He Are Not Here for God but God is Here for Us

       When we gather and worship God, we needed to be careful with the words we are singing. Sometimes there are lyrics that say,"we are here for God." The reason for being there for someone means that that person is not able to do things his or herself and needs assistance. God is all powerful and doesn't need assistance from us. He does not need our worship either but he enjoys it. Therefore, when we praise the Lord, it is important to remember that we are not here for God but rather, his is here for us. We praise him because he is good and he has delivered us.
   I am humbled by this statement that God doesn't need our worship, though he does delight in it. When ever I am taking time to serve, I say that I'm doing it for the Lord. I didn't literally mean that I was doing something because God is unable to. But now I realize that I need to make sure what I'm saying is truth. It also gives me a new perspective on serving. I do it to show others God's love. I also do it so I can grow in faith and in my relationship with Christ.

Get Off the Platform

When we are up front leading the congregation in worship we sometimes mistaken it as a performance. It is very easy for us to creat platforms for ourselves especially when leading hundreds of people in worship. It is by our human nature that we see ourselves this way even if we intentionally want to be selfless before a congregation. There is a process we can use to both humble our hearts and still be able to have that authority when worshiping. We first need to be available for God to use us, then let him provide the opportunities. We strengthen our gifts by experience and by observing other worship leaders we look up to. In order to be humble before the congregation, we must spend time in silence with God, recalling times of trouble where He has shaped us. Cherish these times with God. We gain authority when spending time in God's word and continuing with the moments with God in silence. When we grow in that authority, leading worship becomes less of a performance and more of a service to the Lord.
         Being a performer, I struggle with separating worship from a production. I put pressure on myself to make the presentataion perfect. I am concerned that there will be an issue or malfunction during a song. I don't want to feel this way. I would like to lead worship with out these thoughts interfering. The mind set of getting off the platform will relieve me nervousness because God is taking control. He will be the one on the platform. Spending time with the Lord in silence and reading his word more often will humble me and establish the authority in worship leading.