Speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your hearts to the Lord. -Ephesians 5:19

[This post was originally written on January 16th, 2024.]

We’re in the middle of a severe winter storm in Portland, OR. As I write this post my neighborhood has been without power for a few days now so I took a drive over to a Starbucks that’s in the area where the power is back on and decided to hang out there for a little while and warm myself up.

I took out my iPad, plugged in my earbuds, and put on a worship set with Jeremy Riddle called “Crown Him” and closed my eyes. I was immediately flooded with the presence of God. It was as if I had just been taken up into Heaven and the glory of it was all around me! It was as if every fiber of my being was in contact with the Living God. I may have had my hands folded in front of me but in my spirit they were outstretched wide! I prayed within myself, “Oh God, fill me!”, as wave after wave of His beautiful presence washed over me. I was no longer in a storm in Portland Oregon, I was caught up in an experience of the love and glory of God. I thought to myself, “How wonderful it is that you’re my Father!” His presence changes everything and I was swallowed up in the beauty of it.

After the first worship set was over, I played a few more of Jeremy’s songs that have to do with our surrender to Christ. My whole heart was burning with the flames of the Holy Spirit.

If it wasn’t for the storm that’s going on I would normally be going to a prayer meeting tonight in Portland. It’s where you’ll usually find me on most Tuesday nights.

There’s a cool back story behind how I came to be a part of this little prayer group. About 4 years ago I was at work, (also on a Tuesday!) and my heart was longing to gather with others for a “worship night” in someone’s home. I said to God, “There must be someplace in Portland that I can go to worship You on a Tuesday night,” About 20 minutes later I got a text from a friend asking me if I was going to go to Mary’s for prayer and worship! I had no idea who Mary was, but I figured it was an answer to prayer. My friend never showed up that night, but I ended up going, and I’ve been going there ever since.

Well, long story short, there’s a girl who lives there who sometimes takes out her guitar and leads us in worship. She’s not world famous like Jeremy Riddle, but I noticed the first time that she took out her guitar that there was a beautiful anointing on it. She carried the presence of His peace when she sang, and the sweetness of the Holy Spirit covered me.

Over time she began to write some songs, and every now and then she would share them with the group. Every time she did, that same sweetness of Jesus was present.

As I sat there at Starbucks I began to reflect on how wonderful it is that God’s presence does not depend on whether we’re famous or not.

Here I was in Starbucks listening to a world famous worship leader, and yet, the presence of God is every bit as strong and beautiful when Jessica from our local prayer group pulls out her guitar and begins singing in a small basement!

Jeremy Riddle stands on a world stage and she sits on a chair in a basement in Portland, but God is pleased to reveal His presence through both of them equally!

This tells me something very beautiful about our God; something that’s revealed in my opening verse.

Speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your hearts to the Lord. – Psalm 5:19

 

Paul tells us to speak to each other using songs!

As I was sitting at Starbucks reflecting on all of this, I was thinking of Jeremy and I was thinking of Jessica. And honestly, as much as I love Jeremy, it occurred to me that God’s overall plan for His people is more about the “Jessica’s” in the church than it is about the “Jeremy’s”!!!

Let me explain.

I think we live in an age where far too much importance is placed on appearances. The platform becomes more important than the people. Production values, trump the value of simplicity.

If the stage is bigger, if the name is bigger, if the number of followers on social media are bigger- we think it must be better!

In order to understand that that’s not necessarily the case, we need to go back and consider the birth of Jesus. God could have done it big, but He did it small. God could have made the birth of Christ a grand statement for all the world to see, but as we all know, He didn’t do it that way.

For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD. -Isaiah 55:8

God chose little, not big. God chose hidden, not spectacular.

Here’s where I’m going with this.

As much as I love Jeremy, (and I absolutely do!), Jeremy is not going to be sitting in a basement with me in Portland strumming his guitar and leading me in worship- Jessica is.

Jeremy’s not going to text me a recording he just made on his phone as he plays around with different ideas for the new verse he’s writing. Jessica does that with me!

And I’ve begun doing the same. Every now and then I’ll send her a song that I’ve been working on or maybe a moment of worship that I’ve just recorded.

And that’s exactly what the Apostle Paul told us to do: Speak to one another! Sing to one another! With psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs.

This is not something that’s been only entrusted to professional musicians and the ultra-gifted. God never intended worship to be delegated to an elite band of musicians on a stage.

You and I are supposed to sing to one another!

I’m not taking anything away from Jeremy Riddle, or Upper Room, or Bethel Music, or Stephanie Gretzinger. I’m not even downing getting together with a bunch of other Christians and streaming worship from YouTube. God uses it, there’s nothing wrong with it. It’s wonderful! I mean, I was sitting in Starbucks doing that very thing, and I’m grateful for it.

But you know what’s even better?

When somebody I know face to face, and have come to love and appreciate through personal experience, because I’ve actually spent time with them in prayer meetings every Tuesday night, shares with me something that’s precious to their soul by singing a song that came directly from their own heart… well, it doesn’t get better than that!

The Bible tells us to sing to one another. It’s so simple. Why aren’t we doing more of it then?

It’s never been easier to sing to one another than it is today. It can happen when we gather, or it can happen simply by sending a text with a little song attached to it, like Jessica does with me.

Hardly anybody is doing that though, how come?

We could sing a little spontaneous song into our phone and send it off to a couple of our friends. Why aren’t we doing that?

I think the reason that we’re not doing that is because we don’t think that it’s very valuable. We compare ourselves to all the mega-musicians and platforms that are out there today and think, “What’s the point of my little song? They’ve got Upper Room! They’ve got Jeremy Riddle! I don’t sound like that, and I can’t play like that.” And we assume that they’ll compare us to them and not be very impressed with our little audio clip.

There might be something that’s really burning in our heart that we want to share, but we’ve learned to tamp that down. “I can’t sing like Brandon Lake, and I don’t sound like Maverick City, I don’t want to be embarrassed!” But have you ever stopped to think that you’re burning heart might set somebody else’s on fire too? Have you ever thought to think that your little song might be the cause of joy in somebody’s life today??

I was having a bad day a few months ago when Jessica texted me her song, “Pour Your Spirit Out”. On my way home from work I decided to play it. And you know what? It changed my day. I felt the joy of the Lord flood my heart and I started to smile!

Since that time, she’s sent me multiple versions of that song as she’s worked on it. No matter how many times I hear it, it always feels like the first time.

Jessica often shares recordings of her just worshiping the Lord.. These are not always perfectly crafted or perfectly sung, because they are spontaneous, but they have never failed to light a fire in my heart for the Lord Jesus.

The Apostle Paul told us to “speak to one another” by singing!

I think it would be a wonderful blessing to the church if we stopped looking to a worship team to lead us and began to share our love for Jesus with one another in song!

But drink deeply of God’s Spirit. Speak to one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and offer praise in your hearts to the Lord. -Ephesian 5:19