Dear Worship Leader, time in HIS presence will always trump time in practice!
The amount a worship leader (WL) spends in the presence of Jesus must always out weigh the amount of time that they spend practicing. As great as musicianship is, it is NOT what makes you a better worship leader, being in His presence is. Allow me to explain.
1.) Become familiar with the destination
If our responsibility is to lead people into the presence of God to worship Him we must be intimately acquainted with the destination we desire to lead people. One reason that a WL may have trouble leading people into His presence is because they don’t know how to get there-you can’t take someone somewhere you have no clue how to get to. The more familiar you become with your destination the more efficient you will become with leading people there. This is why time in His presence will always trump time practicing. Because ultimately we as WL’s aren’t just trying to “woo” people with musical excellence, although that important, we are trying to lead them into His presence.
2. Turn your bedroom into a sanctuary
Listen, I’m gonna be very frank with this one. If you can’t lead yourself into the presence of God in your bedroom by yourself you have NO business attempting to lead anyone else there on any stage. We can’t be people that only seek the stage but never seek his presence in the secret place. If it is not already in your weekly routine as a WL I encourage you to spend some time alone with your guitar, piano, or whatever you use to worship, and just worship Jesus for who He is and what He has done-ALL BY YOURSELF!!! Remember, the secret place prepares you for the public place.
3. Get in the Word
WL’s can’t just be full of other people words (the songs we sing) we must be full of His word! Daily devotions is a must! Spending daily time in His word fills us up in a way that no practice could ever fill us up! I love the Life Journal reading plan. Get you some OT, Psalms, and NT. As a bonus it also gets you through the whole Bible in one year. Remember when it comes to reading His word to get in His presence it not always about digging deeper but digging daily.
Hopefully as you have read this you have heard my heart. I value musical excellence and quality but at the end of the day no matter how “excellent” you music is, it will always be found EMPTY if you yourself are not filled with Him!
Cody! GREAT thoughts. And I believe these apply to every Christ-follower — because as we spend time in His presence we become empowered to lead those around us closer to His redemptive grace. Some lead through music and song, others through service and sacrifice, others through teaching and sharing story. And none of that will be worth much if we’re doing it in our own power and strength. Colossians 1:28-29.
Keep writing and stirring it up!