Critic or participant?

 Today's post is aimed at me as much as anyone.  It was inspired by a zoom broadcast by a ministry called "Ultimate Impact" that I listened to this morning.

I have told you that I can be classified as a "lyrics nazi" when it comes to praise and worship music.  What I've realized is that I can be too critical.

People criticize the praise and worship at their churches for many reasons:  it's too slow or too fast, it's too long, it repeats the bridge too many times, it's a bit off-key, somebody's voice doesn't appeal to me, the musicians or sound technicians messed up, there is no mention of the specific name of Jesus, people clap or don't clap, raise their hands or don't raise their hands, there are too many new songs being introduced or we never sing any new songs, and on and on.

What I would like to remind myself and the rest of you who read this is that we shouldn't be looking to the praise and worship leaders and team to be responsible for how well we worship at any particular church service.  We need to connect with God for ourselves, direct our words to Him, turn our eyes toward Him, remembering that the reason we love Him is because He first loved us (I John 4:19), and that we give Him thanks because every single "good and perfect gift" in our lives "is from above and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning" (James 1:17), that He is worthy of our praise whether conditions are perfect or not, and also whether we really feel like worshiping or not.  He accepts a "sacrifice of praise" (Hebrews 13:16) when it takes some determination and effort, and even if we are giving thanks through our tears as much as when we are singing gladly and freely.

It's not like God needs our praise to bolster His self-image, or for any other reason.  He is worthy of every bit of our praise but doesn't need it. We do need to praise.  It turns our attention from ourselves, our feelings, our issues, our problems and onto Jesus, our wonderful, beautiful, perfect Saviour.  It reminds us that our God, our Lord, our Father, our Creator is more than enough.

A song was introduced in our church last Sunday ("Jireh" by Elevation Worship), and some of the lyrics are:

Jireh, You are enough.  Jireh, You are enough.

I will be content in every circumstance.

Jireh, You are enough.

Forever enough, always enough,

More than enough.

I’m already loved, I’m already chosen.

I know who I am, I know what You’ve spoken.

I’m already loved more than I could imagine,

And that is enough, that is enough.

If He dresses the lilies with beauty and splendour

How much more will He clothe you, how much more will He clothe you!

If He watches over every sparrow, how much more does He love you, 

How much more does He love you!

Jireh, You are enough...

(If you're not familiar with the word "Jireh", it is part of one of the compound Hebrew names of God, "Jehovah Jireh" which means "the Lord who provides".  Read it in Genesis 22:14.)

So, in church, let's not be the critics, but the participants, adding to the atmosphere of praise to a God who deserves all praise.