TWLL #3: How To Approach Your Worship Set Like It's A Living Conversation With Jesus

It’s easy to just approach your worship set like a list of songs- because on paper (or your phone) that’s what you have.  But a worship set is so much more.  When you remember that our God is the living God, you realize that your worship set is a living moment with Him – a live, interactive chance for you, for your team, and for your room to connect with Him.

This week, I want to share a handful of things you can do to help your heart approach your worship set like it’s a living conversation with Jesus- because it is.

Number 1: Self Check-In

This might seem like an odd place to start, and even a bit confusing.  Isn’t a worship set supposed to be all about Jesus?  Yes, it is.  But if you’re going to make it all about Him, you want to offer that from a place of depth and authenticity inside of you- not just a surface level offering. 

How do you do this?  You start by simply and honestly asking yourself where you’re at before you step on stage.  How am I really doing inside?  Am I at peace?  Am I distracted?  Am I hopeful?  Am I sad?

The goal of this self check-in is not humanistic introspection.  It’s simply for your head to connect with your heart- for you to honestly acknowledge where you’re at, so that the worship you’re offering Jesus is coming from a true and authentic place inside. 

And sometimes it takes just a moment of you pausing to check-in with your heart, to get to that place.

Before you start your worship set, do a self check-in.

Number 2: Adopt A Listening Heart Posture

When you step on stage, intentionally ask the Lord “what are You saying?  What are you doing?” 

By asking these questions, you’re positioning your heart to listen for Him and to be ready to pivot when you sense His leading.  These questions actually set the tone for how you’ll carry your heart throughout the worship set.

Think of it like this: if the worship set is a living moment with Jesus, you want your door WIDE open to Him- and asking these simple questions does just that.

Number 3: Look For Moments In The Set To Wait And Linger

Yes, many of us have a very specific time window for our worship set, and for some of us that window might be on the shorter side (15-20 minutes).  But there are always little moments tucked into every set where you can pause for even a few seconds- to wait and just listen for His heart. 

Maybe between songs, or maybe after the chorus of a song before you go into the next section- anywhere that there’s a bit of a break in the action- can potentially be a moment to linger and wait on the Lord. 

And maybe you’ll sense something, or maybe not- but the point is that you’re listening for Him and creating space for Him. 

Number 4: Respond With All Of Your Heart

Throughout the worship set - whether you’re in the middle of a song, a spontaneous moment, or even an instrumental part - see it as a chance to respond to Jesus, to offer Him your worship.  And when you respond, give it your all.

This doesn’t mean it has to be big and loud, or high energy.  The idea is simply that as you respond to the Lord you’re doing it with all your heart.  And then you express it with feeling and emotion as you sing, which communicates your passion to the room and invites them to join in and respond to Jesus with you.

Conclusion

May each of these ideas be a true HELP to you in approaching your worship set as a living conversation with Jesus. 

That's all for today.

See you next week.

Whenever you're ready, there are 2 ways I can help you: 

1. The Connection-Based Spontaneous Worship Course.  If spontaneous worship has been a struggle, you might want to check out Connection-Based Spontaneous Worship.  It's a self-guided, self-paced course that empowers you to lead spontaneous worship with confidence, enables your musicians to flow with you, and helps your room engage.  

2- Join A Zoom Group.  Every 3 months I host small zoom groups- one focused on worship leading and one on songwriting.  Each group meets once a week for an hour on Zoom over a 12-week period, as we walk through the process of learning to leading worship/write songs out of connection with Jesus.  For more details about the next upcoming zoom group, including schedule & cost, email me at [email protected]