The King's Joy

As we have looked at Psalm 40, part of which is the basis for our worship theme for the year, we have seen - The King's Pit, The King's Cry, The King's Patience, The King's Rescue and The King's Song.  In verse 4 we find the King's Joy!  "Oh the joys of those who trust the Lord, who have no confidence in the proud or in those who

worship idols." (Psalm 40:4)

Once delivered and given a new song, a simple single-minded confidence in God is the sure way to true joy.  A person may be as poor as Lazarus, as hated as Mordecai, as sick as Hezekiah, or as lonely as Elijah, but as long as he keeps his confidence and faith in God outward afflictions cannot keep him from true joy.

Also, there is to be no confidence in the proud.  The proud are those who expect people to bow down and worship them in their deceptions, worldliness, and pleasure seeking.  Our Lord was ever the truth and the lover of truth.  The father of lies, deception, and idolatries had no part in Him.  We must never pay homage to false teachers, time robbers, or those who live for worldly pleasures.  

Judged by this verse "happy" persons could be the reverse of joyful persons.  They put their trust and confidence in the purse, place in the world and wealth establishment.  They allow pleasure and circumstances to establish their happiness.  Joy is not "happeness".  The King's Joy is wholly found in Him, with a single-eyed confidence in Him no matter what is around us in the world.  It is in that Joy that we worship the one true God, as opposed to worshipping the idols of this world.  mjm

The King's Song

Well, so far in Psalm 40 we have seen - The King's Pit, The King's Cry, The King's Patience, The King's Rescue and in verse 3 we see The King's Song and the King's Influence.

Verse 3 says, "He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God.  Many will see and fear (see what He has done and be amazed) and put their trust in the Lord."

We are literally commanded to "sing this new song" some nine times in Scripture.  The "new song" is the song of the redeemed.  It is the song of Jesus.  He is the "new song".  New song indicates a new beginning, a radical change from what came before. Out of deliverance we sing the new song. It is a song of praise.  And praise is from a source meaning "to be clear".  It is not the confusing sound of the Israelites as Moses came down off the mountain and they were worshipping other gods.  It is a clear sound of praise for the one true God.  Everything God touches becomes new and glorious.

There are three reasons for this new song in our mouths.  First, because God heard our prayers; second because God, through the power of the blood of the Lamb, brings us out of the pit of our sin and depravity.  And thirdly because God, by His Word, strengthens our faith in the great Rock: Jesus Christ our Lord.  

When God puts this new song in our mouths, His purpose is not just our benefit but also the benefit of others through us.  Our song is not the stopping place of the mercy of God.  God desires that we sing others into the kingdom.  How?

Many will see and fear and put their trust in God.  What do they see?  They see people who, contrary to human nature, are humble in times of distress, who never lose hope and bank completely on God.  They see something real, genuine, authentic that rings true in the human heart.  When the world sees our hope in Him by the grace of God many will make that final move and trust in the Lord.  The song of the rescued saints points others to Him for salvation!  We are to be faithful in singing the new song of grace with that shimmering hope and praise seen in our eyes, on our faces, and from our hearts!  So, that's the King's song and influence.  mjm

Out of the Pit

We continue looking at Psalm 40, now moving to verse 2.  "He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire.  He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along." We need to always remember from where we have come.  The literal meaning of this passage indicates "a pit of noise".  The noise of our doubts and fears about our eternal state boiled up within us before we were rescued by the Lord.  Another rendering is "a pit of tumult or uproar".  At the bottom of the pit there was nothing for us to stand on.  In the pit we were facing desperation and danger without the Lord.  This is also a picture of our Lord Jesus bearing the terrible curse in His own person because of our sin.  We, like our Lord, were cast into the lowest pit of shame and sorrow, only to be rescued by faith - rising to stand on the same elevation of the sure and everlasting rock of divine favor, just as our Lord Jesus.

This was our position by nature and we are rescued by grace.  We find three things in verse 2. First is the act of God in resurrection as He brings us up.  Second, our feet are set upon a rock, alive from the dead, upon the basis of accomplished truth.  Third, we are set on the path of life in Christ Jesus our Lord.  We are given the feet of hope and faith.  His goodness establishes our goings. Our goings refer both to our past and future.  

We are rescued from the pit so that we can proclaim His goodness.  David is making sure that God gets all the praise as we remember from whence we came - out of the pit, the mud, and the mire.   From the pit to the rock.  From the mire to the choir.  We are placed on the solid rock of Jesus Christ so that we can sing the new song of praise to Him!  Having gone from victim to victory in Christ Jesus...we sing - Hallelujah!  mjm

Waiting and Crying Out

I want to spend some time on each verse in Psalm 40: 1-3 as we think on this for our worship theme for the year.  Verse 1 states - "I waited patiently for the Lord; He inclined to me and heard my cry."  We see right in the beginning of this Psalm that our part is praying and waiting before the Lord.  That should be the position of our hearts as we approach worship.  We approach in faith that He will help and deliver because of the redemption and restoration we have experienced in Him. 

We see here a persistence in praying.  We should be persistent in praying by faith with an attitude of servanthood.  It is the servant's persistent praying and being willing to wait for His answer.  We need to crave patience to abide in His good will.  There is a strong admonition in the waiting.

Jesus is our example and is pictured here as He waited before the Lord in His suffering, knowing that His Father would eventually deliver Him.  He expected help and waited until it came.   He was patient and willing to finish the work which His Father had given Him to do.  

We must learn from Him that when God doesn't answer on our time table, it doesn't mean He has rejected our prayer.  

Let us arm ourselves with the mind of Christ in patience, armed with prayer and the expectation through faith, maintaining the Holy War of Worship!  mjm

Many Will See and Fear

The theme for this year of Worship in our church and for our Worship Choir is - "Many Will See and Fear".  It is taken from the first part of Psalm 40. I want to offer a very brief synopsis of the first  few verses of the Psalm.

WORSHIP THROUGH REPENTANCE AND PRAYER (v. 1) "I waited patiently for the LORD to help me, and He turned to me and heard my cry."

WORSHIP THROUGH REDEMPTION AND RESTORATION (v. 2)  "He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire.  He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along."  

WORSHIP THROUGH REJOICING (v. 3a) "He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God."

WORSHIP THROUGH RESULTS (v. 3b) "Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the LORD."

One might say, God showed him up to his need, God brought him up, God stood him up, God tuned  him up, and God showed him up to a world in their need!  

The world has to see us sing and worship in the midst of our own trials and difficulties of life, then they will fear and put their trust and hope in Him! A healthy fear of the one true God comes before hope and trust.  "Many will see and fear" is the result of a worshipping people!  mjm

Worship Leading Choir - The Committed

Worship-Leading Choirs are made up of those who have committed their time and talent to leading the people of God to the throne of God for the glory of God! That commitment includes the following  truths:

We don't sing because we are good.  (Ephesians 2:4-10)  God calls us to sing and lead others to sing because He is good.  His grace allows us the opportunity to lead others to Him in spite of our imperfections.

To be seen or noticed is never our goal.  (Psalm 40:3)  Yes, God knows and recognizes us, but our goal is for Christ to be seen and glorified.

We are not called to be stars.  (II Corinthians 4:5)  The moment we try to take the rightful place of Christ, we become a liability.  He must be first place in everything and He must be the star.

Our success will not be determined by our music.  (Philippians 1:9-11)  Lots of people can sing.  The Lord once made a donkey talk.  The Biblical definition of greatness is that attitude of servanthood.

God is a God of order, not confusion.  (John 4:24)  We should hold one another accountable according to the needs and purpose of the worship ministry.  Structure and order is important in giving our best to God, not only in our personal lives, but also in our worship.  Everything we do in worship must be done in spirit and in truth, within Biblical guidelines.

God always deserves our best.  (Matthew 5:16)  The Lord gave His best in Christ.  Our worship gives back to Him our best.  That means all of us getting proper rest, rehearsing faithfully and passionately; always offering up to Him our best offering of praise.

As participants in this ministry we are ministers, making us recipients of God's goodness but also Satan's attack.  (II Corinthians 4:1-6)  We should always be aware that we are involved in spiritual warfare.  God showed us in the Old Testament that singing is a precursor to victory!

Commitment seems to be a "dirty" word in our culture today.  But as we see from Scripture there is commitment involved in being part of a worship-leading choir.  Pray that many will commit.  mjm

Intercession for our Worship Leading Choir

Prayer is absolutely central to the worship-leading ministry of our worship choir.  Choir members need to pray for one another and enlist others to pray for the ministry of the worship choir and the worship in our church.  There is a difference between prayers for the physical and prayers for the spiritual. Unfortunately we usually spend more time and effort on prayers for physical needs rather than prayer for spiritual needs.

Here are some hints from Scripture of how we can pray for spiritual needs. In Ephesians 1:18-19 we see that our prayers should result in the choir gaining greater wisdom and power.  It is paramount that as the choir leads in worship we have an understanding of the greatness of God's power, the very power that raised Christ from the dead.  Chapter 3 of Ephesians shows us that our prayers can result in inner strength, a better knowledge of Christ's love becoming complete with all the fulness of life and power that comes from our Lord.  

Then in Philippians 1 we are challenged to pray that our love will overflow more and continue to grow in spiritual discernment and understanding, praying that we will live lives of righteous character.  I Thessalonians 3  tells us to pray that the Lord will make our love for one another and for all people grow into overflowing.  Second Thessalonians 3 goes on to instruct us to pray for a full understanding and expression of God's love and patient endurance that comes from Christ.  Finally for this discussion, we should pray for one another and our worship choir that He might equip us with all we need to accomplish His will, and through the power of Christ produce that which is pleasing to Him.

We need prayer warriors both inside and outside the choir because there is great power in prayer.  If we are faithful to pray we will see a great rise in the presence and power of God evident in our worship.  mjm

Worship Leading Choir - The Called

After all these years of serving in music ministry I am still convinced by Scripture that those who lead worship in the worship-leading choir are not volunteers - they are called!  Through the Word we are called to serve the Lord in many different ways.  We always have the choice of whether we will be obedient to that calling.  We must be willing to be obedient and commit to the calling of God on our lives, dedicating time and talent to the glory of God through service.  

I believe God is looking for those who will commit to serve in the worship-leading choir of our church, as well as in others.  The only real requirement of the servant is faithfulness to that which God calls us.  That faithfulness takes us through good times, hard times, victories and failures.  It keeps us going in both the exciting and the mundane.  We come to live and breath that which God calls us to.

II Chronicles 16:9 says, "For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro through the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His . . ."  The Message basically says that God is always on the alert and on the lookout for people who are totally committed to Him.  

As I pray for new folks to join our ranks in worship leadership I believe with all my heart God is on the move and on the lookout for those who will obey and commit to leading worship in our gathered worship as a church.  Please join me in praying that God will raise up more committed worship leaders from amongst us -  for His Glory!   There's a difference between volunteering and being called!   mjm

2 Chronicles 20 Worship

Jehoshaphat as been told that a great multitude are coming against him in battle.  And what does he do immediately?  He seeks the Lord and prays.  

PRAYER precedes worship in this passage as it should in our church worship.  He and the people acknowledge their need of the Lord and the Lord says, "Don't be afraid . . . for the Lord is with you!"  This is the whole reason for the prayer ministry of our worship-leading choir and why we have asked others in our congregation to join us as "worshipping prayer warriors" in praying specifically for the worship services of our church.  We have seen even this week God answer a protracted prayer by the choir for one's salvation.  Prayer precedes worship.

OBEDIENCE comes after prayer as we read in this chapter.  God tells them they will not need to fight the battle and, for them to "position themselves, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord." Now they had a multitude coming against them and God basically says do nothing, except depend totally on me.  That took some real obedience on their part.  

WORSHIP becomes the result of the prayer and the obedience as we see both Jehoshaphat and the people bow before the Lord and worship.  And then, in their worship the Levites stood up to give glory and praise to the Lord in loud voices!

VICTORY is the great final part of great worship.  The next morning Jehoshaphat appoints those who would sing to the Lord to go out ahead of the army.  Wow, what confidence in victory has come out of worship!  They sang, "Praise the Lord, for His mercy endures forever!"  And when they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes against the enemy and they were defeated.  That's right, the choir was set out ahead of the army to announce the victory of the Lord!  Hallelujah!  

We need to see in our own lives this worship process as described in this passage.  Prayer - Obedience - Worship - Victory!  That is 2 Chronicles 20 Worship.  mjm