Here’s a lovely worship song from Hosanna! Music:I Was Made to Praise You
Such a simple song, and yet it says so much. I firmly believe that humans were made to praise and worship God; certainly there is no feeling like being in His Presence, and those who worship in Spirit and in truth (Jn 4:23) know that they feel most welcome and at home there.
Even now, as my heart is heavy with cares, I hum this song and straight away I feel my spirit lift. Worship does that kind of thing to you.
But what’s all that in that line of the song, “…and to obey You…”? Isn’t obeying God some sort of legalism? No, it’s not like that at all. Obedience is a delight, because it jives with what you really want. God knows what’s best for us, so obeying Him is also good. And it’s not like He tells us, like, ‘Do this; do that’. It’s more of a prompting inside by the Spirit of God, and really, listening to Him and doing what He says isn’t so much a chore as an adventure! Where’s He going to lead me today? What marvels will He share with me? Such is the Spirit led life. It’s not obedience through law or compulsion; it’s obedience through delight. The Psalmist says, ‘I delight to do your will’ (Ps 40:8 (KJV)) – and this is exactly what it’s all about. Brilliant!
Here’s the song:
I was made to praise You I was made to glorify Your name In every circumstance To find a chance to thank You I was made to love You I was made to worship at Your feet And to obey You, Lord I was made for You
I will always praise You I will always glorify Your name In every circumstance I’ll find a chance to thank You I will always love You I will always worship at Your feet And I’ll obey You, Lord I was made for You
I think you’ll like this idea – that one of the greatest worship songs ever written is not in fact a Christian worship song at all, but was written by a secular musician.
It’s ‘Annie’s Song‘, by the late John Denver
Worship is a love-relationship sort of thing, where the intimacy and closeness of the believer’s relationship with Jesus is expressed, both ways (i.e. us to God; God to us). The word has the flavour of cuddling up; to ‘approach to kiss’ has been another way I have seen it expressed.
And there are times where your love for Jesus, the strong sense of His Presence, consumes all your senses and fills your very being. There’s no place else I’d rather be than right there in His Presence. He literally fills up your senses. He fills you up with His Presence, His Love and His power. And to respond with a song like Annie’s Song seems like exactly the natural thing to do.
And so this is such a great worship song, one which I have sung to Jesus both in private and publicly in worship services, and one which I have worshipped along to ‘in secret’, when everyone around me is just there for the music.
Here it is: Annie’s Song, by John Denver. Worship along with the music!
You fill up my senses like a night in the forest, like the mountains in springtime, like a walk in the rain, like a storm in the desert, like a sleepy blue ocean. You fill up my senses, come fill me again
Come let me love you, let me give my life to you, let me drown in your laughter, let me die in your arms, let me lay down beside you, let me always be with you. Come let me love you, come love me again.
(Instrumental) Let me give my life to you
Come let me love you, come love me again
You fill up my senses like a night in the forest, like the mountains in springtime, like a walk in the rain, like a storm in the desert, like a sleepy blue ocean. You fill up my senses, come fill me again.
A long time ago, I was a worship leader who played in meetings and services week after week, month after month. Until, of course I burned out! Many of my readers will know of my Dark Night of the Soul, when I left behind me all things Church for fifteen years. And on each occasion that I burned out, I came closer and closer to never going back into leading – or even into Church; each time, that Dark Night beckoned. Eventually, it turned out to be exactly what I needed, but on this particular occasion the ‘only’ real thing was that I never wanted to ever hear again any of the Songs of Heaven.
Except for this one. ‘All I Desire’, from the Hosanna! Music album ‘Almighty‘. Despite everything, this one song just played over and over again in my spirit – and I didn’t mind, despite it being a Song of Heaven:
‘Oh Lord, my God, all I desire is You’.
And, you know, that was exactly what the Spirit was speaking to my heart at that time. I needed to put aside all the works, all the leading, all the action, all the ‘being indispensible’, and just concentrate on my heart’s Desire – all I really needed was Him. So, in His usual complete genius, He gave me the one song that could save my sanity, by putting my focus back on the One to Whom I owe everything.
As usual, it had taken a big crash for me to learn my lesson – if indeed I did. But anyway, here is the song. If you’re blown away by life’s pressures, or especially by ministry pressures, remember your first Love; remember that He is all you really desire, and that all the resulting works and deeds flow from Him and back to Him. Let it be effortless. let it flow from your life in the Spirit, and not from any compulsion.
Hold your ‘ministry’ lightly;
but hold on to Him tightly
(I can’t believe I just wrote that, and I apologise. Too trite for my normal style, and I don’t like ‘Christian catch-phrases’ – but I feel perhaps it’s there for for someone!) 😉
So here it is: ‘All I Desire’, written and led by Rich Gomez.
Sing it. Mean it.
O Lord, my God All I desire is You O Lord, my God All I desire is You
More precious than silver More costly than gold No riches on the earth compare with You
And what can this world offer when all I desire is You
I’ve written before on the subject of singing in ‘tongues’; singing in another, unknown, language as the Spirit gives the words. It’s beautiful, moving, and very, very special.
Today I want to give you a really special worship track from the tape ‘Oil of Gladness’; you can find the whole tape on my ‘Vintage Worship Tapes‘ website.
When I used to lead worship in my old church in Leeds, sometimes I would be inspired just to play spontaneously, even sometimes to sing the words prophetically (like the chap in this example). This could happen either out of the blue, or after the end of a song, but it’s always gorgeous. In some ways, prophetic piano playing is like singing in ‘tongues’ as it’s spontaneous, not pre-planned; when it’s done ‘live’ it’s always fresh, always new, and it’s not usually playing any recognised tune – although sometimes I might be playing prophetically and realise that I am actually leading into another song, in which case I will roll with it and lead into that song.
So anyway, in the track I am sharing today, they’ve just finished singing a song (I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live) and the pianist, David Matthew, carries on spontaneously into a lovely prophetic piano piece, later backed with his band, and the congregation join in gradually as they realise what’s happening. As I say about this track on on my webpage on Vintage Worship Tapes,
“…yes it may only be a four-or-five-chord vamp but there are almost words in that music; I have loved that piece for nigh on thirty years and still it speaks new things to me; it really is prophetic piano playing.”
This was the first prophetic piano solo I’d ever heard, and I found that it inspired me to similar things in my own worship leading.
Have a listen and see what you think. Let the Spirit soak you with the worship in this timeless piece:
The worship was recorded at Church House in Bradford, West Yorkshire, in 1978. The piano that David was playing was a Steinway grand, which is why I have used a picture of a Steinway in the header image for this post.
It is such a comfort to me to know that, no matter what happens, It Is Well With My Soul. No matter what happens, my life is ‘…hidden with Christ in God’ (Colossians 3:3). This means that my life in Christ is now so bound up within the Godhead that it is safe forever. That’s some statement! And it’s true for everyone who simply puts their trust in Jesus, whether they realise the reality of that truth or not. If you’re one of those people, then be encouraged and take in that simple but marvellous truth: It Is Well with Your Soul! Yes, with your soul! Let it soak into your entire being, and never let go of it – because it’s true and it’s real!
If you’re not one of those people? You too can have the assurance and say with me, “It is Well with my Soul”, if you simply decide to trust in Jesus. Have a think about that.
And so, I wanted to share with you today one of my favourite Christian hymns, ‘It Is Well With My Soul’, by Horatio G Spafford.
About 25 years ago, Hosanna! Music published a cassette tape called ‘Eternal God’, with worship led by Don Moen, on which ‘It is Well With My Soul’ was featured. It was the first time I ever heard it and I loved it straight away. So, here is the song from that tape:
When peace, like a river, attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea billows roll; Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, It is well, it is well with my soul.
(Refrain:) It is well (it is well), with my soul (with my soul), It is well, it is well with my soul.
Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come, Let this blest assurance control, That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate, And hath shed His own blood for my soul. (Refrain)
And Lord haste the day, when the faith shall be sight, The clouds be rolled back as a scroll; The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend, Even so, it is well with my soul. (Refrain)
Horatio Spafford’s moving story, of a life full of tragedy and yet also full of service to Father, can be found here and here. You might read that story and think, whether you are already a believer or not, ‘How can someone go through all that and still believe in a loving God?’ And you would have my agreement – except that, because of the Grace of God, I believe that all believers are given the grace to carry on in faith under such circumstances.
I can testify to this in my own life; even as I write this, my wife and soul-mate Fiona has been fighting a particularly nasty cancer for the last two and a half years. Her survival through to this point in time is nothing short of miraculous. She refers to herself as a ‘walking miracle’, and with good reason too. And God has been close to us the whole time. Despite the circumstances, we still believe. This is real stuff, in real life – a real God drawing near to the brokenhearted, just as He promised He would do (Ps 34:18) And of course, it is well with her soul, too; whatever our lot, we can say that.
Along with Horatio Spafford, then, we can testify with full joy and assurance:
It is well with my soul!
Begin today to declare this awesome truth to yourself and for yourself. Let it make a difference! Wow!
When peace, like a river, attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea billows roll; Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, It is well, it is well with my soul.
(Refrain:) It is well (it is well), with my soul (with my soul), It is well, it is well with my soul.
Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come, Let this blest assurance control, That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate, And hath shed His own blood for my soul. (Refrain)
My sin, oh the bliss of this glorious thought! My sin, not in part but the whole, Is nailed to His cross, and I bear it no more, Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul! (Refrain)
For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live: If Jordan above me shall roll, No pain shall be mine, for in death as in life Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul. (Refrain)
And Lord haste the day, when the faith shall be sight, The clouds be rolled back as a scroll; The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend, Even so, it is well with my soul. (Refrain)
At the end of the main track on this page, Don and his band play another song, ‘I Will Come To You’. Here is that beautiful song in its entirety, from the Hosanna!Music CD, ‘Eternal God, 1991:
I will come to You, You have the words of life I will come to You, You are the door I will come to You, You are the Light of Life I will come to You, For You are Lord
You have laid down Your life to forgive my sin And You’ve made a way for me to be born again By Your stripes I am healed,
There are some worship songs that simply stick in your heart, no matter how many years have passed since you first heard it. All Honour is one of those songs; it never fails to send tingles down my spine. I first heard it when my friend Chris came back from Australia, having experienced a real move of God out there (as I described in this article). All Honour was for me the song that reminded me most of that time in my life. God was working in power (as He still is!) and there’s nothing wrong with remembering with fondness such times, so long as you keep focused on the present time as well! Another such song was ‘Stand in Awe‘, which I have also put in my blog.
Here is the version of All Honour that Chris brought back with him; it’s the one I consider to be the definitive version, by Christian City Church, Sydney, Australia. The song has been very competently covered by Ron Kenoly and Hosanna Music on their album ‘Lift Him Up‘, but to me, this one, led by Christine Pringle of CCC Sydney, is definitive and best.
Listen and enjoy. Find Him as you listen!
All honour, all glory, all power to You All honour, all glory, all power to You
Holy Father, we worship You Precious Jesus our Saviour Holy Spirit, we wait on You Holy Spirit, we wait on You Holy Spirit, we wait on You For fire
Here’s a brilliant worship track from Ron Kenoly’s 1992 Hosanna Music album ‘Lift Him Up’, the video of which I have previously featured on my blog.
Once again, let me encourage you to listen to this track, and particularly enjoy the anointed instrumentals from Justo Almario (flute) and Alex Acuña (percussion), culminating in Abraham Laboriel’s stunning bass solo at about 4:15 minutes.
Enjoy and be blessed!
Blessing and honor, glory and power
Be unto the Ancient of Days
From every nation, all of creation
Bow before the Ancient of DaysEvery tongue in heaven and earth shall declare your glory
Every knee shall bow at your throne in worship
You will be exalted O God and your kingdom
Shall not pass away, O Ancient of DaysBlessing and honor, glory and power
Be unto the Ancient of Days
From every nation, all of creation
Bow before the Ancient of DaysEvery tongue in heaven and earth shall declare your glory
Every knee shall bow at your throne in worship
You will be exalted O God and Your kingdom
Shall not pass away, O Ancient of Days
O Ancient of DaysYour kingdom shall reign over all the earth
Sing to the Ancient of Days
For none can compare to your matchless worth
Sing to the Ancient of Days
Every tongue in heaven and earth shall declare Your glory
Every knee shall bow at Your throne in worship
You will be exalted O God and Your kingdom
Shall not pass away, O Ancient of Days
Your kingdom shall reign over all the earth
Sing to the Ancient of Days
For none can compare to your matchless worth
Sing to the Ancient of Days
About 25 years ago, as I have said before, my dear friend Chris came back from several months’ working in Australia, and he brought back with him a whole bunch of great new songs from Christian City Church, Sydney, where he and his family had been worshipping while they were out there. One of the best ones, for me, was ‘Stand in Awe’; a real belter of a song with great lyrics, dynamics and a simple but haunting chord structure. Here we go: Stand in Awe by Phil Pringle, led by Christine Pringle and recorded live at Christian City Church, Sydney, Australia:
Stand in awe before Me Careful to bring the glory to God Stretching forth holy hands Bowing down in reverence to God Place your feet in my sanctuary Lift your voice to the skies!
Glory to the Lamb of God Glory to the Lamb of God Glory to the Lamb of God Sing anthems of praise! Sing anthems of praise!
The incredible piano and worship-leading talent of Terry MacAlmon cannot be overstated. Here he is singing his heavenly-vision-inspired song, ‘Holy are You Lord’. Excuse the dress styles and what have you; push through all that into what’s in these people’s hearts – this is real worship at its best.
If you don’t find your hands spontaneously rising up in worship as you listen to this song, it might be best if you check to see if your arms are still there 😉 :
Can you hear the sound of heaven Like the sound of many waters It’s the sound of worship coming from the throne There are cries of adoration As men from every nation Lift their voice to make His glory known, singing
Chorus: Holy, holy, holy are You, Lord Holy, holy, holy are You, Lord The elders and angels bow The redeemed worship You now Holy, holy, holy are You, Lord
Here’s a beautiful worship song from Terry MacAlmon – I Came to Worship You.
Get somewhere on your own, close your eyes, and then either join in or just listen. Let this song awaken a worship response in your heart and draw near to God as you do so. Worship has no time or distance; God is everywhere – you don’t need to be in a meeting to worship God even with recorded music like this! Let the Spirit rise in your heart as you worship Him. As Terry says in the worship, ‘Oh, just find Him as you sing…..’.
I came to worship You, I came to sing Your praise, I came to love You, Lord, Your Holy name to raise,
Hallelujah, hallelujah, Oh, how I worship You, You are my Lord.
