I recently heard someone talking about the current “worship trend.” To be honest, I found that quite funny. If it’s a trend, then it’s the only eternal trend there is! Worship is here to stay—throughout all time and eternity.
Of course, what they were trying to say is that there’s been a wonderful new song and sound rising up in much of the church in recent years—a fresh wave of vertical, biblical, and relevant worship. And that’s absolutely wonderful. But the key to remember is that we’re caught up in the middle of an eternal river of praise. With every new song that comes along, with every album that’s released, with every worship meeting we attend, we’re truly joining in with an age-old flow of devotion that will never run dry. This is the reality of what we do when we “worship” in song.
Hymn-writer and poet Christina Rosetti once said that in Revelation 4 and 5, “heaven is revealed to earth as the homeland of music.” Indeed, in these chapters we also see what music was created for—first and foremost for the praise of God. There’s an incredible orchestration of praise described here. First, we see the four living creatures speaking out their endless praise. Day and night they never stop saying, “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come.”
Next come the twenty-four elders, who lay their crowns before the throne, saying, “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory, honor, and praise . …” Then this choir of praise grows a little stronger as the elders and living creatures join their twenty-eight voices together in praise that the blood of Jesus has purchased souls for God.
But then the choir really gets going—thousand upon thousand, and ten thousand times ten thousand (in other words, millions) of angels join their voices together and loudly sing, “Worthy is the lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength, and honour and glory and praise!” What an amazing orchestration of praise—first we had just four voices of praise, then twenty-four, then twenty-eight—and now millions! But it doesn’t end there. In chapter 5:13 we read, “Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth, and under the earth, and on the sea, and all that is in them SINGING.”
What an incredible song and sound that must be! Yet here is the mystery—every time we gather together and voice our devotion to God in worship, we join in with this song. We haven’t come to just a church building, or a home group front room. In reality, we’ve joined with “thousands of angels in joyful assembly”—we’ve come before the very throne of our God in heaven. When we begin to see worship from this perspective, there’s never a danger that it will become merely the singing of songs.
As a worship leader, I find this so inspiring. Whether I lead before four people in a home group, or four thousand at a conference, I’m always first and foremost standing before the audience of One—my Father in heaven.
With the eyes of faith, we need to realize that worship is a “spiritual” event long before it’s ever a “musical” event. We’re caught up in the everlasting spiritual song that goes on day and night in the throne room of God. This is the reality of worship.
Click here to learn more about Matt Redman. Also be sure to read our music review of his latest album, Where Angels Fear to Tread. If you’d like to hear the songs for yourself, check out this media player of the album. Visit Musicforce.com to purchase your own copy of Where Angels Fear to Tread today!
