The Battle in Leading Worship
Sometimes, when a team is leading worship, they find themselves battling to keep up with singing and playing the praise song. A fight erupts like a force of some kind, and I don’t mean the Star Wars kind, but an Ephesians chapter six kind. “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:12, NIV). Recently, I was leading worship, (video at 34:20 to 41:45), and right away, the spiritual battle commenced. Now, I know this was a spiritual battle because we practiced earlier and had an amazing time of worship with impeccable flow, but that was different from leading at the beginning of our worship service; let me explain.
Sensing the Spiritual Battle
When our team started leading worship, I immediately sensed a spiritual battle. Now, the battle I thought was solely against me was a spiritual battle others were having in the church. The Lord reminded me that this is not about you but the body of Christ giving me all glory, honor, and praise. How could I have known that this spiritual battle was about all of us collectively? God taught me a vital lesson: when I and the team start leading, the battle begins for all of us.
What is the Battle?
What is this battle? Satan does not want anyone to hear the truth of God’s Word or the preaching of the Scriptures. Worship without the struggle of desiring to worship God is something the enemy cannot stomach. Satan wants nothing more than to be like God, as declared in Isaiah chapter 14. Lucifer declared, “I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High,” (Isaiah 14:14, NIV), a role highly coveted by the father of all lies.
God Draws Near to Broken of Heart
After the service, while enjoying fellowship with people in the church, a few came to me and shared what they had experienced. They told me that what had happened during the service was exactly what they needed to hear. One congregant mentioned that he had struggled with health issues that pulled him away from the worship of God. When I paused and exclaimed that we needed to pray because I sensed this battle I thought was against me, he was deeply moved to tears during the worship. Another person shared that she was grieving the loss of her son, and when I paused to pray, it felt like the prayer was explicitly meant for her. She needed to hear those words and moved to tears during the worship.
When Does God Begin the Work of Delivering His People?
It was learned that believers must be prepared for the battle when it comes to worshiping God, which begins with a chorus of praise to the Almighty. When God’s people lift the name of the Lord, victory is proclaimed. Author Gary Methna, in One Needful Thing, could not have articulated further: “When God’s people began the work of praise, God began the work of deliverance,”[1] which took place that morning.
No Matter How Far God May Seem, He is Drawing Near
People of God, remember that when we worship, there are people in the congregation experiencing the attacks from a place we cannot see that wants nothing more than to keep us from praising Jesus. Never forget that no matter how far you believe God is away from you, He is drawing near. David reminds us that God draws near to a genuine heart of brokenness. “The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18, NIV). He draws near to those who have broken hearts and not at a distance as we would be inclined to believe. No, God loves us and waits for us to come into Him as He draws near us. God bless you all and see you soon.
[1] Gary M. Mathena, One Needful Thing: An invitation to the Study of Worship (Bloomington, IN: WestBow Press, 2016), 6, Kindle.