The Weekly Worship Team Devotional is designed for reading before a rehearsal, forwarding via email to your team, or sharing with your tagged team on Facebook.
ARE YOU READY TO RISK AGAIN?
From John 6 in The Message. “The Spirit can make life. Sheer muscle and willpower don’t make anything happen. Every word I’ve spoken to you is a Spirit-word, and so it is life-making. But some of you are resisting, refusing to have any part in this.” (Jesus knew from the start that some weren’t going to risk themselves with him…).’”
DEVOTIONAL
What would you risk everything for? Most of us have risked money, reputation, or our future at one time or another. We are compelled to take risks because we believe that something better is waiting on the other side. We take chances because, ultimately, we believe that moving forward is better than just staying where we are.
As we lead others in worship, there are times to do what is familiar, and times to take risks. For example, you are in the middle of a song that the congregation has sung 100 times before. As you near the end of a chorus, you sense that you should play it one more time, only this time, instrumentally. The band engages, the music rises, and a Scripture comes to mind. You begin to sing a phrase from it, and make it a spontaneous, musical prayer. You try something new, something small, and see the results. Then, later, you ask each other and those leading the gathering, “Did that work? Did people get it? Did they respond? If so, what did we learn? If not, what can we learn from taking that risk?”
A worship band that doesn’t take risks here and there may not be learning what it means to listen to the Spirit’s leading in a worship set. I’m not suggesting spontaneity should be the main portion of our sets, but that we can cultivate openness to what God wants to do through the music. The higher the levels of trust in our team, the better we will do at risking together (and debriefing is a good habit to get into). Sure, we can just play the songs, and let the songs lead. We don’t always need to embellish everything. But sometimes God has something to say in the set – and we want to be responsive to it rather than just being locked into only what we’ve always done before.
TEAM PRAYER
Lord, you have something to say to this community as we worship. Help us to be sensitive to what your Spirit is doing as we gather. Teach us to let the songs lead, but also to listen to your voice so we can respond.
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About The Author: Dan Wilt is the creator of WorshipTraining’s Essentials In Worship Video Training Course for worship leaders and teams. His worship leadership blog serves up weekly tools and team encouragements at DanWilt.com.