Repetition, repetition, repetition

Crique de l’Anau, a cove at the neighbourhood of La Corniche, seen from the east and the Mediterranean Sea. Sète, Hérault, France. Photo by Christian Ferrer

Good morning, beloved,

Growing up in church, we would sing praise choruses. Not just hymns, this was the seventies and early eighties, people! I can still remember being the one who put on new slides overhead projector. What would drive me nuts was the repetition of certain  parts of the song. So I would be flipping between the clear pages, trying to figure out the mind of the worship leader. When I was in junior high, my family moved to Willow Creek church and these worship leaders would sing the choruses over, and over, and over. I would get so frustrated. Worship was frustrating to me.

Can you guess the problem with my frustration? Ahhh, worship was all about me. I worshipped for the emotional experience. When we would repeat a chorus, or the song, the focus tripped off the Lord and onto me. I’ve written before on worship..today, I’m all about repetition. I have changed my mind about repetition.

My kids were in a VBS this summer. Kingdom Rock, to be exact. The music, as usual, blessed me. I love watching my kids connect movement and singing together. They did, however, have trouble with the repetition of music. I tried explaining this was so little children could remember the songs and remember the truths behind the music. Uh, huh.

While on vacation, I began to get worried and stressed about the usual things. All of a sudden my two littles started singing one of the worship songs. I looked up, out of my fog, and the Lord used these lyrics to powerfully speak truth to my heart. The heart that used to get frustrated and distracted by repetition. (It’s a minute and fifty-second song…just click on it and listen..)

Don’t Worry About Anything…

I sang with them. As the fears and concerns cropped up, I would sing against these thoughts. His Word would do the battle against the enemy and truly, my mind would clear and be at rest.  Interesting, the repetition not only helps the little kids but it helps me. I’ll bet it helps you. We need to remember His truths. We need to remember…His love continues FOREVER.

·Give thanks to [Praise] the Lord because he is good.
His ·love [loyalty] continues forever.
2 ·Give thanks to [Praise] the God of gods.
His ·love [loyalty] continues forever.
3 ·Give thanks to [Praise] the Lord of lords.
His ·love [loyalty] continues forever.

23 He remembered us ·when we were in trouble [L in our low condition].
His ·love [loyalty] continues forever.
24 He ·freed us from [pulled us away from] our ·enemies [foes].
His ·love [loyalty] continues forever.
25 He gives ·food [bread] to ·every living creature [L all flesh].
His ·love [loyalty] continues forever.

26 ·Give thanks to [Praise] the God of heaven.
His ·love [loyalty] continues forever. Psalm 136 EXB

His love continues forever. How did the Lord feel about the earth and all He created? God saw that this was good…

What did God tell Joshua? Tell the Israelites, over and over?

I will never leave you or forsake you. I count at least 10 times and I know there is more.

I’ve talked previously about my love of water. I love looking out over Lake Michigan and not seeing anything but water.

View of Lake Michigan Photo by Emily.frey

 

I love looking at the trees around my yard. They were there before me and will, most likely, continue on long after I’m gone.

Huge yew tree in the graveyard at Elmstone church Photo by Nick Smith

So, today, at church, I’m going to remember prayerfully…worship has never and will never be about me. The Creator God who made the lakes, the trees; who guided the pens of the authors of the books of the Bible longs to hear me, and you sing. Not to hear ourselves, but to join in the heavenly choruses and sing.

Related articles

• Advice For Worship Leaders (angelcasiano.com)
• They Will Sing Praises (shawnethomas.com)
• All Of Creation…Sing With Me Now! (godssceneryandpromises.wordpress.com)
• Hands in the air (patriciacordell.com)