Praising, Not Performing

I grew up singing in choir. Performances were all about perfection: the right notes, the right timing, the right clothes, etc. Singing on the worship team is anything but, at least at my church.

A few weeks ago, we rehearsed our music for two and a half hours on a Thursday night to get it kind of right. When I arrived for practice Sunday morning, however, the worship leader I'd practiced with was absent, and another leader there to fill in. In a matter of an hour, we'd changed out several songs in the set, switched keys in several others, and decided that I'd lead a verse on one of the new songs. The verse that kept echoing through my head was this, "But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us" (2 Cor 4:7, New International Version). The Spirit was reminding me that singing on worship team was about God's power, not mine.

Leading worship is a very different experience from singing in choir. I'm standing at a microphone. I'm looking out over a crowd. I'm never as practiced as when I sang with a choir. I feel nervous much of the time. It's an experience where I have to rely on God's power, not my own. 

My job on worship team is to praise God, not perform. Praising God adores Him. Performing adores me. Praising God allows for inadequacy on my part. Performing nitpicks at mistakes. Praising guides listeners into an experience. Performing provides an experience. 

I'm not very good at singing on worship team, and I hope I'll get better with practice. That might help with the nerves a little. I do hope, however, that I can always make this experience about God and not about me. Because if it's about me, it's not about worship of my King, and it's only through His power that I live and breath and move and sing.