Here in Quebec, we just had our provincial elections. The results were shocking to many as we now have a new party in power (which was expected). But the previous party that had led the province over the past several years lost every single one of their seats, and a party that prior had no seats now won almost twenty regions. It was a complete political shake-up.
Why am I mentioning this? Well, before the voters went to the polls, a few weeks ago, the high school where I work invited the candidates in our local region to come to the school for a one-hour debate. Three of the five candidates responded to the invitation. On a side note, one of the things I like about Canadian and Quebec politics over U.S. politics is the fact there are more than two major political parties. I find this healthy for the population. Anyway, back to my point.
As the debate began, it was clear to see that the response from the students had more to do with how the candidates delivered their message than the actual content of what they were saying. One of the candidates was more monotone than the other two, while one was clearly much more charismatic. At the end of the debate, most of the student body applauded louder and more enthusiastically for the charismatic candidate than for the other two. After the debate, I asked several students which candidate they thought won. All but one responded that the more charismatic one was the winner. When I asked why they thought that, they all responded, because of the energy with which he had spoken and answered the moderator’s questions. It was his enthusiasm and ability to captivate the audience’s attention that led them to embrace him as the victor, not necessarily the content of his answers.
After taking time to think about their perspective, I asked myself, “but what about the content? Did they listen to what the candidates said?” Obviously, I cannot answer those questions with absolute certainty, but it truly appeared that their decision on who people should vote for was driven mainly by the emotions displayed during the event, not the actual content of what the candidate was saying. This reality ought to concern us, for we should want leaders to govern us who have ideas and plans that will benefit our society, not just attractive and entertaining speakers. In other words, voters ought to be content driven, not emotionally driven.
As I was pondering on this truth and how it could play out in other places in society, I immediately thought of the church. More often than not, when we share with others about how we liked or less liked a church worship gathering, we frequently refer to whether the music was to our liking, to the length of the message, or if the sermon related good enough to our own personal lives. While there is nothing wrong with thinking through these kinds of elements, we must be very careful about over analyzing a Sunday worship gathering by whether we were emotionally stimulated or not. Let’s be honest, many who raise their hands in worship do so at moments when the music strikes a certain set of chords that invites an emotional response. A question I ask is: is the response linked to the adoration of the music, much like we would see in many types of concerts, or is it associated with the meaning of the words being sung, the content? A second question is: does it matter which one it is? Well, let us ponder a little on the subject of emotions in worship.
When we think about the worship of the one true God, one can only expect that a proper response to Him would involve deep, expressive, and heart-felt emotions. Simply considering the fact of God sending His only begotten Son as a substitutional sacrifice for our sin ought to pierce and demolish our pride as well as fill our hearts our exuberate joy. So, it seems that a person not being emotionally affected by God and His love for us would be clearly and completely abnormal.
Secondly, we must remember that our emotions were given to us by God. He created the emotions that we express, whether we use them properly or not. We are, in a sense, an emotionally wired people. Therefore, emotional responses are to be a normal part of our lives, including when we worship the Creator of all things.
So, going back to the two questions I posed above, is what we see in the average worship gathering an emotional response to the music or the content, and does it really matter? Well, though I cannot dive into all the facets of this topic, here are a few of my thoughts on the matter. My first thought is that, yes, it does actually matter. While I have presented the idea that showing emotions is perfectly natural, this does not mean that we always display them in the proper manner. God created us with the ability and desire to show our emotions so that we would glorify Him as we respond emotionally. Therefore, our expressions of emotions are good and right when they are conveyed in way that gives God glory.
Secondly, if in our attempt and desire to worship God we are actually adoring more the style of music than we are God Himself, biblically, that would classify as idolatry. If the raising our hands as an emotional action in worship is prompted by the combination of musical chords and not actually the content of the words being sung, then more likely than not, idolatry, not worship is occurring. This is why I mentioned before that the root of our emotional response in worship does matter. Thus, emotional responses during a church worship gathering do not automatically mean that worship is occurring.
Third, worship occurs when our spirit engages with truth, and this pleases God (John 4:23-24). Truth is the content of what God has said, for God is truth (; Deuteronomy 32:4; Psalm 31:5; Isaiah 65:16; John 14:6; John 17:17). Therefore, worship is linked directly to God’s word. The content of what we sing, as it agrees with truth and connects with our spirit, is what ought to produce our emotional responses, not the rhythm of the music. Also, we should make sure that the words we sing are inline with what God has said. For, if they are not in accord with God’s word, then it is not worship of the one true God.
Here is a personal example from my own life. A song that was very popular not long ago in many Christian congregations says that Jesus was crucified and rejected, like a trampled rose, and that He, “thought of me above all.” Personally, I stopped sing that line in the song, for I do not believe it lines up with the truth of God’s word. Now, I know that God’s word says numerous times that He loves us and because of that He sent His Son to die on the cross for us. I agree with that 100%. The part I do not agree with is that He was thinking of me “above all.” That phrase places people over God’s glory. God thinks about His own glory above all, not us. And every genuine believer ought to be filled with joy about that truth. If we think about it, the phrase “and thought of me above all” is meant to make us feel good and loved. It was written to provoke an emotional response. But I think that we can use other words and phrases to express God’s loves for us without proclaiming He was thinking of us “above all”. I believe that phrase simply goes too far. Just to be clear, I am not condemning you if you like that song. I am just saying that for me, in my spirit, I do not feel right about proclaiming that God was thinking of me above all things (Ephesians 1:21). One of the biggest reasons why I sin against God is that I am thinking of myself above all rather than loving God with all my heart, mind, soul, and strength. Therefore, I need to refocus my heart’s attention to exalting God above all. And I think scripture clearly displays and proclaims that truth.
Lastly, the danger I desire to avoid is allowing my emotions to override truth simply because it feels or sounds good. Unlike several of my students who allowed the emotional appeal of one candidate determine who they thought should win the election, when it comes to my emotional response in worship, I want to be moved by the content of the message, not by the hair-raising chords found in a certain ordering of notes on sheet music. I want my heart to deeply hear from God and to praise His glorious name with words that bring Him glory. I want my soul and spirit to be moved passionately with the truth of God. This is what brings overflowing joy once the song is long over.
So, in conclusion, we are emotional people. God created us to be so. Therefore, it is good and right to properly express our emotions when we hear or sing the content of the gospel of Jesus Christ. May we raise our hands and lift our voices to God as we sing God’s truth. May it be the message, not the melody, that stirs our hearts. May the content of the gospel generate our emotional response as we seek to be truth driven people.
As a deer pants for flowing streams,
so pants my soul for you, O God.
My soul thirsts for God,
for the living God. – Psalm 42:1-2
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