In the last two posts on the role of music in worship we have been defining and identifying just what worship is and is not. I will probably say more about what music worship is later, but today my topic is getting ready to worship. Psalm 40:1 states, “I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.” Pastor R. E. Carroll believed that the beginning words “waited patiently" translated from the Hebrew word qavah (6960) could be justly rendered, “Expecting I expected Jehovah…” Sometimes we get little or nothing out of music worship simply because we have low or no expectancy that God will actually inhabit (see Psalm 22:3) the offering of praise we bring to Him. The English word inhabitest in Psalm 22:3 is translated from the Hebrew word yashab (3427) which actually means to “sit down with” or “dwell with” those who praise Him. If we could philosophically believe that God desires to dwell in the midst of our musical praise, perhaps we would enter into the worship experience with much more expectancy.
I understand that it is a miracle when a mother with children even gets to the worship service, let alone be prepared to worship. I am also aware that it is not easy to leave all our problems at the door of the sanctuary or to place them in the hands of our all-knowing Savior before we come to worship. However, if we are unable to trust our advocate Jesus Christ with the vicissitudes of our lives before we come to worship, we probably will not be able to concentrate or lavish praise upon Him. The result is to go away from musical worship with the knowledge that we were unable to truly music unto God.
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