Who Are You Singing To? Guest Post!!!

Today's post is from Dusty Joplin!  Dusty is one of our worship leaders at COTR.  He has been on staff here since May, 2012 and leads worship for Awaken College services, Seven youth services, and is usually floating around at one of our campuses leading on Sunday mornings.  Dusty and his wife, Alexandra, are puppy parents to Sophie and Endy.  He is a super anointed worship leader and we are so glad he's at Church on the Rock!

Who are you singing to?

by: Dusty Joplin

I love to worship.  The best way I can describe it is in the movie “Chariots of Fire” when he says, that when he runs, he feels the nearness of God like never before. My generation has fallen in love with worship too.  I have led worship for college students for 6 years now, and have found that unlike my parent’s generation who prefer their 4 songs and a “special music”, college students can worship for hours on end and love every minute.  As I grow as a worshipper, I constantly have to evaluate and question everything I do.  I think it’s something that we all need to do from time to time.  I don’t know about you, but I HATE going through the motions.

I challenge you to read Psalm 100 before you read on, but if you don’t (I probably wouldn’t), I’ll briefly touch on what it says.  David is pretty much writing what we would consider song “numero uno” on the set list. I hear it as being extremely celebratory and “excited to be in the house of the Lord this morning” (Worship Christianese- guilty as charged).  What I love about this scripture is that David uses the words “Lord”, “He”, “His” and “Him” 15 times in 5 verses!  So I pose you this question, who are YOU singing to?  For all of you “non-vocalists”, who are you playing to?  You see, David gets it!  Not one time does he use the word “I”.  He does say “we” and “us” but only to reestablish the goodness and worthiness of GOD, and our dependence on him.

NEWS FLASH: IT’S NOT ABOUT YOU, OR FOR YOU.

Worship is about God receiving as much glory as we can give Him, not whether or not we FEEL Him or get the chills during the bridge of our favorite worship song. Worship is ABOUT him, and FOR him, and TO him.  Granted, sometimes in our worship of God, He chooses to turn it around and make it about US. He speaks truth to our hearts. He tells us that we are holy, righteous, and set apart. He draws us into Himself and pours His love on us.  That’s because HE IS A GOOD GOD and he longs to reveal Himself to us.  He WANTS worship to be an emotional experience but let’s be honest, sometimes it’s not.  Will you still CHOOSE to worship him?  I would even venture to say, that the more we make it about Him, the more He pours out on us.

THAT’S the kind of God we are singing to: a God who desires to spend time with us, much more than we desire to spend time with him.  A Living God, who chose to leave his place in Heaven, put on flesh, and “volunteer as tribute” (for all of you Hunger Games fans) so that we could live life to the fullest.  He is a God full of grace and mercy, abounding in love, and faithful to meet us right where we are.  THAT is the God you are singing to! He is not far away.  He is in your very midst.

I understand this concept is elementary, but for me it was a “gut check”.  I had to reevaluate why I do EVERY little thing that I do.  Am I raising my hands so people can think I’m really worshipping, or am I raising my hands as a child reaching up to his Father saying, “Daddy, all I want is you.”  Am I dancing because I like the attention, or am I dancing because my God has “turned my mourning into dancing” (Psalm 30:11), and I can’t contain the joy I feel in His presence?  Am I singing to be heard, to hear myself, or am I singing straight to my King as if He was (He is) right there in front of me soaking up all the things I have to say about His goodness, worthiness, righteousness, and holiness, and smiling because it pleases Him?

Next time you worship, close your eyes and imagine yourself on stage (not with a worship team), and the King of Kings sitting in the audience.  Now, sing to him, and if you don’t feel like singing to him, dance for him, or kneel for him, or raise your hands to him, or simply sit in silence and soak in his presence, but whatever you do, make it about HIM. He alone is worthy of worship. Stop going through the motions “doing church”. He doesn’t want your empty words or actions, he wants your heart.