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The Direction Of Music - Writing Songs That Point To God
By Steve Baney
We all remember studying parts of speech in school, learning to identify nouns, verbs, and other types of words. Once we'd mastered these basics, we moved on from studying individual sentences to studying entire paragraphs, looking for themes, content, and the infamous moral of the story. These same techniques can be applied to music.
Let's look at two familiar hymns, Amazing Grace (John Newton, 1779) and My Jesus I Love Thee (William Featherstone, 1864).
The lyrics of the sixth verse of Amazing Grace say:
When we've been there ten thousand years, bright shining as the sun,
We've no less days to sing God's praise than when we'd first begun.
Compare this to the first verse of My Jesus I Love Thee:
My Jesus, I love thee, I know thou art mine;
For thee all the follies of sin I resign.
My gracious redeemer, my savior art thou;
If ever I loved thee, my Jesus, ‘tis now.
If you look at all of the lyrics of these two songs, you'll find striking similarities. Both songs are about grace that saves us. Both songs address the price Jesus paid on our behalf. And both songs address the issue of life in heaven after death on earth.
But there is also a distinct difference. To whom is the person singing the lyrics of Amazing Grace singing? We have been there, we have no less days, when we had first begun. These lyrics are sung to other people.
To whom are the lyrics of My Jesus I Love Thee sung? These lyrics are sung directly to Jesus. Both songs honor God. Both songs are powerful means of worship. But the second song directs our attention, not to each other, but to our Lord.
I'm not suggesting one direction of music is better than another. In fact, I believe we need both kinds of songs in our vocabulary of worship. But I would suggest that as we write new worship songs (and as we choose the worship songs written by others) to be included in our corporate worship, we must be mindful of the direction where the music points us.
Here is a list of questions we can use to evaluate the direction of a song:
- Does the song talk about God or to God?
- What do the lyrics tell me about God?
- How would I say the same message in my own words?
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 Steve Baney is the founder of ShapingWorship.com, where you can share your original worship music with others and find the perfect song to match your set list, theme, Scripture, or topic. Steve has been a pastor of worship for 12 years, and is author of over 30 worship songs. Read more about the shape of worship and hear new worship music free at ShapingWorship.com.
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