It covers all my sin, saves me from God’s just wrath, overcomes my enemies, redeems my trials and failures, and makes me more like Jesus.
I may want to draw attention to a specific way the Lord’s love is mighty. So after that phrase I might sing or say any one of the following: “Thank you for saving us. You have rescued me. Your power’s at work in us. You’ve overcome my sin.”
I could also highlight the word “love” by saying or singing phrases like: “You gave your life for us. Lord, you loved me first. Your love will never change.” Of course, I could just repeat “your mighty love” to emphasize it. But I’ve found adding to, amplifying or extending the meaning of a line often helps people focus on it more concretely, and motivates them to worship God more thoughtfully.
Hymns are more challenging to add thoughts to because they’re usually fairly wordy and don’t have long breaks between lines. But even then I want to communicate an active interaction with the words we’re singing.
For instance, one of my favorite lines in the hymn “Praise to the Lord, the Almighty” is this: “Ponder anew what the Almighty can do.” What an invitation! We gather not only to remember what God has done but to anticipate what he will do. So after “ponder anew” I might call out a jubilant, “Yes!” to accent what we’re being asked to do. I might also say, “We trust you.” Or, “You’re so good.”
Interjecting phrases like I’ve been describing takes thought and practice. It can easily be overdone, done poorly or done in a way that draws attention to the leader. It requires finding open spaces in the song so you’re not competing with the congregation. If they’re singing while you’re talking/singing, they probably won’t be able to hear you and the effect will be minimal or counter-productive. But done well and with genuine emotion, brief exhortations can be an effective way to motivate people’s devotion to the Savior.
[I’d love to hear any feedback on what’s written here. The book is a long way from being done …]
For more on this topic, download the following free messages from the Sovereign Grace site:
Effective Exhortations by Grant Layman
Building a Worshiping Community by Bob Kauflin
