Desiring God… When you hear those two words, what comes first to your mind, a Christian ministry based in Minneapolis, MN, or an action and feeling that comes from our heart each and every day. Sadly, I fall into the first camp, and while the resources provided by this ministry can be a great help to our actual desire of God, no program, resource, or person can cause us to desire God. That comes from within and is a conscious act of love. I know I don’t think about that nearly enough. I need to be purposeful in my desire of God. I think that I–and perhaps many of us–have plenty of room for growth in the area of simple heartfelt desire.
We will be singing a new song this weekend. The words clearly express desire of God. We each need to make a purposeful response to Him. Think of these words from Psalm 84:1-2 for a moment or two and then watch the lyric and listen to this song. I hope we can express true holy desire in our worship this weekend. That starts individually with each one of us.
How lovely is your dwelling place,O Lord of hosts! My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God.
I’m excited to introduce a new song this weekend. The title is
He Is Our God, and it will be released publicly this Friday, Nov 17, on Sovereign Grace’s new recording, Prayers of the Saints Live.
Who can light the fires Of a thousand burning suns Blazing in the heavens? There is only One He is our God
This song declares the Kingship of our creator God. It reminds us of His power over all and the ultimate act of power and grace that saves us.
Romans chapter 5 beginning at verse 12 reads:
Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned…But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many…Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. (Rom 5:12-17)
Holy, You alone are holy Matchless in Your glory, holy God
I hope you enjoy the song and take some time to listen to it a few times to get to know it before we sing together on Sunday morning.
A song we’ve been singing regularly in recent weeks is simply titled
Jesus.
The name of Jesus. It is a powerful thing. Scripture tells us that. Philippians 2 begins with some very powerful verses. The chapter begins speaking of humility and to show us true humility speaks of the humility of Christ. Vs. 6 speaks of him being God, but emptying himself to be a servant. Servanthood that brought the incarnation—Jesus being born man—and the cross where Jesus died.
Then, we see the true power of Jesus’ name beginning in verse 10. “…so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
The bridge of this song brings verse 10 to mind.
Messiah, my Savior
There is power in Your name
You’re my rock and, my redeemer
There is power in Your name
In Your name
I hope this song and others like it help you to see and experience the power of Jesus’ name and get to know him better as we sing of His character, traits, what He has done, and all He is to us.
If you haven’t already gotten to know this song by All Sons and Daughters, check out this video. This song has been a great addition to our Sunday morning worship songs in recent weeks.
This is a great song we’ve introduced recently in congregational worship. This summer, our worship team has been leading the children in Sunday School through some special time of worship at the beginning of each Sunday School class. It has been really great seeing the kids interact with the band and singers and get to know the songs we sing together an hour later in the service. Often, we invite the kids up on the stage with the worship team and band. On this particular song, we tried some hand motions to help reinforce the lyric.
This is an idea that is powerful for connecting with kids in worship, but also something that can help us as adults in our worship. How do you express worship? When you think of the words “grace so free washes over me” how might you express that with your hands or body. Try it sometime. Often, it is the simplest things that help us connect with God in the greatest ways!
We add new worship songs about once per month so we have two new songs for January and February we’d like you to get to know.
O Praise the Name (Anastasis) is a powerful and very singable worship song that declares our active praise to God while reciting the redemption story through its verses. It starts with the crucifixion and ends with the resurrection and points us to eternity. Our congregation quickly adopted this one and sang it the very first time as if they’ve been singing it for weeks. That is a great sign of a very singable worship song. There are many, many wonderful Christian songs being released but not all of them have this special quality of being truly a congregational song. Enjoy this song as you get to know it.
1000 Tongues has a great driving feel and brings some needed energy and excitement. While the title is reminiscent of the great hymn of the great hymn O For 1000 Tongues to Sing it doesn’t have the great theological depth of that hymn, but has its own important role in congregational worship. Through the simplicity of the very singable chorus and the the energy it draws from us as we participate in worship, we are encouraged to loudly proclaim the great truth of God’s grace and glory. It is a song that unites us in singing praise to our Lord encouraging active participatory worship.
Do you use Spotify? Many people have found it a great resource for listening and enjoying music. If you do, be sure to check out our Spotify list titled “Our Songs” which highlights many of the songs we regularly sing in worship. This list can be helpful to get to know the songs we sing, but also can be a very encouraging and uplifting grouping of songs that you will likely enjoy. Check it out!
Another new Christmas song by Chris Tomlin and recorded on the CD titled
Adore-Christmas Songs of Worship. This song is very reminiscent of the ancient chorus that is part of the familiar Christmas carol, O Come All Ye Faithful.
It is a very simple statement of the Gospel of Jesus Christ coming to earth to save. Listen and let this melody and lyric help you move into heartfelt thanksgiving and praise for our Savior and Lord.
There are times our worship can get too complicated. The prose, the text, the picturesque deep meaningful words. These are great things, but sometimes the complexity takes away from the very simple act of kneeling before the Almighty God.
A Christmas Alleluia is a simple worship song. It is one you probably can memorize after only a few moments of listening, but it is also one that can come deep from within.
Give God the praise only He is worthy of receiving this Christmas season and throughout the year.
Alleluia — Praise the Lord. Praise the highest name of all: That of Our God, Jehovah.
Facing a Task Unfinished is the title song on the Getty’s latest album. This entire album consists of modern hymns written in a way that is so identifiably “Getty” and with lyrics that proclaim Biblical truth and build up the Church Body. We continue to enjoy singing and are challenged by several songs of the Gettys. Another song, He Will Hold Me Fast, has challenged and uplifted us as we’ve sung it through the summer and fall. Facing a Task Unfinished, will do just that for you. Check out the video and let the music and lyric move you in your personal devotion to God.
