How to let the prophetic flow during times of worship

During the past few weeks, God has been reminding me and my local church about the need for the gift of prophecy and the importance of allowing it to operate during services. Below is an excerpt fro a letter I wrote to my band about how we can best let the prophetic flow during our services and times of worship.

So how can we do this as a band?

 

1. Create space for the music & song to ‘breathe’. By this I mean not being afraid to dwell or linger in a certain riff or melody in the middle or end of a song. Not necessarily singing, but a time of waiting and listening to God. Not being too eager or insecure to simply jump from one song into the next without time to think or catch our breath (I’m guilty of doing this I know). But giving ourselves time to ponder upon the song / words we have just sung, to let our hearts and spirits open up and communicate with God. I believe music continuing to play during this time is extremely helpful.

2.  Be sensitive to the spirit. When we sense the spirit of God moving, to follow! It may be to sing a song we have not rehearsed, or it may be a spontaneous song that might develop and grow during a time of reflection (as described above). It could also happen within a song that has been rehearsed and is on the list, but at that particular moment, a powerful anointing is felt resting on a certain instrument or singer and the other members in the band need to be sensitive to this, pull back and let the anointing come to the front of the sound. It could even mean the music leader pointing to the drummer and saying ‘just the drums’ or pointing to a singer and saying ‘sing the song God is giving you now’.

3.  Responding to the prophetic word as it is released. As someone sings a spontaneous song, the band and singers should be more alert than ever! Volumes should be adjusted in sensitivity to the word – does the sound need to be soft and quiet? Does the sound need to grow and intensify? What is the prophetic word about and how can the sound we are making best articulate it? Singers should try to pick up on a phrase or line and repeat it underneath the singer. If it is a spoken word, singers can hook on to the main points of the prophecy and sing them out over and over. There is an ebb and flow during these times and great sensitivity and alertness to the Spirit is needed.

4.  Practising the Presence of God. We should not sit back and be complacent, neither should we falsely manufacture an emotional experience. However I do believe there is place to try to put some of the things mentioned above into our rehearsals together. Not just to go over the songs on the list, but to practise what it means to create the musical ‘space’ to help the song ‘breathe’; to rehearse how to sing the repeated phrase while a spontaneous song is being sung; to be brave and have a go at singing a spontaneous song in the first place! I think the more we desire and try to practise these things, the more likely and more comfortable and confident we will be in bringing them to the wider church on a Sunday.