest purpose remains to do your will; to lose myself in living a
life of worship. And then, as any
good prayer will do, it takes us still deeper:
From the deepest place and part of
me, God, I relinquish control of my life.
Do whatever it takes, to the point of consuming whatever remains impure
or ill-conceived in me.
Is what we say and sing in worship really such a big deal? After all, aren’t they just songs? Centuries
ago, King Solomon wrote this caution when contemplating the discourse of our
worship:
Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Go near to listen
rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do
wrong. Do not be quick with your mouth,
do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven
and you are on earth, so let your words be few.
As a dream comes when there are many cares, so the speech of a fool when
there are many words. When you make a
vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill
your vow. It is better not to vow than
to make a vow and not fulfill it. Do not
let your mouth lead you into sin. Much
dreaming and many words are meaningless. Therefore stand in awe of God. Ecclesiastes 5
Solomon is not
saying never make a vow. He is saying weigh what you say. God
takes it seriously. Whether
you’re praying or singing, say what you mean.
Mean what you say. But sometimes
when responding to the virtues of God, we are tempted to quickly rush in with
promises, using words to write checks that our hearts can’t cash, so to speak. This is a natural part of falling deeper in
love with someone. As feelings
intensify, so does our love language. But
vows move us beyond contemplation or even good intentions. They are a commitment to action. Solomon’s
caution: less is more.
The business world, in fact, prods us to move from theory
and idea to an action step or a business plan. Peter Drucker said it this way: “There is no correlation between potential and performance.” In other
words, what we are capable of doing
and what we actually do are not the
same thing. That may be true in the marketplace,
but when it comes to the interactions between fallen sinners and a Holy God in
worship, God starts with the heart.
Thank God! The Psalmist says, “The Lord has compassion
on those who fear Him. He knows how we are formed and remembers that we are
dust.” (Ps. 103:13, 14)
When we offer
ourselves to God, we are stating our great desire
to give ourselves completely. And we
ask for His help in fulfilling those vows.
Our Maker knows that every habit we develop began with an action,
and every action began with an intention, and every intention began with a
conviction. So long before our making a
vow, the Holy Spirit is at work to inspire or convict us to want to change and
then to help us begin taking steps along that journey.
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