In Tune With the Spirit

A few weeks ago i led worship at a small church in bellevue there I lead about once a month.   They are such sweet people who love the Lord and have a deep sence of fellowship.    I found myself at the end of the service, feeling rather discouraged however, at the lack of response during the worship time. Afterwards I thought about it, and even with a few small technical difficulties, the songs flowed well, people sang along, and I checked all the right worship boxes.   Yet somehow it still seemed to fall flat.     I know the Lord can work in our weakness and I pray He moved in ways i could not see....but afterwards i could not help but feel as though i had walked through motions that led nowhere.    I always try to go into each worship time, weather I am leading or not, with the mindset that worship is not a performance but rather a time of reflecting, rejoicing, listening, and honoring the Lord.   It is a time for Him to speak, for Him to move, and for us to lift His name.    But....like anything else we do often enough, it can become habitual.  It can become, over rehearsed.  As I sat down and Pastor Chuck began to speak, I heard the Lord gently and lovingly say that while my intensions were pure, i had walked in that morning with an expectation.    Not an expectation of His presence, but rather, an expectation for the experience itself.     Instead of surrendering to His plan and purpose...instead of trusting Him to move.   Worship that morning for me was, a practiced procedure of sorts.    

My dear friend Cherie and i recently got together with another friend of mine, Shay, to write a song.   She had recorded the melody into her phone and then played it for Shay so that he could figure out what key it should be in.  After playing the first few lines, he started plunking out notes on his keyboard.   After a minute, struggling to find the right key, I started to wonder what was going on, then he said "Cherie you sang that in between two keys!", She said "What do you mean?" He answered " You are literally in between two keys...perfectly on pitch with yourself but not actually in a real key" We had a good laugh and adjusted the key to the right place, but later i got to thinking....that happems sometimes when we lose site of the Lord.   We become less aware of His presence when we don't consciously engage with Him each time we enter into His presence.    We sing, the words are all there, the music is there, we may even raise our hands, or clap to the rhythm.   But the pitch is slightly off.   Not quite centered, not quite on point.       

I was reading through Luke recently and read this passage in chapter 18 

35 As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging.36 When he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening. 37 They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.”

38 He called out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

39 Those who led the way rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

40 Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him. When he came near, Jesus asked him, 41 “What do you want me to do for you?”

“Lord, I want to see,” he replied.

42 Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has healed you.”43 Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, praising God. When all the people saw it, they also praised God

"Those who led the way" probably thought they were singing right in tune.    They were so enthusiastically following Christ, walking through the motions, leading the way with confidence and authority, but so blinded to the heart of Christ.   To those in need.  To the movement of the Holy Spirit.   I can picture in my mind that they were so consumed with their own agenda that when Jesus stopped to help the blind man, they kept right on going, not even looking behind to see that He had stopped.    Yet the blind man....after fighting to be seen, fighting to be heard, upon receiving His site, did not run ahead to the front of the line, but instead the Bible tells us that he, "followed Jesus".  I imagine...Filled with tremendous joy and gratitude. 

About a week later, I played at the Hope Center, Nashville Rescue Missions Ladies Campus.    Instead of my normal preparation and planning.   I planned nothing.  I felt unprepared and nervous.  The whole way there I prayed that the Lord would have His way.  I played down my agenda and simply said, Lord use me however you want to tonight.    And as I sat down to start playing, the presence of the Lord fell like a blanket over the room.    As I sang each song He whispered to me what the next song should be, and what to say in between. I was able to minister and lead those ladies in worship and it was entirely the Lord and His glorious presence.    I was simply a vessel.     So my prayer now, is this.  Lord, I lay down my agenda.   Use me however you want to.   Move however you desire.  Do Lord, what You want to do....whatever it looks like, whatever that means.    

As worship leaders, we are called not to "lead the way" but rather to "follow Jesus".   And in doing so, help others to also follow Jesus.    But we have to first be in tune with the Holy Spirit....listening and singing in the key He is playing.