Worship Pastor

Kerplunk, Kerplunk, Twang! Kerplunk, Kerplunk, Twang!

Kerplunk, kerplunk, twang, twang, kerplunk…the so-called music just kept going from bad to worse and back again. The wannabe worship leader kept trying his best but he just didn’t have the finger coordination or practice or maybe both to make it come out right. Even those who weren’t musically inclined could tell that he was missing chords and singing off key; it was obvious that he just didn't have much musical ability.

Some people gamely sang along the best they could, they were a gracious bunch after all, but others were noticeably not following their leader nor entering into worship – some had their arms crossed, others were playing with their phone or simply sitting there with a blank expression on their face as their mind wandered away on some adventure known only to themselves.

Pastor Jimmy, meanwhile, was devastated. A pioneer pastor just out of Bible college, he sat in the front row with his hands in his face, thinking about how hard he had worked the last three years and how little he had to show for it. He had such big dreams and set such high goals in the beginning – by now the home groups were supposed to have multiplied and the Sunday morning services were supposed to be over 200 or even split into two Sunday services. Instead, he had a group of 30 in the school auditorium that seated 250 – the chairs were empty; the leadership team was burned out and ready to quit; his dreams were shattered. And what made it all worse was that he was broken. The vision, the fire, and the passion were gone.

Kerplunk, kerplunk, the so-called music went on. Pastor Jimmy took his face out of his hands and looked up at the worship leader. Their eyes met, and Jimmy saw not only a look of desperation in the worship leader’s eyes, there was also a tear starting to form in the corner of one eye. Jimmy looked around and saw what the worship leader saw – very few entering into worship, many with crossed arms or a distant look in their eyes. It was obvious from their body language that most of the people were wishing that they were somewhere else. And then it happened.

God spoke. Not in audible voice that everyone could hear, but in Jimmy’s own heart he heard the whisper of God. The same voice that called him to salvation, the same voice that called him into the ministry, the same voice that gave him peace about marrying his wife, that same voice told him to not worry and that everything was going to be okay. As joy and peace began to flood his heart, Jimmy looked at the worship leader with compassion and realized that in his own zealous pursuit of church growth he had hurt lots of people – many had already left the church, including the former worship leader – and that even now he was hurting the only worship leader he had left.

With a contrite heart, Jimmy got up in front of the fledgling group and began to confess his sins of being overly zealous and hurting people who were only trying to serve as best they could. He admitted that he had been arrogant, self-centered and driven rather than being humble, Christ-centered, and Spirit-led. His goals and aspirations had come from his own desires rather than God’s desires. Nearly everyone in the room had tears in their eyes as Jimmy asked their forgiveness.    

The presence of God was palpable; everyone could feel that it was a special moment and that there was a special connection with the Almighty at that place and time. One man in particular, who had been a part of many churches and ministries over the years, stood up and said, “I believe I have a word from the Lord for us today. He says that He is well-pleased. Well-pleased by our pastor whose passion can now be bridled and used for God’s glory. But that’s not all God is pleased with. He is especially pleased by our worship leader, Hank, who courageously stepped in to fill a need. He’s not as skilled or practiced as some of our former worship leaders but Hank has a heart for God and God is well-pleased.”  

From that point on the church began to grow but it wasn’t through the extraordinary efforts of Jimmy or Hank or anyone else. In fact, Jimmy was spending less time on church stuff and more time with God and his family. He began to relax and let God be the Lord of the Church, trusting Him to bring in the right people, raise up the right leaders, and grow the church according to His timetable. And as a result God did grow that church.  

Now, many years later, Jimmy and Hank look back with fond memories of that Sunday when God visited them. From that day forward God taught them about true worship, worship that is in Spirit and in truth and has nothing to do with skilled musicians and harmonious voices. Instead, it is about an act of the will, a prostrating of oneself before the Almighty, a submitting of one’s own will to the will of the One who created him, a conscious effort to praise God not only with one’s lips but also with one’s entire life.

Today Jimmy pastors that same congregation and both have grown old together. Jimmy is a grandpa and so is the congregation – that little fledgling congregation grew and gave birth to several other congregations that in turn birthed even more congregations. No one gives Jimmy the accolades that he would have had if he had met his goals and become a megachurch pastor but Jimmy is quite content as he knows that he did what God wanted him to do and that his city has been changed because of it.

As for Hank the worship leader, he never did get that great on the guitar. But he still has a heart for God and loves to sing and play for the Lord in his own private times. He worships in the Spirit and in truth and God is well-pleased.

Let’s Pray Together: Lord, I want to be one of those who worships You in Spirit and in truth. Teach me how to do that. Give me an ear to hear what you are saying and lead me into worshiping you with my lips, my hands, my life, everything that I have. Let me not be two-faced or false in any way but be wholly devoted and true to You. Help me to overcome hardships and the circumstances of life and worship you whole-heartedly regardless of life circumstances or what is going on in the church…(Continue praying as you feel led…)

This devotional is authored and published by Randy Brockett. All publishing rights are reserved but readers are encouraged to repost (please include this copyright info) or share his insights with their family, friends, and congregations. For other devotionals by Randy, see www.blesseddisciples.com, www.dwellinchrist.com, and www.discoveringbiblicalchurch.com.