CHOSEN TO LEAD WORSHIP?

How important to God is congregational worship?
How important to God is music in this scene?
How important to God are the worship-leading musicians?

One might wonder after watching an unexpressive choir with noses buried in the music. Or a monotonously repetitive praise band banging away without a change in chord structure, instrumental color, or vocal variety.

Does it matter? 
Let’s look at a word from God himself. (Old Testament? Right. But the emphasis and import is, I believe, still the same, regardless of style.)

Detailed Instructions from the Lord
II Chronicles 29 is a mind blower. See how detailed the instructions come at the restoration of the temple by King Hezekiah:

v.25 (Amplified Version): “Hezekiah stationed the Levites in the Lord’s house with cymbals, harps, and lyres,  as David and Gad the king’s seer, and Nathan the prophet had commanded: for the commandment was from the Lord through His prophets.”

Obviously, we have different instruments now, but all these musicians and their instruments and voices were important to God himself then. They still are.

This was the set-up for the first Passover in years and God was exacting about the worship presented to and for the congregation:

First: Extensive purification of the temple. (How often do worship people pray through the church building before a service? Good idea, perhaps?)

Then personal cleansing through the blood for the Levites themselves. Checkup time?

Verse 11: Hezekiah admonished the Levite-worship leaders: “My sons, do not now be negligent, for the Lord has chosen you to stand in His presence, to serve Him, to be His ministers, and to burn incense to Him.”

Prayers like incense
You may not burn incense in your church, but the scripture says our prayers go up like incense before the Lord. (Rev. 5:8; Psa. 141:2) How often do our “worship services” lead the people to prayer, to actual worship?

Now listen to the great songwriter/worship leader, King David, call his people in worship: I Chronicles 29 (Amplified Bible shortened.) No mics available, so imagine him shouting this out so all could hear:

“Be praised, adored, and thanked, O Lord, forever and ever!

“Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and the earth is yours;
Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and yours it is to be exalted as Head over all.

“…In your hands are power and might…Now therefore, our God, we thank and praise your glorious Name…”

“And David said to all the assembly, ‘Now adore the Lord your God!’ And all the assembly blessed the Lord…and bowed down and did obeisance to the Lord.”

Here is worship from a man beside himself with love and awe, transferring his understanding of the Lord, and offering of his gift as a worshiper and songwriter, to the people to show them what worship and praise sound like.

It brought them into a new place of adoration.

Worship leaders, worship-song writers, I hope your vision will be refreshed by the Word.

“Be not negligent,” because you have a glorious privilege and a humbling responsibility. Blessings on every one of you as you bless the Church!