worship frustrations

Are we missing something in church today? This morning I visited a new church with my family, a sister church to the one they usually attend, but let me say, I was not impressed with the worship--if that's what they insist on calling it these days. So many of these contemporary praise songs are all about the singer and his relationship with God, not about God in and of himself. You know those types, don't you? "I will give You all my worship," "You are my first love," "I'm desperate for You"...

Are we actually forgetting God's grace? Our praise songs are more pleading prayers and quick-toss promises than consideration of God's character, his timeless and infinite character. I find much more peace when I remember his unchangeable character than when I reflect on how I treat him. The rather puritannical self-examination these sung statements encourage has me falter through worship time as I consider how my words and behavior just haven't matched this past week and in all likelihood will not match up this week, either. I cannot depend upon myself. My only comfort comes in rehearsing that God will do what he says he will do, that he was, he is, and he will be, that because he says Jesus Christ's sacrifice counts me as righteous, I am righteous. When I think on his grace, I have peace; when I think on me, I have doubts.

Perhaps we should relegate some of these songs to confession time or to prayer time--sung prayers are beautifully communal--but keep those songs that direct our focus to God on high over ourselves as actual worship.