Favourite Worship Songs

[Venari]

Hey everyone,

I was talking with some friends about favourite worship songs. Then we talked about how they reflect our views of God. So I want to ask what your top 3 favourite songs are and what part speaks to you or just why do you like them.

For me;
1. Shine, Jesus, Shine ; I just can help but think about the overwhelming love of God and how it fills the world.

2. You Shine ; I guess a good reminder of the sovernty of God and the
great line “Why should we fear, when you made the heavens.”

3. Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee ; Well once again the overwhelming love of God in the lives of people and how all of creation testifies to Gods glory.

-Venari

[Jennifer5]

1. Let there be peace on earth
2. This little light of mine
3. They'll know we are Christians by our love (I think that's the title)

I just to the songs every part of them
:)

[SolInvictus]

1. It Is Well (With My Soul)
2. How Great Thou Art
3. Just As I Am
4. Shout to the Lord

[Lydia]

I'm not really a fan of worship music with lyrics (for a lot of different reasons that would probably require an entirely new thread to get into), but I do like the instrumental stuff I've heard in some churches at the very end of a service.

[schoolboi]

You want me to narrow it down to three? O my, that is next to impossible! I always seem to have a new “favorite” song about every two weeks. I love worship music. It’s about all I listen too. The Vineyard label is great. I love Vineyard music because of the intimacy often expressed in the lyrics. I also love Dennis Jernigan’s music. Even though he is an “ex-gay”, he sings and writes from his own struggle with his sexuality. Again he has a lot of intimacy in his lyrics. I love the Passion worship group as well. I think their name describes them well. As far as picking my three favorite songs of all time I would have to say:

1. Until Your Love Broke Through by Keith Green.
“Like a foolish dreamer trying to build a high way to the sky all my hopes would come tumbling down and I never knew just why. Until today when You pulled away the clouds that hung like curtains on my eyes.”

For years I tried to fight my way into heaven by suppressing my sexual orientation. It was failure after failure. Then on day the cloud of unknowing was lifted and God’s love broke through to me. I just really relate to the song.

2. Great is Thy Faithfulness
I weep every time I hear that song. It’s so true.

3. Reels by Iona
It’s a LONG story.

[keltic63]

wow, it's hard for me to pick favorites. And since I'm the music director at my church, I get to pick whatever I want the congregation to sing. I really try to pick what is appropriate for the scriptures and theme of the service. Sometimes that means singing a song that is not my favorite, or picking a song that I know certain members of the congregation won't like. It's an opportunity for education; When someone tells me that they didn't like a particular song that we've sung, I get to say "well, it's a good thing we're not worshipping you then, isn't it?" My congregation is discovering that it's not about singing "favorite" songs, but about directing our worship, concentrating on some aspect of God, or reinforcing scripture.

All that to say I don't necessarily have favorites. I do find myself drawn to Twila Paris songs, like "All That I Need" and "He is Exalted." I also like "We are an Offering" "Open the Eyes of My Heart" and "When It's All Been Said and Done."

[Jamie McDaniel]

Some great ones listed already. I really like God of Wonders, Shine Jesus Shine, and Shout to the Lord.

After college, I led a youth group at a small Baptist church and one Sunday I had them sit in a circle with a huge box of those pull-string "fireworks" that pop and shoot string in the air. The kids would each pull as many as they could during the chorus of the song Shout to the Lord.

Also Testify to Love is beautiful and if you haven't heard Canticle of the Turning it is a powerful worship song about God's justice, power, and mercy.

[schoolboi]

When someone tells me that they didn't like a particular song that we've sung, I get to say "well, it's a good thing we're not worshipping you then, isn't it?"

I think this statement sums up the point of worship. Although I think it is important in forming relationship with the Divine that we have expressions of worship that we enjoy, the most important thing is does God enjoy it. When I was in the Eastern Orthodox church I once heard my Bishop Mar Enoch make the statement, “We often ask one another, how was church? Did you enjoy the service or the liturgy? Our opinion of the service does not matter. We need to be asking God if He enjoyed the service.”

[suzer1013]

I have many, many favorites. At the top of the list is:

Life Every Voice and Sing

And if you could hear it sung at the Episcopal Church I used to attend, it would probably be your favorite, too. I've never seen a congregation be so uplifted by music as by that song.

Susan :)

[NathanATX]

1. In the Secret -- currently learning on the guitar
2. Shout to the Lord -- I listened to this song before going into a surgery where there was a significant chance I wouldn't survive. The words, "let every breath, all that I am, worship you..." became my prayer. In that moment the presence of Christ was in my room like never before. Even if theses breaths were going to be my last, let me love you God with them.
3. Breathe
4. Love song for a savior
5. "you're all I want..."

I could go on and on and on...

[suzer1013]

Ugh -- that should have been "Lift Every Voice and Sing"

Susan

[Venari]

You know I forgot about Shout to the Lord, as sad as it is I don’t think I have heard the song in years … till this morning. :-D Staying true to my euro-punk I still have my Nitro Praise cd's, Techno Worship (I know it sounds strange … and not really punkish), but they have a great rendition of Shout to the Lord. It’s really awesome if you listen to the base beat it matches the rhythm of a heart beat the entire song.

-Venari