Prophetic Worship - Some More Thoughts

A young friend in Colombia asked me this question: Why do most churches tend to choose traditional worship music instead of prophetic worship?

After all these years I am still trying to answer this question. Here are a few thoughts:

1. Prophetic worship is very costly because in order to have PW we have to keep on changing - you can't have PW and stay the same because God will take you to the sight of His glory and you will not be able to resist His change. People like to stay the same - we don't like change...but if we see Him, we will be changed to be like Him. So...it is easier not to really have God's presence...and not to change

2. Prophetic worship is really about having the presence and voice of God in our time with Him. This can happen in our private worship or in a meeting of any size. Many people want God to be like them - their image of what they think God is like. But....He is not like us and is not like any one denomination has painted Him to be. So, in the end, I think a lot of churches don't like the God who speaks today - the God who wants to participate in our services and dance with us...people want a God in a box - the box of tradition. Prophetic worship breaks Him out of all our traditions - prophetic worship can draw upon our traditions and use them, but the ultimate is no longer the tradition - the ultimate goal of PW is the glory and presence of God

So...Prophetic worship is scary - we run from this God who is not like we have thought Him to be - He stays longer than we want Him to stay - He talks through people we don't think should have His voice - He does things that we don't think should be done in Church etc...tradition is shaken to the core by prophetic worship

3. Prophetic worship puts the Holy Spirit in control, and so many people want to have control. Sure, there needs to be leadership in the Church, but in PW times, we need to learn how to yield to the Holy Spirit and wait in His presence - that is very hard for a lot of people. 

4. In order for prophetic worship to really work, we need to know God - I mean really grow in knowing Him. A lot of Christians are content to remain in an immature relationship with Him. He is looking for His Bride and for intimacy with His people. Once again this touches the area of prophetic worship being costly - we have to grow in him and into beautiful maturity - I am not talking about physical age, but spiritual beauty.

5. It is so much easier to do the things we know - to rely on music rather than His presence. The music is the tool to get to the presence of God - we make music the main issue in worship...much easier that way. It is easy to practice our music and get it perfect...it is much harder to practice the presence of God