Bad worship songs: This is a house of prayer - by Mitch Wong

 From time to to we examine the lyrics of worship songs. Our desire is not to mock or humiliate, but rather to honestly examine content with a view to calling forth a better worship expression.

With the great volume and variety of worship music available, none of us should have to settle for bad worship songs. We should be able to select hundreds or even thousands of top notch songs very easily.

What makes a song a worship song? Is it enough to contain words like God or holy? How about vaguely spiritual sounding phrases? Should Jesus be mentioned?

We think an excellent worship song should contain the following elements:

• A direct expression of adoration (God, you are...)
• A progression of ideas that culminates in a coherent story
• A focus on God, not us
• Lyrics that do not create uncertainty or cause confusion
• A certain amount of profundity
• A singable, interesting melody
• Allusions to Scripture
• Doctrinal soundness
• Not excessively metaphorical
• Not excessively repetitive
• Jesus is not your boyfriend

It's worth noting the most worship songs contain at least something good. That is, there might be a musical idea or a lyric that has merit. Such is the case with this song, This is a House of Prayer.

Video here.

Lyrics:

Verse 1] Your presence is not for sale
Your Word is not merchandise
We're not here to trade our worship
For ways You can bless our lives

[Verse 2] We're not here to make a profit
We're not here to steal what's Yours
We're turning the tables over
There's only room for the Lord's

[Chorus] This is a house of prayer
This is a house of prayer

[Verse 3] Your Spirit above our schedules
Our sermons, our sets, our views
We won't stand bеtween Your people
And how You might choose to movе

[Verse 4] We're not here to build a brand
Or platforms that serve our sins
'Cause only the church You're building
Can withstand the gates of hell

[Bridge] In Your house, there's more than a song
In Your house, the weak are made strong
In Your house, the hearts that are broken will be restored
Will be restored

In Your house, we share what we own
In Your house, the orphans find home
In Your house, the widows in need are provided for
Provided for

In Your house, we pray for the sick
In Your house, we move in Your gifts
In Your house, Your Spirit pours out and there's always more
There's always more

In Your house, the bound are set free
In Your house, the enemy flees
In Your house, we witness a Gospel worth dying for
Worth dying for

In Your house, we take of the bread
In Your house, we drink of the wine
In Your house, we honor You, Jesus, above it all
Above it all

In Your house, let Your Kingdom come
In Your house, let Your will be done
In Your house, we give all the glory to You alone
To You alone

Overview

We need to begin by emphatically stating that this is in no way a bad worship song. When introduced to our congregation it devastated us with conviction. The song carries a message foreign to the ears of most American churches. The ways we do church, or what we value in our churches, or what we consider to be successful churches, are not what God values. We judge by top-notch sermons, excellent music, big offerings, and increasing numbers. However, God judges by ancient landmarks like fasting, prayer, consecration, holiness, submission, obedience...

Further, we typically don't sing confessions like the lyrics in this song. Too often we sing only staid hymns or happy-clappy songs. Tradition versus modern is the usual debate. Those who require a doctrinal treatise and three hymns value doctrinal content, while those who prefer dimmed lighting and power ballads place more emphasis on atmosphere. 

However, this sort of debate about worship misses the point. 

It's a false choice. It's false because we forget that our worship and prayers are incense. The measure is, do these things rise to the Father as a pleasing aroma? Is our worship for the God of all creation or is it actually for us? If we make it about us and how we feel (or, it's good worship only if our intellect is properly tickled), then it ceases to be worship and becomes a stench, not incense.

So, this song takes a wrecking ball to the fleshly things that have crept into our worship and our churches. And we commend Mr. Wong for doing it.

The Music

The meter is 12/8, which is not immediately discernable given the transparency of the opening. This transparency is largely maintained even at the climatic points of the song. This is part of the effectiveness of this song, the unadorned production, the simple, singable melody, and the basic chords. 

The verses employ a chord walk up that mimics the ascending melody. These are basically variations of the I chord. Again, the simplicity is so effective.

The chorus is IV - I - IV - I - V.

The bridge is IV - vi - IV - vi - V. As the long bridge advances there are occasional chord variations, where either or both the I chord and the V chord have the third in the bass. But there are no surprises here, no full bore band, no pounding drums or soaring guitar riffs, which effectively allows the message of the song to dominate.

The Lyrics

The lyrics are intended to be the star, not the music or the band. The verses are comprised of confessions, and also the things we as a congregation purpose to not do. Instead, the desire is to be the church God wants. This is in plain evidence throughout every verse.

By the time we get to the chorus we find we have been prepared for what the true church is, a house of prayer. The way it's sung is almost like the singer is trembling. Indeed, it is a fearful thing to sing of the desire for God to form His church the way He wants it. This only makes sense, for to be the church God wants invites wholesale change. And change can be risky, even painful.

The whole song has been leading up to the extended bridge, which is a series of truth statements about God's purpose for the church. When we sung this song in our church, each statement of the bridge added to the power and conviction, until by the time we sing the final stanzas... 

In Your house, let Your Kingdom come

In Your house, let Your will be done

In Your house, we give all the glory to You alone

To You alone

...we could hardly bear it. It's the combination of knowing we fall short combined with the promises (declarations, actually) of what the church should be and even, what it will be. It takes us from near despair to tangible hope. And all of it is sung to God, not to the congregation.

Conclusion

We think this song is a homerun, particularly if a church actually takes action and embraces the call to prayer. Prayer is not something we're naturally inclined to do. We think that the Holy Spirit must move in a heart for someone to become a person of prayer, and in a church to be a house of prayer. Otherwise by human effort it will fizzle out. 

The Holy Spirit will create His house of prayer, if we're willing.

We heartily recommend this song.