The New Sound of Worship

I have been involved in Worship Ministry for the past thirty five years and the last twelve years I have been the Worship leader at my local Church. I have also been involved in Intercessory prayer in one way or another, mostly in my own personal time as well as our weekly corporate time of prayer at my local Church. For some time now we have been combining worship and intercession when we meet to pray. There has been a noticeable difference in the atmosphere and momentum of both our worship and intercession. Basically the worship and intercession flow together, in harmony. I certainly do not have a full revelation of everything that is involved in combining the two but I do know that we are seeing a greater anointing than ever and a deeper awareness of God's presence as we participate in this, both corporately and personally. I trust that the Lord will continue to lead us, the Body of Christ, into all the Truth as we seek Him, especially as His return draws nearer.

When Jesus made His entry into Jerusalem just before His destination with the Cross, He was met with shouts of praise and exaltation as the people surrounded Him, waving palm branches and laying down their cloaks for the colt He was riding on to step on as they passed along the road leading into the city. Along the way shouts could be heard wafting through the crowd... 'Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.' The verbal expression, Hosanna is a Hebrew word which actually means 'save, I pray.' The people were literally crying out, petitioning God for salvation. At the time many of them were in hopes that Jesus was going to deliver them from the Roman oppression that they had been under for so long. The word blessed is even indicative of a prayer. It does mean to praise, but also it is asking God's blessing on something or someone. That is a form of prayer.

The correlation between prayer and worship is what I am personally coming to know and experience. It is what I call, the 'New Sound of Worship'. Correlation in a negative sense indicates that two things would go in opposite directions, but in a positive sense they go in the same direction. That is what I believe is happening with Worship and Intercession. The two are becoming one entity, so to speak, with one purpose and destination. Blessing the heart of God and exalting Jesus as King and Lord, as well as praying His will to be done in the earth even as it is in Heaven. We know that worship is in itself interaction with God, not just acting toward Him. Intercession is also interacting with God, in that we stand in the gap for others, even for Nations, connecting with God's heart on the matter and then interceding in their behalf.

When we begin to combine worship and intercession something happens that goes beyond what we experience in the two acts separately. God inhabits our praise and worship and He hears our prayers. When worship, in the form of singing and or playing upon instruments and Intercession come together a spiritual dynamic occurs. The active energy of Spirit and Truth begins to excel and within the boundaries of this Spiritual Law we connect with God's heart. Worship is agreement with Who God is. Intercession is agreement with what He is going to do. In both you are telling God what is true about Himself. In Revelation 5:8 we get a picture of worship and prayer; 'And when He had taken the book, the four living beings and the four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps and golden vials full of incense, which are the prayers of saints.' Harps are musical instruments, so it is evident that they are engaged in worshiping God with music, and more than likely singing, but prayer as well.

Worship gives faith and longevity to intercession. In I Chronicles chapters 15 and 16 we see the same marriage of worship and intercession. David builds a tabernacle to house the Ark of the Covenant and he gives instruction that worshipers and intercessors were to surround the Ark, which represented God's presence. David was a worshiper and prayer warrior. He knew the power of combing the two, obviously. So we see that this is not a 'new' fad that is coming on the scene. It goes back at least 3,000 years, and it is continuing on into heaven. Jesus showed us how to pray in the model prayer that we call The Lord's Prayer. If you will look into that prayer carefully, you will see these two forces of Intercession and Worship here. Acknowledging Who God is with thanksgiving... "Our Father who art in Heaven." Declaring His Holiness... 'Hallowed be Thy Name.' Petitioning that His Kingdom would come on earth... "Thy Kingdom come." Supplication for our daily needs... "Give us this day." Confession "Forgive us our debts." Prayers for protection and deliverance... "Lead us not into temptation." And finally worship and exaltation again... "For Thine is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory, forever!" amen.

What an awesome reality that we can enter the very Throne room of God and stand before Him, worshiping Him before all of creation and then knowing that He is ready to hear our intercession, not only hear our intercession, but give us the things that we ask of Him. Intervening in the lives of those we stand in the gap for throughout this world. He promises to even give us the Nations, (Psalm 2:8). He declares that He will be exalted in the earth, (Psalm 46:10). I believe this will happen primarily through our worship and intercession, especially as we begin to flow in both worship and intercession simultaneously. This is not to say that we cannot worship Him without intercession, or pray to Him without worship, but when we combine the two, especially corporately, something greater happens.

My desire is that we all, those of us who are seeking Him, will feel a deeper passion for His Presence and the call to intercede in a greater capacity than we have ever known, as we walk into this next Glory of His Presence. I believe that we are coming into the time that Jesus described in Matthew 13. We are seeing evil in unprecedented ways, but Jesus said that He would be with us until the end of the age. Sometimes we get the idea that He is passively standing or sitting off somewhere with one eye on us and if we need Him He will show up and 'fix' the problem. But the truth is that He wants to be deeply and intimately involved with us especially as the end of the age accelerates. One of the primary ways that He does this is through our union with Him in worship and intercession. So as we come together in one accord with the Holy Spirit and each other and begin to unite the power of worship with the power of intercession, the spontaneous combustion of His Presence explodes in the midst of us. The Song of the Lamb and the prayers of the Saints become one voice.

We who are seeking Him passionately are progressively walking into a greater revelation of who we are in Him. Apart from Him we can do nothing and through Him all things are possible. I believe we are in the end of the end of days and our worship and prayer will continue to have a great effect on events that are unfolding. We are the Bride making ourselves ready for our Bridegroom King. We are being trained and disciplined for eternal purposes. I believe that the Spirit and the Bride are beginning to cry out, 'Even so Lord Jesus come!'

The Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let the one who hears say, Come. And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost. (Revelation 22:17)

Voice of the Gospel Christian Radio - Radio Stimme des Evangeliums

Freitag, 22. Juni 2012

. The Song of the Lamb and the prayers of the Saints become one voice.

The New Sound of Worship

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