Ever since I was in my own youth group a long, long time ago… I have been playing the bass guitar in praise bands. I started out playing by just what people taught me, like as is, hit this when you see this chord, kinda thing. Thankfully I was able to learn more than just a few chords as the years passed by. But one constant reminder is that I always feel out of my league in any of the bands I have been part of.
I don’t consider myself a great bass player at all. I am not a by-ear musician and I cannot read music, I need chord sheets with the whatever letter chord is above the respective lyrics. Regardless, of my talent level I have been able to play and actually sing with people who are so-ever much more talented than I.
*Side note, while attending The Baptist College of Florida I tried out for the Male Chorale (a large group of guys choir) and made the cut to my surprise and even my best friend Wes’s surprise. I was able to tour around the eastern seaboard and even went to England and Wales for our Spring Tour. Yeah so, I was in a choir…I have a manly deep bass voice, who could resist, right?!?
Back on track now, I have been around such great talent and has been an honor and privilege playing with these folks. Some of my favorite times in life has been around playing in bands and worshiping God the Father. This to me is a personal picture of what grace is all about. I don’t deserve to be on stage with the one’s I have had and have the opportunity to be on stage with, but for some reason I am allowed and invited.
Without giving you the full history of what bands I have been involved with (maybe a different post at a different time) I want to fast forward through all those scenes and talk about the worship service at my church this morning.
This morning I was able to play bass with Wes (different Wes from the mentioned one above) and company. The set list was a great one. I’ve had Oh Our Lord and one of Wes’s own songs stuck in my head all day. We also played Our God by Chris Tomlin. The last song we played was Wes’s song and wow, it was amazing. I can’t explain the in words how majestic the presence of God was like and how we were used as a band to set an atmosphere of peaceful yet powerful worship.
We played through the first two songs and seemed as though we flew right through them. The last song seemed to at first be going the same way, but then all of a sudden as we felt like the song was done, the song continued and we stayed there for a while. It was so cool. The chorus of the song was simply saying “We cry Holy.” Words we have heard many times through life but this time singing and playing those words struck the right chord. The worship was sweet and I loved every minute of it. I could have just stayed in the moment for a long time. Even going back to my seat I was still in the moment.
Wes made a comment after we were done playing agreeing with me about how it seemed like we flew through the first two songs and then stayed on the last for while, but he added that it was like God was like, “Let’s get through these two songs and then let’s stay here for a while.” As if He couldn’t wait to get to that spot.
With all that said, I am so thankful that I get to be part of those kinds of moments. It’s not something everyone gets to do. I get to experience so many amazing times with such amazing people. I look up to many of the people I am surrounded by. People that love the Lord and use their talents/gifts to lead others to the love of God. I get to be part of that.
