The other day I heard a new song by Matt Redman and the only part I recall is one line: “The more I sing, the more I love you.” It made me think about all the dissention there is in the church about what type of music we want to hear and when in the service we want to hear it, why we prefer this kind over that kind, how we want to sing it, and who we’d prefer to lead us.

I felt sad. We become so focused on what, how, when – we have played right into the devil’s scheme in getting us to take our focus off worship and instead, think about how we think worship ought to be. However, when we start thinking about how we think and feel it should or shouldn’t be done, isn’t that becoming self-focused and not God-focused?

Worship is all about God. Emptying ourselves of the garbage within and focusing on our Savior and Maker. Ironically, Matt Redman got that message right as well, when he wrote, “I’m coming back to the heart of worship, and it’s all about You.”

If I am truly worshiping, I won’t tend to be distracted by the issues that can separate me within the walls of God’s dwelling place, but instead, I gather with other believers as one body, sharing in the presence of the One who brought us all together.

I know the worship wars aren’t over, nor will they ever be. Comments will forever be made about how the worship leader was going much too fast for ‘that’ song last week, or how the song was played ‘way too slow’, how we wish there were just hymns and not all ‘those’ choruses, or the words weren’t God-directed, etc., etc. I think we could make a long list of complaints about our Sunday morning worship services, but you know what that says to me? We’re not worshipping.

We can allow ourselves to become so involved critiquing our services that we forget the purpose of why we came to church in the first place.

As I listened to Redman’s song, I was touched by its simple truth…The more I sing, the more I love you.

Clearly, if we are God-focused and not self-focused, we will grow to love Him more as we sing, as Redman’s song states, because we are reflecting on the message of the song and not if it’s the right speed or whether it’s in the wrong key, if it’s a hymn or by gum! Not another praise song!?!

I realize that there are songs that are not theologically ‘correct’ and there are songs that focus on the believer more than the Savior. I tend to have issues with those as well as the next person, but, how can we tire of singing a ‘chorus’ over and over that directs its attention to our heavenly Father? How can we complain about a hymn that reiterates God’s great faithfulness?

If we are God-focused in our worship, we will be focused on the words and what they mean and not who wrote them, why the new drummer keeps bouncing around, or what the worship leader is wearing. When God-focused, we sing how great is the Lord and realize how small we are. That in itself defines the words sung, ‘the more I sing, the more I love you’. We will be captured into His presence, singing holy, holy, holy. There will be no pessimistic attitude of picking apart everything that’s wrong with the music in the service (or anything else), but we will find instead that our love for the Lord is growing with each word we mouth in praise to Him. The words will become ingrained in our heart and soul as we sing. When we allow that to happen, we are ushered into His presence and there’s no going back. We can’t help but love Him! After all, I feel compelled to point out, isn’t it the angels of heaven who stand before the presence of God and sing over and over again, those three little words with unimaginable meaning?

Isn’t that the whole purpose of worship? To come to a place where nothing else matters but the One we stand before and to worship Him? And, as we worship Him, we will come to realize just who we are. We are nothing and He… is everything.

That, to me, is worship.