Worship is such a cool thing, it’s so cool, not to be repetitive but it is so cool. I learned pretty young that worship was a lot more than someone singing a song while the congregation clapped along. I was blessed enough to grow up in a house where worship was in everything, despite the fact that a total of two out of the five could play instruments. From there my love for it grew into something that really defined my relationship with God, worship became so much more than singing songs, it was where I encountered God. Worship was where I learned how to hear God, I learned how to recognize His presence and where I learned what worship really was.
I began serving on my worship team at my home church when I was around fifteen, and although it was fun and I made good friends it really began to warp my view on what worship actually was. I began to think it was about how good my voice was and if I impressed my band mates and the church- God became the last thing on my mind when I led. In my personal times of worship I would be close to God, I’d hear his voice so clearly and be able to recognize the Holy Spirit, but whenever I got on stage to lead I’d forget all of that.
When I did my School of Worship (SOW) I went in thinking I had a pretty good grasp of worship, I had stopped serving on my church worship team and thought I had moved past the things I struggled with. I knew the basic ins and outs of how to lead a worship team, how to set the stage and create a set list, I knew there would definitely be things I’d learn from it but I tried to have no expectations. Of course God had other plans.
God really changed my whole perspective of what I thought worship was, even from when I was little, He took what I thought was right and flipped it on its head. I came to understand that it doesn’t matter how good you sound, if you have a good stage set up or if you are in or out of key- what it comes down to is if you are coming alongside with the Holy Spirit to help God be glorified in worship. If God is working in worship the last thing people will care about is how you sound- people will see if you are striving after God in your leading and they will follow that- God can use you, even if you mess up. I never lost my heart for worship, I just lost what it meant to worship: To glorify God and to praise His name. I still struggle with confidence in my voice and whether the band sounds cohesive or not, but I know now that even if I sing out of tune or we play the wrong note God can use that to His glory. Thankfully, his power goes farther than our talent.
Want to join our School of Worship this April?
Written by: Ali Alvarado (Staff)