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This is an older article, but it brings up a topic regarding worship we have not seen before. Of course, just because the topic is novel does not mean it is Biblical.
As is typical for the Doctrinal Police, not a single Scripture quoted, referenced, or even alluded to. We would expect that an author who is offering correction to the church ought to make a biblical argument. He does not.
We also note that the author himself answers the question he raises in the title: He begins with yes but ends with no.
And just for reference, we should roughly define the terms the author uses:
First person: Speaks of one's self
Second person: Speaks to the intended audience
Third person: Speaks about someone not present
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Opening Hymn of Third Person Praise
I was reminded of this strange phenomenon recently while working on a comparison of traditional hymn and contemporary texts. It’s true. When you look at the top contemporary songs, almost all of them speak directly to God instead of about God. (Though initially it isn't terribly clear, the author prefers songs about God [third person] rather than expressions to God [second person].)
In fact, out of the top ten songs on the current CCLI chart, only one, “Cornerstone” by Mote, Liljero, Myrin, Morgan, and Bradbury (Bradbury?…like William “Jesus Loves Me” Bradbury? Yep…) does not, likely because most of its text is lifted from Bradbury’s “My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less.” All of the others speak to God in the second person, either completely, or alternating awkwardly between second and third voices. (The author suggests that changing voices is awkward, yet David does it routinely in the Psalms, and sometimes does so more than once in a couple of verses, like Ps. 7:6-8 below:
That’s one of the reasons why the text of Chris Tomlin’s “Our God” is so poor.
Our God is greater, our God is stronger, God, you are higher than any other. (This song is is nearly all in the third person, until the quoted stanzas. The change to second person is an acceptable literary device which personalizes the expression.
The author suggests there are other reasons the song is bad, but in fact, upon reviewing the lyrics, there is very little in this song with which we would find issue.)
Tomlin almost does the impossible with a couple of his songs. “How Great Is Our God” is entirely in third person until the end, where he says…
Name above all names, You’re worthy of my praise. (The entire song is a exhortation directed to the congregation until the bridge, where these lyrics are found. It's actually an effective technique to exhort, then turn to God and worship.)
Chris, Chris. So close…
Even if we look at the top 20, there is only one song that can do it, and funny enough, it’s “In Christ Alone” by Townend (sic) and Getty. (Lyrics.)
Tomlin gives it one more shot with Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone). After copying a few of Newton’s stanzas (which are mostly first person) and adding a first person refrain, Tomlin does this.
The earth shall soon dissolve like snow, The sun forbear to shine.
I think he’s going to do it!
But God, who called me here below will be forever mine.
Almost there!
Will be forever mine.
Yes!
You are forever mine.
Rats! (Again Tomlin changes voices as a technique to take the non-specific text and make it personal. We have no quarrel with this.)
A New Narrative
Certainly there’s nothing wrong with speaking to God in second person narrative. (Yet the author has spent the entirety of his article in opposition to it.)
Many Psalms do it. Many hymns are prayer hymns, with a narrative addressed to God. But the unfailing frequency with which contemporary worship writers stay in the second person indicates a fundamental misunderstanding of what worship is. (He will not document this "misunderstanding.")
If you were to rely solely on these texts, you would think worship, or at least the best kind of worship, was getting alone with God and telling God how you feel about him. (This is a caricature of what modern worship is. Speaking and singing to Him is a recounting of His greatness and His promises. This is so common in the Scriptures that there should be no controversy at all:
Now let's look at the word "worship." It is שָׁחָה (shachah), which means bow down, prostrate oneself, before a monarch or superior, in homage, etc.. Clearly we are to come into His presence and address our worship to Him as we recount His greatness, power, mercy, etc..
It would be very strange indeed if we were to accept the author's prescriptions that we should worship in the third person. It would be like coming into the oval office and talking about the president as if he weren't in the room.)
But there are several problems with this.
First, worship is not about intimacy with God. (No documentation supplied for this assertion. We, however, shall document the author's error with Scripture.
It’s an infinitely broader undertaking.
Second, worship is not prayer. (Again no documentation supplied for this assertion. As before, we will make our contrary case from the Scriptures:
Prayer is a worshipful act, but not all worship is prayer. (Who has claimed this?)
Singing to God in the second person does not make for a more worshipful action. (Undocumented assertion.)
Third, when we worship corporately, we are supposed to be singing corporately. It’s okay to address God in the second person in this context, (The author concedes his whole case.)
but it’s not necessary, and it doesn’t make it any more worshipful, and if done pervasively, can detract from the corporate goal of the gathering. (How does second person worship detract from the corporate?)
Fourth, and most importantly, worship is a response of heart and action. Anything we do in response to God’s self-revelation and work in our lives is worshipful. This could be prayer (or singing a prayer hymn), but it could also be singing about God to each other. We can worship by reading Scripture, reciting creeds, listening to a sermon, or engaging each other in theological discussion. But let’s branch out even more. We worship when we respond to God’s call to compassion by feeding the hungry. We worship when we love our neighbors. We worship when we choose mercy, grace, and peace. We worship when we fight for justice. God doesn’t have to be our audience. We worship with any action done in response to the Gospel of Christ and its call on our lives. (We might concede this all to be true, but personal service is not definitionally worshipful. That is, if we give all we possess to the poor and surrender our bodies to the flames, but have not love for God through worship, we have nothing.)
I think there’s one other issue here, and it’s a testimony to our imposing human limitations on the Divine. Have you ever been asked to pray for something at a particular time? Something like, “Pray for my mom tomorrow at 3. She’s having surgery.” Or, “I have a huge job interview tomorrow morning at 7:30. If you’re up, why don’t you pray for me around that time?”
Think about it. What difference does it make if we get up to pray at 7:30 or take care of it the night before? If God is who he says, absolutely nothing. If we pray ahead of time, but sleep through our alarm, there’s no problem. God doesn’t forget. (The relevance of this escapes us.)
Similarly, if you are saying good things about me to someone else in my absence, I won’t know about it unless one of you tells me. That’s just one of the problems with the whole “not being omniscient or omnipresent” thing. (Being human is such a freaking drag.) But God knows. Whether you say, “All thy works shall praise thy name” or “All God’s works shall praise his name,” God will get the message. You’re not making things easier for him to understand by addressing it straight to him. (If it doesn't make any difference, why did the author write the article? Why the histrionics? The author has rendered his point moot.)
I was reminded of this strange phenomenon recently while working on a comparison of traditional hymn and contemporary texts. It’s true. When you look at the top contemporary songs, almost all of them speak directly to God instead of about God. (Though initially it isn't terribly clear, the author prefers songs about God [third person] rather than expressions to God [second person].)
In fact, out of the top ten songs on the current CCLI chart, only one, “Cornerstone” by Mote, Liljero, Myrin, Morgan, and Bradbury (Bradbury?…like William “Jesus Loves Me” Bradbury? Yep…) does not, likely because most of its text is lifted from Bradbury’s “My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less.” All of the others speak to God in the second person, either completely, or alternating awkwardly between second and third voices. (The author suggests that changing voices is awkward, yet David does it routinely in the Psalms, and sometimes does so more than once in a couple of verses, like Ps. 7:6-8 below:
Ps. 3:1-4 O LORD, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me! 2 Many are saying of me, “God will not deliver him.” Selah 3 But you are a shield around me, O LORD; you bestow glory on me and lift [Or LORD, my Glorious One, who lifts] up my head. 4 To the LORD I cry aloud, and he answers me from his holy hill. Selah
Ps. 4:1-3 Answer me when I call to you, O my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress; be merciful to me and hear my prayer. 2 How long, O men, will you turn my glory into shame? How long will you love delusions and seek false gods? Selah 3 Know that the LORD has set apart the godly for himself; the LORD will hear when I call to him.
Ps. 7:6-8 Arise, O LORD, in your anger; rise up against the rage of my enemies. Awake, my God; decree justice. 7 Let the assembled peoples gather round you. Rule over them from on high; 8 let the LORD judge the peoples. Judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness, according to my integrity, O Most High.
Ps. 9:5-8 You have rebuked the nations and destroyed the wicked; you have blotted out their name for ever and ever. 6 Endless ruin has overtaken the enemy, you have uprooted their cities; even the memory of them has perished. 7 The LORD reigns for ever; he has established his throne for judgment. 8 He will judge the world in righteousness; he will govern the peoples with justice.Notice that these four examples come from just the first 9 Psalms. We did not have to search very hard at all. Yet the author criticizes changing the voice.)
That’s one of the reasons why the text of Chris Tomlin’s “Our God” is so poor.
Our God is greater, our God is stronger, God, you are higher than any other. (This song is is nearly all in the third person, until the quoted stanzas. The change to second person is an acceptable literary device which personalizes the expression.
The author suggests there are other reasons the song is bad, but in fact, upon reviewing the lyrics, there is very little in this song with which we would find issue.)
Tomlin almost does the impossible with a couple of his songs. “How Great Is Our God” is entirely in third person until the end, where he says…
Name above all names, You’re worthy of my praise. (The entire song is a exhortation directed to the congregation until the bridge, where these lyrics are found. It's actually an effective technique to exhort, then turn to God and worship.)
Chris, Chris. So close…
Even if we look at the top 20, there is only one song that can do it, and funny enough, it’s “In Christ Alone” by Townend (sic) and Getty. (Lyrics.)
Tomlin gives it one more shot with Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone). After copying a few of Newton’s stanzas (which are mostly first person) and adding a first person refrain, Tomlin does this.
The earth shall soon dissolve like snow, The sun forbear to shine.
I think he’s going to do it!
But God, who called me here below will be forever mine.
Almost there!
Will be forever mine.
Yes!
You are forever mine.
Rats! (Again Tomlin changes voices as a technique to take the non-specific text and make it personal. We have no quarrel with this.)
A New Narrative
Certainly there’s nothing wrong with speaking to God in second person narrative. (Yet the author has spent the entirety of his article in opposition to it.)
Many Psalms do it. Many hymns are prayer hymns, with a narrative addressed to God. But the unfailing frequency with which contemporary worship writers stay in the second person indicates a fundamental misunderstanding of what worship is. (He will not document this "misunderstanding.")
If you were to rely solely on these texts, you would think worship, or at least the best kind of worship, was getting alone with God and telling God how you feel about him. (This is a caricature of what modern worship is. Speaking and singing to Him is a recounting of His greatness and His promises. This is so common in the Scriptures that there should be no controversy at all:
2Ch. 6:42 LORD God, do not reject your anointed one. Remember the great love promised to David your servant.”
Ne. 1:8-9 “Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses, saying, `If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations, 9 but if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name.’"
Ps. 25:6 Remember, O LORD, your great mercy and love, for they are from of old.Many worship settings try to emphasize this even more with dim lighting and verbal encouragement from the leaders to “sing to an audience of one.” (Let's examine this criticism. By way of example, let's use Ps. 29:2:
Ascribe to the LORD the glory due to his name; worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness.Notice David is telling his audience to give proper glory to God. To God. Not sing about Him as if He isn't there. And, to worship Him in His presence. This can only be a personal expression of worship David is commanding.
Now let's look at the word "worship." It is שָׁחָה (shachah), which means bow down, prostrate oneself, before a monarch or superior, in homage, etc.. Clearly we are to come into His presence and address our worship to Him as we recount His greatness, power, mercy, etc..
It would be very strange indeed if we were to accept the author's prescriptions that we should worship in the third person. It would be like coming into the oval office and talking about the president as if he weren't in the room.)
But there are several problems with this.
First, worship is not about intimacy with God. (No documentation supplied for this assertion. We, however, shall document the author's error with Scripture.
Ja. 4:8 Come near to God and he will come near to you.
1Jn. 3:19 This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence...
1Ch. 16:11 Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always.
Ps. 16:11 You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
Ps. 89:15 Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, O LORD.To be sure, we only worship God in spirit and truth if we have been converted, but it’s not about cuddling up on our comfy Mattress/God and saying sweet things to him.(Another ridiculous caricature. the author has a habit of defining the other side in negative ways that mislead us.)
It’s an infinitely broader undertaking.
Second, worship is not prayer. (Again no documentation supplied for this assertion. As before, we will make our contrary case from the Scriptures:
Ep. 5:19 Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord...
Ps. 17:1 Hear, O LORD, my righteous plea; listen to my cry. Give ear to my prayer — it does not rise from deceitful lips.Further, does not the author know that the Psalms are sung prayers?)
Prayer is a worshipful act, but not all worship is prayer. (Who has claimed this?)
Singing to God in the second person does not make for a more worshipful action. (Undocumented assertion.)
Third, when we worship corporately, we are supposed to be singing corporately. It’s okay to address God in the second person in this context, (The author concedes his whole case.)
but it’s not necessary, and it doesn’t make it any more worshipful, and if done pervasively, can detract from the corporate goal of the gathering. (How does second person worship detract from the corporate?)
Fourth, and most importantly, worship is a response of heart and action. Anything we do in response to God’s self-revelation and work in our lives is worshipful. This could be prayer (or singing a prayer hymn), but it could also be singing about God to each other. We can worship by reading Scripture, reciting creeds, listening to a sermon, or engaging each other in theological discussion. But let’s branch out even more. We worship when we respond to God’s call to compassion by feeding the hungry. We worship when we love our neighbors. We worship when we choose mercy, grace, and peace. We worship when we fight for justice. God doesn’t have to be our audience. We worship with any action done in response to the Gospel of Christ and its call on our lives. (We might concede this all to be true, but personal service is not definitionally worshipful. That is, if we give all we possess to the poor and surrender our bodies to the flames, but have not love for God through worship, we have nothing.)
I think there’s one other issue here, and it’s a testimony to our imposing human limitations on the Divine. Have you ever been asked to pray for something at a particular time? Something like, “Pray for my mom tomorrow at 3. She’s having surgery.” Or, “I have a huge job interview tomorrow morning at 7:30. If you’re up, why don’t you pray for me around that time?”
Think about it. What difference does it make if we get up to pray at 7:30 or take care of it the night before? If God is who he says, absolutely nothing. If we pray ahead of time, but sleep through our alarm, there’s no problem. God doesn’t forget. (The relevance of this escapes us.)
Similarly, if you are saying good things about me to someone else in my absence, I won’t know about it unless one of you tells me. That’s just one of the problems with the whole “not being omniscient or omnipresent” thing. (Being human is such a freaking drag.) But God knows. Whether you say, “All thy works shall praise thy name” or “All God’s works shall praise his name,” God will get the message. You’re not making things easier for him to understand by addressing it straight to him. (If it doesn't make any difference, why did the author write the article? Why the histrionics? The author has rendered his point moot.)
A Refocused Recessional
So next time you feel like grabbing God’s face and pointing it at yours like a small child’s and saying, “Look at me when I’m talking to you,” (Yet again the author creates a ridiculous caricature.)
remember what worship really is, (An explanation the author has yet to clearly provide.)
and more importantly, who God really is.
It’s time we get this straight. All of us. Songs that speak directly to God are fine and good, but they are no more worshipful than songs that remind us of what we know of God from the Bible and his work in our lives. (And with this conclusion the author confirms that there really was no reason for this article.)
So next time you feel like grabbing God’s face and pointing it at yours like a small child’s and saying, “Look at me when I’m talking to you,” (Yet again the author creates a ridiculous caricature.)
remember what worship really is, (An explanation the author has yet to clearly provide.)
and more importantly, who God really is.
It’s time we get this straight. All of us. Songs that speak directly to God are fine and good, but they are no more worshipful than songs that remind us of what we know of God from the Bible and his work in our lives. (And with this conclusion the author confirms that there really was no reason for this article.)
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