Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. Psalm 95:2
I’ve heard the great debate about hymns verses praise & worship music, and I totally get it – I think. No matter which side of that fence you fall on, I think it is fair to say that we all want the same thing in Christendom – to appropriately worship God.
Personally, I find it difficult to sing hymns. For one, I am a terrible singer, which makes it even worse (especially for those who sit in the pew in front of me). However, I will say that few contemporary worship songs can hold a candle to How Great Thou Art and Amazing Grace. Still, it is the praise and worship songs that best facilitate my worship to God.
My only objection to the whole debate that criticizes people like me is the misconception that we are strictly feeding our emotional needs. Is that true? Maybe. Does that enrage God? I think not. I actually think it the highest form of flattery.
You see, I live in a cold, cruel world (in case you haven’t noticed), and there is nothing I love more than being in the presence of God with other believers during corporate worship. There is nothing else like it!!! And I just don’t think God gets mad about the fact that I want to leave this world behind for a bit to soak in His presence. I actually think He adores it.
Contemporary praise and worship music does that for me. There have been times I’ve literally been afraid to open my eyes because I felt as if I were standing face to face with The Almighty Himself. There have also been times when many of us have fell prostrate in the floor totally overwhelmed by God. I offer no apologies. And neither should those who love hymns if that is what opens His gates for them.
Have you ever realized that thanksgiving, praise and worship in song is a form of prayerful communications with God? It sure is. In case you did not know, I maintain a video playlist of my current favorite Praise and Worship songs that I’ve lined up to go along with my prayer journal, Organizing Your Prayer Closet. I am attaching it to this post as a Thank You gift for following me on my journey in ministry. I hope you enjoy it and are blessed by it. More than that, I pray you find God’s presence with it.
From my home to yours, Happy Thanksgiving!
Click here to check out my current praise and worship video playlist!
With this playlist, all I do is play one song at a time as I sit with my structured prayer journal, listening and worship along to each song as I review each compartment; this is my Sunday night ritual. It also serves me well when I need to have my own little personal prayer retreat. Enjoy!
Gina Duke is the award-winning author of Organizing Your Prayer Closet: A New and Life-Changing Way to Pray (Abingdon Press), that introduces the gift of structured prayer journaling. You can enjoy her weekly #ShePrayerJournals weekend workshops on YouTube, and follow her on Twitter and Instagram at @TheGinaDuke.
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