Words of Worship: Call to Worship

call to worship - the opening sentences or prayer often including a congregational response in a worship service

All throughout Scripture, we are called to worship the Lord in any way we can. This doesn't just have to include musical worship (although that's my personal favorite) - this can mean worshiping through your tithe, through serving others, or through prayer, along with countless other things. Praising and worshipping our Creator is what we were put on Earth for, and that is what the blog is going to focus on today.

Below is just a sampling of songs that really showcase the theme of a Call to Worship along with Scriptures that helped inspire the writing of each piece. All Scripture comes from the New Living Translation of the Holy Bible.

So Will I (100 Billion X)/Indescribable by Anthem Lights (written by J. Houston, B. Hastings, M. Fatkin, L. Story, J. Reeves)

This mashup can be found on Anthem Lights' 2018 album Worship and just shows yet again how good these guys are at worship medleys. These two songs are so great in their own rights, but putting them together just adds another layer to the worship experience. The Bible says that all creation will praise His name one day, and as the amazing lyric from So Will I states, if the stars were made to worship, so will I.

God of creation, there at the start, before the beginning of time/With no point of reference, You spoke to the dark and fleshed out the wonder of light/And as You speak, a hundred billion galaxies are born/In the vapor of Your breath, the planets form/If the stars were made to worship, so will I/I can see Your heart in everything You made/Every burning star, the signal fire of grace/If creation sings Your praise, so will I/From the highest of heights to the depths of the sea/Creation revealing Your majesty/From the colors of fall to the fragrance of spring/Every creature unique in the song that it sings/All exclaiming indescribable, uncontainable/You placed the stars in the sky and You call them by name/You are amazing, God/All powerful, untamable/Awestruck, we fall to our knees as we humbly proclaim/You are amazing, God

Psalm 148:1-3 Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens! Praise him from the skies! Praise him, all his angels! Praise him, all the armies of heaven! Praise him, sun and moon! Praise him, all you twinkling stars!

Here I Am to Worship (Live) by Hillsong Live (written by T. Hughes)

This worship song has been around for a hot minute, but the lyrics still ring so incredibly true. With all of the amazing things He does for us on a daily basis, why would we not want to declare that He is our Lord and Savior?

Light of the world, You stepped down into darkness/Open my eyes, let me see/Beauty that made this heart adore You/Hope of a life spent with You/Here I am to worship, here I am to bow down/Here I am to say that You're my God/You're altogether lovely, altogether worthy/Altogether wonderful to me

Psalm 27:4 The one thing I ask of the Lord - the thing I seek most - is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, delighting in the Lord's perfections and meditating in his Temple.

Might Sound Wild (Live) by Hillsong UNITED (written by J. Houston, M. Crocker)

This was one of my favorite songs from UNITED's 2019 live album PEOPLE. It's such a great song to get hyped up to and excited about worshipping Him. God's love for His children can seem "wild" by human terms, so ours for Him should match as much as humanly possible. Our worship should magnify His name for everyone around us.

Let now the music chase His heart/Mercy by mercy, note by note/We lost the pitch, He moved the score/Our wayward notes, His sweet resolve/And it might sound wild/But wild is why my heart sings/Oh, sing His praise 'til the other side/'Cause our hope came all the way

Psalm 96:1-4 Sing a new song to the Lord! Let the whole earth sing to the Lord! Sing to the Lord, praise his name. Each day proclaim the good news that he saves. Publish his glorious deeds among the nations. Tell everyone about the amazing things he does. Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise! He is to be feared above all gods.

Touch of Heaven (Live) by Hillsong Worship (written by M. Fatkin, H. Hobbs, A. King)

This is a very Hillsong heavy post this week, but who cares because Hillsong is great for a reason. I was introduced to this song from Hillsong's 2018 live album There Is More this past Christmas season when our worship song sang this during service and I think it's just really beautiful. Worship is a prime way for we as God's children to vocalize our desire to be nearer to our Father and connect our hearts to Him in a personal way, especially when we may not know exactly what words to say on our own.

How I live for the moments where I'm still in Your presence/All the noises die down, Lord speak to me now/You have all my attention, I will linger and listen/I can't miss a thing/Lord, I know my heart wants more of You, my heart wants something new/So I surrender all/All I want is to live within Your love, be undone by who You are/My desire is to know You deeper/Lord, I will open up again, throw my fears into the wind/I am desperate for a touch of heaven

Hebrews 10:19-22 And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven's Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God's house, let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ's blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.

I Love You Lord/Passion (Acoustic) by Hillsong Young & Free (written by A. King)

The simplicity of this acoustic mashup really just hits me straight in the heart. The words she sings in the verse could be a prayer from my own soul that any worship or music that comes from me be a pleasing offering straight to the Father.

I love You, Lord and I lift my voice/To worship You, oh, my soul, rejoice/Take joy, my King, in what You hear/And let it be a sweet, sweet sound/Let it be a sweet, sweet sound/Let it be a sweet, sweet sound in Your ear

Psalm 139:17 How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered!

Holy Spirit by Jesus Culture ft. Kim Walker-Smith (written by K. Torwalt, B. Wilson)

This song has been a favorite of both my husband and I for a lot of years now. It's one of the easiest worship songs for me to completely lose myself in, and as I've grown in my walk of faith over the last several years my relationship with this song has changed accordingly (we're at the point now where I have a hard time making it through the song without getting overwhelmed and crying a little). We have a safe sanctuary in our Lord where He wipes away our sins and heals our hearts through His presence, and if that isn't praise worthy I don't know what is.

There is nothing worth more that could ever come close/No thing can compare, You're my living hope/Your presence, Lord/I've tasted and seen of the sweetest of loves/Where my heart becomes free and my shame is undone/Your presence, Lord/Holy Spirit, You are welcome here/Come flood this place and fill the atmosphere/Your glory, God, is what our hearts long for/To be overcome by Your presence, Lord

Psalm 96:8-13 Give to the Lord the glory he deserves! Bring your offering and come into his courts. Worship the Lord in all his holy splendor. Let all the earth tremble before him. Tell all the nations, "The Lord reigns!" The world stands firm and cannot be shaken. He will judge all peoples fairly. Let the heavens be glad, and the earth rejoice! Let the sea and everything in it shout his praise! Let the fields and their crops burst out with joy before the Lord, for he is coming! He is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with justice, and the nations with his truth.

The River by Jordan Feliz (written by C. Wedgeworth, J. Feliz, J. Silverberg)

This absolute worship banger is another great song to get yourself psyched up about praising the Lord. The imagery of being baptized in a river help showcase the cleansing aspect of His love - Jesus is the water of life and washes all of our sin and shame away so that we can rise up in His grace and mercy.

I know a place where we can go/To lay the troubles down, eating your soul/I know a place where mercy flows/Take the stains, make you whiter than snow/Like a tide, it is rising up deep inside a current that moves and makes you come alive/Living water that brings the death to life, oh, oh, oh/We're going down to the river, down to the river/Down to the river to pray/Let's get washed by the water, washed by the water/And rise up in amazing grace/Let's go down, down, down to the river/You will leave changed/Let's go down, down, down to the river/Never the same

Matthew 11:29-30 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I'm humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.

I hope this week's selection blesses your heart in the way it has blessed mine. Happy listening, and see you next week!