Selfish songs

[wotupjoe]

Has anyone else noticed that a lot of the worship songs we sing are more focused on us than God?
Now, don't get me wrong, I think that they definitely have a place in the worship but I personally don't feel that there's enough songs that focus solely on God.
You can argue that, in the "selfish songs", we're singing of what God has done in us so, therefore, we're still singing about God. What God's done in my life and millions of others is a miracle and wonderful, you've got no argument from me there! I just feel that we should be lifting up God for who He is, not for what He's done.

He's God, we should praise Him, full stop.

What are your thoughts?

 

[GuruGreg]

Yea...I have one pastor who hates to hear "I" in any praise and worship song, because he thinks the focus if off.

That being said, most praise and worship songs for chruch should be more focused on God if at all possible. The "selfish songs" do have something to say, but they're focus may not be where you want it. However, there are many good songs that worship the Lord through testimony about their struggles and blessings, and while they may seem selfish, they are glorifying God. They just don't fit as well in church because everyone has different experiences.

 

[vexroid]

If you're using worship as a way to talk to God, like prayer, I'm not sure I see it as selfish.

 

[Beoga]

i fully agree with you. there is a lack of songs that praise God for being God.

 

[wotupjoe]

If you're using worship as a way to talk to God, like prayer, I'm not sure I see it as selfish.

Worship is not about us. It can't be just another way to talk to God. Sure, that's what you're doing in essence, but it's just my personal opinion that when we want to talk to God, we should pray. When we want to give God glory (and when we don't want to give Him glory cause we're having a bad day or something) we should do it through praise and worship.

Like I said there is a place, in the worship time, for songs that help people reflect on what they've done/haven't done. I just think that it's more worth our while to just praise God because, when we worship Him, all our troubles will pass away. He'll honour those who come to Him not because of what He can do for them/has done for them, but simply because He is God, the creator of the universe, the Alpha and Omega.

 

[rachelg2004]

It all depends...because in worship you want the music to go Up (focused on God), In (focused on you and your heart) and Out (geared for the audience ex) solo song). So sometimes songs can be about you and God ... for example I Will Worship with all of my heart, I will praise you, With all of my strength ... this song is about you and your relationship with God by praising him with all of your heart, strength and mind.

 

[vexroid]

Worship is not about us. It can't be just another way to talk to God. Sure, that's what you're doing in essence, but it's just my personal opinion that when we want to talk to God, we should pray. When we want to give God glory (and when we don't want to give Him glory cause we're having a bad day or something) we should do it through praise and worship.

Like I said there is a place, in the worship time, for songs that help people reflect on what they've done/haven't done. I just think that it's more worth our while to just praise God because, when we worship Him, all our troubles will pass away. He'll honour those who come to Him not because of what He can do for them/has done for them, but simply because He is God, the creator of the universe, the Alpha and Omega.

I didn't once say that worship was about us. And yes, it can be a way to talk to God. If I want to talk to God one way, and you want to talk to him another way, he's going to hear us both.

 

[Jynx3dx1]

I see the 'selfish' song as cries or prayers. Worship is a time where God is glorified. But at the same time, it can be a prayer time too. I think its perfectly fine.

Telling him we are weak, that we cant do this without him is in my opinion, another form of glorification.

 

[eutychus]

Yeah, unfortunately it's prominent in a lot of modern songs. The whole church's theology has seemed to shift from focusing on God to focusing on the self. It's OK to focus on self in light of God (i.e. our depravity in light of God's holiness), but we've made our praise songs out to be "I will...[such and such]," which is silly given that we can do nothing apart from God's grace.

 

[Timothy]

The songs I like are the 'You are' songs. The songs I hate most are the 'He is'. The 'I' ones come somewhere in the middle.

'You are' is a personal intimate thing, we're talking and worshipping God, I love those songs.

The 'I' songs are promises - you need to really thing about them when you sing 'I will give you all my worship'... do you? Every day of the week?

And the 'He is' songs... are just kind of naff, to me. Why not tell him, praise and worship him using those words in a "you are" song. I dunno. There's a few "He is" songs that I like, but mostly they seem rather pointless.

Worship is about talking to God, not about God, and that's the bottom line, as far as I'm concerned, as far as the songs that are needed.

Timothy

 

[Hollypop]

I think that the "He is" songs are declaring who God is to those who dont believe...
Worship is about who He is and not about us...

I do get annoyed when the focus of worship is yourself instead God. Praising God for what he has done for you is great... but if you dont worship God... youve missed the whole point in knowing Him.