The worship ministry of UPPERROOM has been releasing music for several years now, both independently and in partnership with other collectives, including Maverick City Music. Their passion and adoration for the Lord shine through in their music, setting the melodies apart in a special way. The community of musicians is diverse, but they share the utmost goal of inviting people into a posture of praise.
On track with this mission is their newest collection of music, The Turning, featuring songwriter Meredith Mauldin in a powerful eight-song record. Here's a look at two songs from the album.
"Adoration"
And for the nails that pierced the hands that long to heal us
For the feet that walked in dirt to bring us peace
For taking every lash of hate and failure
And for the blood that gushed and spilled to wash us clean
The vivid imagery in the song's words surprised me. I needed the jolt of reality, so I took it gladly. This world needs more Christians willing, to be honest about their faith and the truth of what Jesus did for us on the cross. What if we were those believers?
The Easter message can get ingrained in our minds as a habit, which is a blessing not everyone has. However, that blessing becomes dangerous when we begin to get used to the scene of the crucifixion.
In my life, I’ve found worship to lose its meaning when I'm pretending to understand His ultimate sacrifice for me. When this happens, I must step back to reflect that, “Yes, He died, and even more so, He died for me.” There's nobody else who can say that for me. It’s this love that sets God apart from everything the world offers.
Whether we've never heard that truth before or have just heard it 10,000 times, let's participate and pour out adoration in response to His affection.
"You Remain"
Jesus, it's an honor to cast down these crowns
What a privilege to lay my life down
Cause I know that all that I've gained will fade
But you will remain
The first line of this excerpt resonated with me. The other day someone was describing worship to me as, “casting down our crowns.”
Revelation 4:10-11 in the King James Version says, “The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure, they are and were created.”
Of course, everyone worships in different ways, but the heart of it that ties us together is His strength made perfect in our weakness. I’ve found humility to be the key to pure praise and reflected by these lyrics, it appears that UPPERROOM's vocalists have reached the same conclusion.
It’s one thing to use God as a vending machine, constantly needing something, and quite another to simply be in awe of His glory. By removing our crowns of preoccupation and distraction, we recognize that He's just that good.
This level of worship is difficult to understand until you take part personally. There's a tangible atmosphere of sacrifice woven into this song, and I’m so grateful for the hearts of these worship leaders.
My favorite phrase from the song would have to be "When the road changes course/My compass your voice." I pray you’ll be able to rest in this confidence today, that no matter what happens, our God is greater. It truly is an honor to worship Him.
Selena Schulz is NRT’s youngest staff contributor. She loves God, music, reading, and writing.
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