TWLL #53: Simple Ways To Connect With Jesus Offstage

read time: 5 minutes

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I think for all of us, the idea of connecting with Jesus offstage is inspiring.  We like to hear about it, we like to talk about it- and I think most of us sincerely want to consistently connect with Him offstage.

But there are multiple challenges that come into play when it gets down to actually following through and finding a regular rhythm of connecting with Jesus.  Finding the time, finding the energy, finding the focus...all of this requires effort.

And sometimes we need to hear more than just "you need to connect with Jesus offstage."  Sometimes we need a sense of what to do, when it comes to helping our hearts connect with Him, to help propel us forward.

The reality is there are multiple things we can do to move our hearts in the right direction, but I want to focus in on 3 simple ones that have made a significant difference in my own life- offstage and onstage.

Silence

There's a place for Scripture reading, a place for prayer, a place for worship...and there's a place for the practice of silence.

Silence is the idea of getting alone and getting quiet, in order to simply be with Jesus.  No reading, no praying, no journaling- just sitting before Him in stillness.

What's the purpose, the goal, the point?  Simply to be present to Jesus.

It's easier said than done, because our minds immediately begin to wander and we have to reign our thoughts back in.  But if we can press through the distractions, and truly become present to Him, we discover that He is present to us.  

The exchange that happens when we become present to Him and realize He is present to us is priceless.  And the fruit that comes from this experience- the re-centering and re-grounding of our hearts, the internal peace that comes, the perspective it brings- impacts our lives as a followers of Jesus, and also as worship leaders.  

I've written a bit more about silence here, if you want to dig a little deeper.

Cycling Through The Word

It's simple- almost so simple that we look past it for something "more" - but the idea of slowly and steadily reading and then re-reading through the Word has massive implications.  

Though it takes a long time, when you read through the Word- the Old Testament, the New Testament- and then read through it again, you become more familiar with the details of the story.

And the more familiar you become with the details of the story, the more confident you are in it. 

When you have even a bit of a grasp on the Word and what it says, you are more confident as a worship leader- both in what you're singing about and in Who you're singing to. 

Because the Bible isn't just information- it's revealing Who God is, and what He's like, to our hearts.  And the better we understand Him and His ways, the more we can authentically own what we sing about on Sundays and authentically interact with the Jesus we're singing to.

The simple takeaway here is just start reading!  Start in the Old Testament, start in the New Testament- just start reading, and read it like you'd read any other book.  

Prayer & Song

Prayer: If you want to take a deeper dive into a specific passage of Scripture, praying and then singing through a passage is a great way to do it.  

What passage to pick?  Start with a Psalm.  Psalms are prayers that are meant to be sung.

Once you've picked out a Psalm, go phrase by phrase (or verse by verse- whatever seems natural), and slowly read the phrase, pray the phrase, then cross-reference the phrase (cross-reference means to find other Scriptures in the Old or New Testament that have a similar theme or message).

For example, the passage is Psalm 23, I'll read that first phrase (The LORD is my shepherd I shall not want) and then stop.  Maybe I'll read it a couple times.  Then I'll take the phrase and pray it.  "Father, thank You that You are my Shepherd.  Thank You that I shall not want."  Then I'll pray the phrase a couple of times.

Next I'll search for other Scriptures that speak of the shepherding heart of God, like John 10 where Jesus says "I am the good shepherd".  Or Luke 15 where the Shepherd goes after the sheep that strayed.  Then I'll go to the next phrase of the passage.

Song: After you move through a passage like this (read, pray, cross-reference), then go to your guitar or keyboard, grab a simple chord progression and sing through the passage phrase by phrase.  

When I sing through a passage, I do something similar to what I did when I was reading the passage.  I sing a verse or phrase word for word, then I paraphrase the verse (put it in my own words), then I cross-reference the verse with another Scripture, and finally create a chorus that summarizes the phrase or verse.  For more details about singing through a passage of Scripture, you can read one of my earlier newsletters here.

Conclusion

If connecting with Jesus offstage is an inspiring idea to you, but you find yourself struggling to know what to do during that time with Him, I truly hope some of these simple ideas can help. 

Remember that it's worth it build a life with Jesus in secret, that can support your worship leading in public.

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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]