Singing A New (Body) Song To The Lord
Psalms 149:1 exhorts,
Praise the LORD!
Sing to the LORD a new song,
And His praise in the assembly of saints.
This is the second half of what singing a new song means. This is also the part where not everyone is anointed with the songwriting gift. To understand fully why I say so, you have got to understand my concept of song categories.
My second self-defined category of songs is called a Body song, for the Body of Christ. A Body song is a corporate song every Christian can sing in unison with other believers about and from our common Christian life.
This is a song we can all relate to and the power of united praise and worship is found here. This type of song is particularly difficult to write because composers need to be sensitive to both the Spirit and people.
A balance between creative and literal lyrics must also be found. “Here Is Our King” is a praise song rich in its lyrics but the meaning is so deep we have to explain the song before we sing it. Can you imagine if we had to explain every song before we sang it during praise and worship?
It also has to be sensitive to the culture in each country and subgroup. Our songs might seem a little too soft for African American churches which are vibrant in their “Sister Act/Whoopi Goldberg” styles of singing and music. My sincere apologies if I have stereotyped them erroneously to make my point.
It can be based on common Bible knowledge or a revelation in some uncommon verses, like the connection of “Naked & Unashamed” with “Spirit & Truth”. It can also be a paraphrase or application of the Word. “Blessed Be Your Name” is a good example of the biblical application of Job’s life.
Body songs can also be written upon particular shared experiences or emotions, for example, the manifestation of the Holy Spirit’s conviction in our hearts. A symbol like the Cross and Christian jargon like Calvary are usually used to enhance understanding.
An example of a Body song can be found in Exodus 15:1-4:
Then Moses and the children of Israel sang this song to the LORD, and spoke, saying:
“I will sing to the LORD,
For He has triumphed gloriously!
The horse and its rider
He has thrown into the sea!
The LORD is my strength and song,
And He has become my salvation;
He is my God, and I will praise Him;
My father’s God, and I will exalt Him.
The LORD is a man of war;
The LORD is His name.
Pharaoh’s chariots and his army He has cast into the sea;
His chosen captains also are drowned in the Red Sea.
Body songs are classified under Praise & Worship music. A Body song, like a life song, is not about a genre of music. A Body song is a specially crafted piece of music that can be understood by a wide audience. It is important that people relate to and understand the lyrics.
After explaining the difficulty of writing such pieces of music, it must seem impossible for anyone to write them. However, praise be to God who has anointed and will anoint lyricists and musicians to bring forth worship to Him that is refreshing, both to Him and for us. I will mention the people He has anointed in our Church in the next entry.
What is our role regarding new Body songs then? We are supposed to use them for worship in cell group and church. Particularly, we must introduce new songs at a cell group level though it’s harder for the worship leader without a microphone and sound system. If you have ever found worship a chore, it might be because you’re numb to ancient songs that have been sung and resung so many times.
Drawing up the age-old debate whether we should keep singing old songs like adult congregations do, my view is ‘NO’ although worship is not mainly about the songs.
I am not saying that every song we sing every week should be a new one. That would distract us so much from worship that it will become a performance on the worship team’s part.
Nor am I suggesting we have to get the best instruments, vocalists and worship leaders. However, music plays an important part that provides a platform for a heart of worship to express itself.
No one song is ever written well enough to be sang more than 25 times. We are numb to these oldies because familiarity breeds indifference and the lyrics’ powerful meanings are lost.
Just think about it. How can one song express the infinite emotions, experiences and expressions of even one man, not mentioning all of mankind and God? Even the Bible could not record all of Jesus's ministry, which the disciples claimed all the books in the world could not record.
New songs that are particularly meaningful should be used to facilitate worship. There is no point being afraid to try to step out of our comfort zones. However, singing a new song is not all about changing songs.
We can sing old sings as new ones, like one pastor in our Church said. We can modify a song on an individual level to refresh it. Our ‘new’ songs to God can be varied in musical style, speed and singing dynamics. Have you realized our worship leaders are singing the pre-chorus of ‘Marvelous Light’ differently? That is an example.
Musicians constantly change the speed and arrangement of an old hymn to make it contemporary for the younger generation. ‘The Wonderful Cross’ and ‘Amazing Grace’ are two good examples.
Psalms 40:3 speaks,
He has put a new song in my mouth—
Praise to our God;
Many will see it and fear,
And will trust in the LORD.
Worship is not only for God; it is also used to declare His wondrous works to newcomers and members alike, that all may see and believe.
Our songs are supposed to change things in the physical and spiritual realm. When we bring the sacrifice of praise as a united Body, others will receive His healing, touch and conviction by faith.
Praising God is difficult when life is hard. However, whatever happens in our lives should not affect our worship to God who is as perfect yesterday as today and in the future.
Be naked and unashamed before Him. Tell Him your troubles and say “God, I want to sing new songs, dance new dances and love You with all my might because I would not offer unto You something which costs me nothing.”
The devil will flee as he is confounded by the opposing effect our circumstances have in pushing us to thank and praise God.
I hope that you will not mistake worship as a show that is orchestrated by men after all the technicalities I have mentioned. All I have written about singing new songs are just suggestions for people with a heart hungry to worship God in more ways than one.
There is nothing wrong with what we are doing at Youth Impact. Zach Tree has been a great band, teaching and encouraging me to worship God with their style of music. If you have been a spectator, not a worshipper, during Saturday Night Live, you are missing out on a lot of things.
All this while, I have been talking about our expressions of worship to God but I have not mentioned how God expresses Himself during worship.
When I first came to Youth Impact, I jumped for joy because I was in Christ. Soon, I realized that the Holy Spirit was giving me added strength to jump the way I did. Sometimes I did not even feel tired after I have been jumping non-stop.
Gradually, I found that other breakthroughs in worship came along. I begin to jump and dance in a different manner, without even learning or planning to do that. I began to be naked and unashamed before Him and people.
I started to understand why Ken and Kenneth expressed themselves the way they do in worship. I begin to respond to the Spirit’s expression of worship in me. I began to let the Holy Spirit teach me how to worship God in Spirit and in truth.
Let me share with you an experience that I initially thought only I felt but later realized other people had it too. A few times in worship service, I have suddenly felt a force lifting my hands up slowly or lowering them to a position that mimicked the crucifixion.
At first, I thought it was just me being hyper spiritual subconsciously until I stayed over at Kong Sheng’s house one night. We talked and discovered that he had experienced the exact same thing too.
What about last year’s Youth Impact camp when Pastor Dave Reardon came to speak? During the High Praise Night, I felt a breakthrough and I actually danced cool new moves, like a bit of punk, rock, hip hop or whatever it was. If you know me, I am no dancer.
I was thinking that maybe it was just a breakthrough for me but I have realized God gives breakthroughs to many people at one time. Speaking to Wei Wei one day, I realized that she had experienced the same phenomenon that night. I believe that many Youth Impact members have felt the outpouring of the Spirit that night too.
Is it not wonderful that God constantly gives us new ways to express our love to Him? And from the experience, I realized that dance moves are inspired from God. Let’s worship God in and by the Spirit from now on.
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