There’s a worship song that says, “Faithfulness, faithfulness, is what I long for, faithfulness is what I need.” In a chapter titled Talent vs. Faithfulness from the book Extravagant Worship, Darlene Zschech writes the following words, “Faithfulness… not such a popular word in today’s world, but one which Mark and I have seen, when applied over any area of our lives, brings great blessing. It’s about being faithful to the cause of Christ. Faithful to His love. Talent has almost nothing to do with it. Your gifts and your talents are God-given. And while they are a much sought after commodity by the world… they are very low on God’s list of ‘must haves’ to qualify you for living an effective, purpose-driven, Christ honoring life. 2 Chronicles 16:9 says ‘For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.’ We must continually remember the cause of the Kingdom, the reason why we do what we do. If you see the church as an avenue for your gift, an opportunity, an outlet, a way for people to experience what you have, a way to success… then you’re in the wrong place.” How true! The Bible says in Isaiah 43:19, “Behold I am doing a new thing, how it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wastelands.” As worship leaders we long to experience streams of God’s renewing presence in wastelands created by the lies of our adversary. We despise the wasteland and want to see it transformed! And one of the most striking aspects effecting this transformation… is faithfulness. The idea that God’s ‘new thing’ can begin to spring up but not be perceived is unfortunate. Maybe it’s because what springs forth often does so in very small beginnings. Faithfulness is one of those essential elements of Christian life necessary for proper perception. For we soon learn, how can we perceive the new thing God wants to do through us without it? In the overwhelming wasteland we can quickly forget that every prayer, every minute spent in planning corporate worship, every moment spent nurturing budding musicians, every decision to follow those in authority over us, becomes a planted seed that will eventually spring forth. Investments take time to grow. Often more time than we think they should. Through faithfulness God makes a way in the desert, streams in the wastelands, providing blessing for His people that others will eventually perceive. But you must perceive it first.
God is good,
Tim Covert
Tags: Christian Music, Devotional, Worship
