Bless the Lord, O my soul,
oh my soul,
worship His Holy Name
Sing like never before,
oh my soul,
I’ll worship your holy name
(Opening chorus of “10,000 Reasons” by Matt Redman)
The first time I heard this praise song it melted my heart and brought tears to my eyes.
I didn’t know the name of it. I didn’t know who wrote it or who was singing it.
I just knew my heart was bursting with praise and that I was in the presence of the Lord.
To some, a worship song is just a song. But to the believer, a heart of praise is a surrendered heart to the will of God, and open to the moving of the Spirit.
A beautifully inspired praise song, married to a desire to worship the Lord, is like Jesus knocking at your door and saying, “Let’s break bread together and fellowship with one another.”
It creates an intimate moment to reflect on the Glory of the Lord.
There is a dynamic involved here. There is something precious, something to be treasured, something that has a life all its own that allows the Holy Spirit to whisk us away to the Throne of God.
The Secret to Great Worship
We find a clue to this “dynamic” in 1 Corinthians, written by the Apostle Paul and Sosthenes. 1 Cor. 14-15 says “I will sing praise with my spirit.”
In other words, singing praises in the spirit with the Spirit.
The sun comes up, it’s a new day dawning
It’s time to sing Your song again
Whatever may pass, and whatever lies before me
Let me be singing when the evening comes …
Morning or night, our soul reverberates with the desire to sing praises to Jesus.
Ephesians 5:19 reminds us to “Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord…”
The human spirit, in concert with the Holy Spirit, lifts our praises to a spiritual plane that brings us before the Lord to sing hosannas to Him with an open heart.
That is why we are so blessed at Calvary Chapel South Bay to have Pastor Kevin Click as our worship leader. 
His heartfelt original songwriting, wonderful singing, and superb musical talents are such that he could be in a touring band or working as a high-paid studio musician if he chose that path.
But God has Pastor Click exactly where He wants him, ministering with Senior Pastor Steve Mays to the spiritual needs of His people.
You’re rich in love, and You’re slow to anger
Your name is great, and Your heart is kind
For all Your goodness I will keep on singing
Ten thousand reasons for my heart to find
We have so many reasons to praise Jesus, and when Pastor Click sings “Yaweh, Yaweh, we love to shout your name, oh Lord!” he means it from the deepest part of his soul.
Only a man or woman who truly knows the heart of God can convey His greatness with such depth and earnestness.
As a worship leader, Pastor Click says his goal is to:
1. Personally glorify God.
2. Remind people that God is amazing and that He cares for them.
3. Create a sensitive musical atmosphere that allows the worshiper to see and encounter Jesus Christ without distraction.
“If I can accomplish those things in any given service then I feel like I’ve done my job,” he says.
And the goal of worship music in a church service?
“First and foremost is the glorification of God,” explains Pastor Click. “The scriptures tell us to ‘Come before Him with singing’ and ‘He alone is worthy of our praise.’
“After that we are to be reminded of His promises and love. People often come into the church building discouraged and defeated, but songs of worship can lift them up.
“And finally, we are to have an intimate encounter with Jesus. The scriptural truths and promises mingled with the emotion of the song soften the human heart to receive Him and His word.
“Many people see it as just the warm up act before the Bible study, but it’s so much more than that.”
Why is music important as a form of worship? Why is it an integral part of church service?
Because a glad heart is an open door to worshiping the Lord. Tweet
Worship in the Bible
The Old and New Testaments are filled with passages of singing praises to God, most notably involving King David.
The exhortation of Psalm 150: 1-6 pretty well sums up a glad heart worshiping Almighty God.
“Praise the Lord! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens! Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness! Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe! Praise him with sounding cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals! …”
We are meant to praise Him, be it in song or shouts of adulation.
Pastor Click also points out that while “music is extremely important, it is not necessary when coming to God in worship.
“In Hebrews 10 we are told that we can come boldly before His throne to find mercy, grace and help in time of need, and music is never mentioned,” he said.
“Now don’t get me wrong, I love music! However God is after our hearts. I see music more as a gift from God to be used for our benefit.
“It makes worshiping God so enjoyable … downright fun sometimes. It softens our hearts, refocuses our priorities and reminds us Who is in charge of it all.”
“Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.” (Psalm 100: 1-2)
A joyful heart will always produce joyful songs, and God wants us to come before him with a joyful heart and singing joyful songs of praise.
As was noted in the July 4th blog, God and liberty are inseparable.
Let’s add another truth. God and joy are inseparable.
Key Takeaway
So, next time you want to set foot on Mt. Zion and be in the presence of a God who loves you so much He ransomed us by sending His son to the cross for our transgressions…
Next time you feel overwhelmed by His love for you…
Next time your heart is bursting to express your relationship with your Father … I encourage you to humbly come before Him and open your heart to Him in praise and song.
“Oh come, let us sing to the Lord!
Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving;
Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.” (Psalm 95: 1-2)
And on that day when my strength is failing
The end draws near and my time has come
Still my soul will sing Your praise unending
Ten thousand years and then forevermore
While “10,000 Reasons” is a great name for a praise song — and we can all cite any number of reasons why we praise Jesus — for me it comes down to just one magnificent reason.
I praise Him for who He is.
Is there a special reason that moves you to praise the Lord? We’d love it if you shared it with us.
For me, this is such a great reminder Ani of when I got saved. When I think of how I was an enemy of God and had run away from Him for a period of my life (I was a prodigal), I remember how God came and faithfully brought me back to Himself. It’s a testimony of His grace and that is why I worship the Lord Jesus 🙂