The Lyrics Behind Our Songs

Many times, I find myself wondering why the lyrics are what they are in a certain song. What scripture is behind the words? Who or what is the focus of this song? Does the song reveal something about God's character to us? Or does it reveal something about our walk with Him? Are the lyrics repetitious or "theologically shallow"?

Most songs are written with a purpose in mind. When I select songs for Sunday morning worship, I try to keep one thing at the forefront of my mind. I need to be careful to choose songs which are focused on God and his character, and not on ourselves. There are a lot of "good sounding" songs in contemporary Christian music today that are not necessarily God-honoring. For instance, some songs are more about "me, me, me." "What can I get from God?" "How will my relationship with God benefit me?" "What am I doing for the Lord?" I remember a former pastor telling me that he knew of a fellow who wouldn't sing in church, because he would be essentially "lying to God" through the lyrics of the song. Even scripture can be made more about ourselves than about our God.  Examples:

• I Chronicles 4:10 (commonly known as the prayer of Jabez)
• Jeremiah 29:11
• Luke 11:9 (If I ask God for riches, He must give them to me...not so much)
• Romans 8:28
• Philippians 4:13

Here, we return to my question last week "What is worship?"  Worship can be defined as giving honor, adoration, love, respect, reverence or devotion to someone or something.  As Christians, we need to make sure to direct our praise, honor, and glory upward to God, and not sideways to those around us. Yes, worship should engage and encourage us, but it should never be a lateral or horizontal experience. It shouldn't just be a feel-good moment for us.  Take for instance this quote from an article entitled "How a Terrible Worship Song Drove Me from Christianity":

"The point, she said, isn't really the lyric of the song, but how you feel when you sing it. If you feel good; if you feel like the song brings you closer to God; if you are praising God with the song, then it isn't really important if the lyrics make sense or not."

How sad.  Our feelings should never be the primary benefactor of worship.  Our feelings and circumstances change.  God does not.  (Look at how Paul and Silas reacted in worship when they were thrown in jail.  They worshiped God despite their circumstances.)  Therefore, our worship should always be vertical in nature, looking to God.  Worship shouldn't be an opportunity to compare ourselves to the world, but it should be a realization of just how holy God is when we compare our lives to his example in Christ.

It was with this context, I researched the Chris Tomlin song, I Will Follow. Whenever I see the word "I" or "we" in the title of a "praise and worship" song, I like to do some digging. Why does the word "I" or "we" appear so many times in the song?  Please take the time to read the next post in my blog, entitled "I Will Follow - Story Behind the Song." I do understand and appreciate the song better now.  However, I am still uncomfortable with how many times it focuses on what I will do (and in reality, probably not do), and therefore I don't think we'll be singing it anytime soon on Sunday morning.

In retrospect, here are some other favorites of mine in the past that are not necessarily good worship songs:

• In the Secret by Andy Park (centered on self, lyrics questionable)
• Hands and Feet by Audio Adrenaline (centered on self)
• Rise Up and Praise Him by Paul Baloche (repetitive and short on purpose)
• Friend of God by Israel Houghton (again, centered on self and not God)

(Note: One other song I discovered through my search of questionable worship songs was "Draw Me Close."  Never once does the song mention God or Jesus, and the lyrics could just as well fit a secular relationship.  However, if the lyrics are sung within the context of a Christian service, and take into consideration our desire for God to draw us nearer to Him, with scripture as a lead-in, I find nothing wrong with this song.  But it could easily be taken placed into context elsewhere without a Christian message.  It's all in the heart, which is where our worship should begin.)

I'd like to close with a thought from Rick Warren. I thoroughly enjoyed reading through his book "The Purpose Driven Life" many years ago. Although I do acknowledge his books do fall short theologically to many people (another thing I learned from a former pastor - most books written by man and not directly inspired by God (i.e. the Holy Bible) include both meat and bones. We must eat the meat to grow, but we must also spit out the bones (I John 4:1)), I thought this particular quote accurately summarized my thoughts in the article above:

"If you have ever said, "I didn’t get anything out of worship today," you worshiped for the wrong reason. Worship isn’t for you. It’s for God."  - Rick Warren