People Praising

"Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth."
-Psalm 96:1
     Today I wanted to write about a less serious topic than I normally do on this blog. I've titled this post "People Praising" and I just want to share what I have observed as a praise team member. Specifically, I am going to talk about how I see people worship God in different ways. To be clear, I am not trying to pick on anyone, nor do I think that there is a specific way we need to praise God. I can't see people's hearts, only God can.
     On a normal Sunday, about 70-80% of the congregation does the same thing during praise. They have their heads tilted back a bit as they read the words off of the PowerPoint. It's funny because I can sometimes see people trying really hard to read the words, as if they are having trouble reading the slides. Hands are by their sides, maybe they sway a bit to the music, and they try their best to sing along with the praise team.
     A small percentage of the congregation does the same as the last group, but they don't sing. They just stand there staring at the PowerPoint, or at the ground. I don't know the reason behind this, but I assume it is because they don't want to sing. Perhaps they don't think they sing very well, or they don't know the song, or they just don't feel like singing. While I don't want to jump to conclusions and say that these people aren't worshiping God, I can say that as a worship leader it is quite discouraging to see people who seem disengaged like this.
     Another small percentage, normally the younger people, get really into praise. These people know a lot of the songs, so their eyes are closed, they are swaying (much more than the first group), and they are singing their hearts out. Again, I can't say if they are really worshiping God or not, but I can definitely say that these are the people that encourage me.
     Our church is quite conservative when it comes to outward displays of worship, which is why you may have noticed that I never mentioned hand raising, people shouting amen, or anything of that nature. In fact, when I see someone who raises a hand (or hands), I'm almost shocked. It does happen from time to time, and surprisingly it's not restricted to the younger congregation. It's interesting how much people's praise is influenced by the people around them. I've been to other churches where people are very active during praise. Almost everyone raises their hands, sings loudly, and sometimes even dance. I can almost say with certainty that if any of those people came to my church, they would feel out of place.
     So this is all interesting, but you may be wondering, how do I praise? I've been in the praise team for many years, and I also lead praise for a lot of the smaller events at our church. This means that I almost never am part of the congregation during praise. When I play drums, I actually don't look out into the congregation very often. I am focused either on playing the drums or reading the words of the song. When a song has a really good feel to it, I often sway a bit because it helps me keep time and it feels natural.
     When I play the guitar, I move around a bit more than when I play drums (for the obvious reason that I can't really move when drumming). I am thinking about a lot of different things, like the tempo, where I want to go next, how people are engaging, dynamics, and other aspects of praise. I've been trying to memorize songs so that I don't have to keep looking down at a music stand, which I have found can detract from praise. It may not affect how the congregation praises, but looking at a music stand definitely hinders my personal ability to focus on the words of the song.
     Lastly, when I am in the congregation, as rare as that is, I am usually like the first group I described. I sing a bit louder than most people, because I have a naturally loud voice, and I know many of the songs that are sung. I sometimes fall into the third group, where I get really into a song, close my eyes and sway back and forth. I sometimes feel like raising my hands, but to be honest, 99% of the time I am too self-conscious to do it.
     Regardless of how you are during praise, the most important thing is that you really are praising God. The longer I have been on the praise team, the more I realize how important it is to worship God from your heart. Music is nice, but music in itself is not enough. We will eventually get bored of a song if we only sing it because we like it. The reason I can sing the same songs over and over again is because I believe the words I am singing. The songs are my worship to God, not just something I play for my own enjoyment.
     The things I described today are just some examples of people's expressions of worship. None of these is right or wrong, they are only expressions. What really matters is what is going on in the heart. If we choose to be still, is it because we don't want to be there, or is it so that we can focus on God? If we choose the be active, is it because we are enjoying the song, or is it because we are responding to the Holy Spirit? You may think that you are not a musical person, so it's hard for you to praise God through music. I understand that, because I thought that way in the past too. I encourage you to find another way to worship God during the praise and worship times. Think about the words that are being sung. Pray to God using the songs as a guide. Listen for God's voice during praise. Just do something to worship God. He deserves it, and you need it.
-Smart
(P.S. I don't really know where I was going with this entry, but I hope you enjoyed reading it.)