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Prophetic Worship
What To Do When You Don’t
Know What To Do
Roma Waterman
There have been many times I have been on a platform and
felt a shift in the atmosphere and then not known what to do next.
We are never going to have all the answers. But we can
learn to read a situation so that we are more strategic and better equipped to
step into what the Lord is doing.
I like to think of it as being responsible with the gifts
the Lord has given me by studying, preparing and spending time with Him.
Our focus will always be on loving the Lord and honoring
Him and then out of that should flow learning how to host Him during our worship
encounters.
Here are some thoughts for you to consider when you are
faced with that moment of not knowing what to do when leading worship:
1. Prayer and worship is a dialogue not a
monologue
Don’t
feel you need to fill up everything with a song. Creating space to listen as
well as speak/sing is so important.
Don’t
be afraid of silence. It’s ok to have space. We often practice our songs but
how about practicing space or silence?
I
find in the moments of rest and quiet the Lord is willing and ready to speak.
Many times, He is not speaking because He can’t get a word in!
2. If it’s not working, move to the next
song/section
Don’t feel you need to keep playing or singing something
over and over unless you have a prompting by the Holy Spirit to do so. If it’s
not working move to the next song.
Sometimes we can even get ‘stuck’ in a spontaneous moment
that is going nowhere.
This can distance people from their worship experience
with God. Just let it go and move on. It’s ok!
We can think that we are singing something that is
anointed and as we are doing so, the congregation is disengaging – sitting
down, yawning, disconnecting.
These spontaneous moments then become a little self-indulgent.
The worship team is having a great time but no one else is really understanding
what is happening.
3. Allow a musical space: ‘Selah’
I have always believed that musical instruments can speak.
I have often heard a guitarist or a drummer play a musical interlude that was
powerful in releasing something during a worship time.
If I listen intentionally, I can even get a sense of what
the instrument is trying to say. That may seem strange but if you workshop
this, you will find that a group of people (i.e. in a rehearsal) can often
communicate what an instrument is trying to reflect.
This certainly takes a sensitivity to listen and lead with
your spiritual ears. It means always being alert to what the Lord is trying to
communicate.
Remember that it is okay not to know.
In the moment use the ‘space’ to ask the Lord questions,
what is He looking to release, where He wants to go… and so on.
Enjoy the journey!
Roma Waterman is
an award winning singer/songwriter, worship leader, speaker and author from
Melbourne, Australia. As well as recording several original albums, she has
also been a vocal coach and session singer for TV shows including The
X-Factor and The Voice, and has won several International songwriting
awards including The Gospel Music Associations Honour award for outstanding
contribution to Christian music.
Roma is the author of Releasing
Heaven’s Song (Amazon No 1 Bestseller), The God Artist, The Handbook
for Working Singers and Creative Identity – Carving Your Angel in the
Rock(Amazon No 1 Bestseller)
Her online creative arts
school – HeartSong Creative
Academy, trains over 23,000 students from around the world and is one of
her greatest passions and delights.
Along with her husband Ted,
they are the directors of Sounds of the Nations Oceania – a missional
organisation that seeks to empower artistic people to release authentic
expressions of worship that transforms nations. Devoted to raising up artists
to release art in their own authentic style and sound, Roma travels the globe
leading worship and teaching.
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