Photo by Brooke Lark
This is another favorite song sung at my congregation. I gave How He Loves a low rating, so perhaps King Of My Heart will do better.
This one was co-written with John’s wife, Sarah McMillan on an EP entitled You Are the Avalanche. The album peaked at number 3 in Billboard’s US Christian Albums.
Lyrics can be found at https://genius.com/John-mark-mcmillan-and-sarah-mcmillan-king-of-my-heart-lyrics.
Note to new users: This is a different kind of review site! Read About the Berean Test and Evaluation Criteria prior to reading this review.
1. What message does the song communicate?
God is good. The verses contain an act of homage to God, asking Him to protect, sustain, ransom, direct, ground, and live inside us. He does not let us down in the sense that He fulfills His promises and gives us hope. These are all reasons why God is good.
Another explanation for “never gonna let you down” is that God answers prayer 100% of the time affirmatively, which is not true.
Verse 2 contains an error about how God is the reflection of our days.
Side Note: To those who are sensitive to massive repetition, Bridge repeats the same two lines eight times in a row, once before Chorus and another afterword.
Score: 7/10
2. How much of the lyrics line up with Scripture?
Most of it agrees with the Bible; However, one of the lines in Verse 2 is unbiblical.
[Verse 1]
Line 1: Refers to Christ (Isaiah 9:6, Isaiah 11:10, John 12:15, 1 Timothy 6:13-16, Revelation 17:14, and Revelation 19:11-16).
Line 2: The word “mountain” is a metaphor for stronghold or defense (Genesis 15:1, Deuteronomy 33:29, 2 Samuel 22:3, Psalm 3:3, Psalm 5:11, Psalm 12:5, Psalm 18:2, Psalm 20:1, Psalm 28:7, Proverbs 30:5, Psalm 33:20, Psalm 34:19, Psalm 46:1, Psalm 57:1, Psalms 59:1, Psalm 84:11, Psalm 89:18, Psalm 91:1-16, Psalm 115:9, Psalm 121:1-8, Psalm 140:4, Isaiah 41:10, 1 Corinthians 10:13, and 2 Thessalonians 3:3).
Line 3: That is, living water (John 4:10 and John 7:37-39).
Line 4: Given that God rules over us, it is Him who provides this new song for us to sing (Psalm 40:3).
Line 5: Repeats line 1.
Line 6: See commentary in line 2. As a bonus, Psalm 91:1 specifically mentions God as shadow for the specific purpose of shelter.
Line 7: Jesus gave His life as a ransom for many (Matthew 20:20-28 and Mark 10:35-45).
Line 8: Repeats line 4.
[Chorus]
Lines 1-4 Declares that God is good (1 Chronicles 16:34, Psalm 23:6, Psalm 27:13, Psalm 31:19-20, Psalm 34:8, Psalm 86:5, Psalm 100:5, Psalm 106:1, Psalm 119:68, Psalm 135:3, Psalm 136:1, Psalm 145:9, Lamentations 3:25, Nahum 1:7, Matthew 19:17, Mark 10:18, and Luke 18:19), followed by the sounds of a ghostly figure.
[Verse 2]
Line 1: Repeats Verse 1, line 1.
Line 2: Oceanic imagery utilizing God as the power that runs our lives depend upon, similar to Jesus’ usage of vine and branches in John 15:1-11.
Line 3: Further figurative usage describing God as the mechanism that keeps us from drifting, probably from committing sin (Psalm 19:12–13, Psalm 55:4, Psalm 139:1-4, and 1 Corinthians 10:13).
Line 4: Repeats Verse 1, line 4.
Line 5: Repeats Verse 1, line 1.
Line 6: That is, the Holy Spirit (Matthew 3:11-12 and Acts 2:3-4).
Line 7: We are the echo (or reflection) of God’s days (Genesis 1:27), not the other way around.
Line 8: Repeats Verse 1, line 4.
[Bridge]
Lines 1 and 2: There is a yes and no to this. Yes, in the sense that the hope that God gives us does not disappoint (Romans 5:4-8). Yes, in the sense that He always fulfills His promises (2 Peter 3:9). However, no in the sense that our immediate, fleshy, often impatient requests to God often go unanswered or unfulfilled. There is the experiential sense of disappointment that comes with that; However, the authors express the “yes” response when referring to God as not letting us down.
Lines 3-16: Repeats lines 1 and 2.
[Outro]
Lines 1 and 2: An allusion to Psalm 30:5.
Lines 3 and 4: Repeats lines 1 and 2.
Score: 7/10
3. How would an outsider interpret the song?
Those who do not yet follow Jesus should find the message easy to comprehend. It seems obvious that this song contains several requests to God, proclaiming that God is good, and, making it more overt in the Outro with its explicit name-drop. However, their likely interpretation of “never gonna let you down” is 100% answered prayers, leading some away from Christianity.
Score: 5/10
4. What does this song glorify?
It glorifies God, though the gaffe in Verse 2, as well as the potential Word of Faith statement in Bridge, puts a veil over it.
Score: 7/10
Closing Comments
John Mark & Sarah McMillan’s King Of My Heart is pretty good. I find it mostly biblical, a great message, and easy for unbelievers to understand, all of which glorify God. However, its statement that we are the echo of God’s days and potential proclamation that God answers all prayer affirmatively mars His glory.
I am torn over its congregational usage. While it does have some Marks in terms of Scriptural references, the error in Verse 2 and explanation for “never gonna let you down” will require some tweaking to remain theologically accurate. However, given the low rating I gave it, it makes it extremely difficult to justify a “perhaps” rating.
Final Score: 6.5/10
Artist Info
Track: King of My Heart (listen to the song)
Artist: John Mark McMillan & Sarah McMillan
Album: You Are the Avalanche
Genre: Contemporary Christian Music (CCM)
Release Year: 2015
Duration: 4:55
Agree? Disagree? Don’t be shy or have a cow! Calmly and politely state your case in a comment, below.
Updates:
04/20/2022 – Updated review to align with others concerning “never gonna let you down”. This lowered the song’s overall score from 8/10 to 6.5/10.
03/25/2021 – Updated per repetition announcement. I moved my commentary to a side note, added the “echo” error in section 1, and slightly increased section 1’s score. This raised the overall rating from 7.5/10 to 8/10.
Comments
Yunita Susanto
Interesting review and exchanges of thought.
I heard this song today in the church and “You’re never gonna let me down” really disturbing me. I cannot sing that song. I cannot stand in participation of congregation’s singing. Singing is about God, it is right. We are not to participate in “incorrect” statement of God. I hope song-leaders are more sensitive and practice discernment, so as not to “lead” congregation in singing/ declaring incorrect/unbiblical statements of God, which in itself is not a praise or worship.
Destiny
I always took the prayer of ‘let the king of my heart be… the echo of my days’ to be from 2nd Peter 1:15
Like to let Him be the resounding thing from my life that people hear even after I am gone.
Kyle
Be very careful of songs that have extensive repetition in them like this. This is along the lines of Lectio Divina (contemplated or mystical prayer) that is becoming very accepted in the “emerging” church. Stay away from this. It is not biblical it is a form of eastern mediation. It is very dangerous.
Steve Barhydt
Kyle,
I dislike excessive repetition in music as much as anyone but this is a prime example of the ‘Guilt by Association’ fallacy.
I could just as easily say that Satanists use candles as part of their ceremonies, therefore ‘stay away from candles.’
Or, Wiccans (witches) use flowers for some of their rituals, therefore ‘stay away from flowers.’
There is nothing inherently good or bad about repetition in songs (even excessive repetition)
You say ‘It is not biblical it is a form of eastern mediation.’
Please offer scriptural proof that repetition is not Biblical.
DO NOT use Matthew 6:7 (a favorite of those who dislike Contemporary Christian Music (CCM))
Matthew 6:7-8 (KJV) emphasis mine
7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for THEY THINK THAT THEY SHALL BE HEARD FOR THEIR MUCH SPEAKING. 8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.
Note that it is the MOTIVE that Jesus speaks against not the METHOD.
Please consider and answer the following?
1) Why did the Holy Spirit inspire the writer of Psalm 136:1-26 (probably David) to write the phrase ‘for his mercy endureth for ever.’ (KJV) 26 TIMES if excessive repetition is indeed unbiblical?
The argument that the first phrase in each verse is different does not eliminate the fact the same phrase is repeated 26 times. This would outdo most CCM songs!
Maybe to get the point across that ‘his mercy endureth for ever?’
2) Why are the four beasts in Revelation 4:8 repeating ‘Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come’ non-stop, night and day if excessive repetition is indeed unbiblical?
Maybe to get the point across that God is Holy ?
3) What were the Isrealites commanded by Moses to do in Deuteronomy 6:4-9 (KJV) This was immediately after giving them the Ten Commandments
4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:
5 And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:
7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
8 And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.
9 And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.
The ‘why’ they were to do this is given in verse 12 of the same chapter
12 Then beware lest thou forget the LORD, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.
The words ‘teach them diligently’ comes from the Hebrew ‘shanan’ which means to ‘sharpen’
When you sharpen a knife, you repeatedly draw it across a whetstone.
When you wish to sharpen your mind and spirit and want to avoid ‘forgetting God’, you repeatedly draw your mind and spirit over things that pertain to God. One of these things can be the words of a song. (Eph. 5:19-20)
This is not the same as ‘Lectio Divina’ which attempts to find ‘new revelation’ by slow contemplative reading while is a near ‘trance’ state.
As to your claim that ‘it is a form of eastern mediation.’, I found an excellent article at https://abide.com/blog/biblical-meditation-vs-eastern-meditation/#:~:text=Although%20God%20does%20call%20his,intense%20moments%20of%20spiritual%20growth. (NOTE: Use of this particular article is NOT an endorsement for everything on the adide.com site)
I quote but a part of the whole article
********************************Begin Quote****************************
Eastern meditation does not acknowledge a Creator God nor the need for a Savior. Rather, it teaches that everyone can draw from the goodness at their core — a belief antithetical to Scripture. Beginners learn to allow their basic goodness to come out. And while it’s true that everyone has love and compassion, wisdom and joy, capability and power, eastern meditation teachers believe these characteristics come from within rather than from God.
In biblical meditation, the Christian acknowledges his or her utter dependence on the triune God of the Bible. The Word of God fills your heart and your mind, convincing you of God’s deep love for you and your place in the kingdom of God. You experience freedom from shame as you become more and more convinced of your worth as God’s child.
******************************End Quote***********************************
Not all meditation is unbiblical or even evil. Meditation on God’s deeds and His Word is a good thing (Jos. 1:8, Psalm 1:2, Psalm 63:6, Psalm 77:12, Psalm 143:5, Proverbs 15:28, Isaiah 26:3, Phil. 4:8)
Again, whether or not meditation is good is about motive not method.
The two phrases most often repeated in this song are
1) ‘You are good’ – I agree with this one wholeheartedly.
2) ‘You’re never gonna let me down’ – I agree with this one with a caveat concerning the meaning of ‘let me down’. God will disappoint us from time to time by not giving us our way. However, He will never fail to give us what we truly need.
Both of which remind us of ‘God’s deep love for you and your place in the kingdom of God’ and not ‘everyone can draw from the goodness at their core.’
In summary, repetition in songs can be a way to emphasize a point or, sometimes, it’s just lazy songwriting. Either way to automatically equate extensive repetition to eastern mediation is both logically and Biblically inconsistent.
There is a tendency that many Christians have that the minute something is shown to be used by Satan and/or the world, they want to throw the proverbial ‘baby out with the bath water.’ Even worse, we tend to want to throw fellow believers away as well.
Read these words from https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/assume-the-best-of-others
*******************************Begin Quote***********************
Are you suspicious of others? We all have lived long enough “passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another” (Titus 3:3). Christ bids us out of the shadows of suspicion, to live in the sunshine as children of the day, bearing all things, believing all things, hoping all things, enduring all things (1 Corinthians 13:7). This is air from above — air that will keep us healthy and unified in this polluted and suspicious age.
*******************************End Quote***********************
Chris Franklin
Rev. 4:8 Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying: “ ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,’who was, and is, and is to come.”
Andrea W.
Have you ever been through something incredibly dark and exhausting, not knowing if you were going to make it through with your faith in the King of kings intact? This song is a war cry against that deep doubt and questioning. It’s is a declaration of truth, a reminder to one’s soul of the reality of who God is in life – he is Everything! He is the King of my heart, the shadow where I hide, my song, the strength that powers me, what remains when life is over, my anchor, the fountain I drink from, and so, so much more. I sing this song with abandon, repetition and all, when it plays at church, reminding my soul and feelings again and again that the Mighty One is indeed good!
Vince Wright
Andrea,
Thank you for your comments!
Yes, I have. My wife and I lost a son in utero several years ago. It’s the worst thing we’ve experienced. God helped us through it.
-Vince Wright
Alan C
I hear what you’re saying about the end of verse 2, and I think your concern is valid. As a songwriter, the most glaring issue is that the chorus and bridge are not nearly as well written as the verses. It just kind of seems like they gave up or ran out of ideas. Because of this, there’s not really a cohesive flow to the song. I think the chorus should have been developed a little more, and could have been better. But to me, the bridge feels out of place. Same with the ending.
I’m a worship leader, but I’ve never used this song. It’s obviously not my favorite. But at my previous church where I wasn’t leading, the worship leader really seemed to like this one. So I would just do my best to engage, worship, and thank God for His goodness.
James Millar
I think a Muslim could sing this song; a Russian could sing this song; A North Korean could sing this song; A Mormon could sing this song, ad infinitum. And none of them would be singing to Jesus or the God we know. It does not mention God at all.
Steve Barhydt
I suggest that you read the lyrics again.
God is specifically mentioned in the outro.
John
I have seen a reference to the author saying that “echo of my days” was talking about “what lasts beyond my life” although I only have that 2nd-hand. I think we have to give a little leniency for artistic expression and poetic language though, especially when it’s a single line in an otherwise solid song.
Anyway, where do we stand on tweaking an author’s lyrics in terms of copyright and all that stuff, is there an argument we should either use the song or not use it rather than modify it?
Although it’s common to deride repetition in modern worship songs I struggle to see on what grounds it can be objectively stated as wrong. In some cultures very drawn out repetition is a core part of worship – chants and so on. Biblically, we have “Day and night they never stop saying: “’Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,’ who was, and is, and is to come.” Do we think the angels get bored? Often I feel people attack repetition from a wrong perspective – it’s quite sensible to critique a song’s use of repetition but this shouldn’t be about what you like personally.
foursquare
Agree with John here, “echo of my days” is like the after image of our lives, when we die, what will remain? Hopefully people will remember Jesus. It is poetry.
Neal Cruco
Vince,
First, happy Fathers’ Day!
Second, we sung this song in church today, and I had a flash of insight in the middle of worship regarding Verse 2, Lines 7 and 8. “[Let the King of my heart be] The echo of my days / Oh, He is my song.”
What is an echo? If you yell in a cave, your voice will bounce off the walls, lingering several seconds after you close your mouth. The echo lasts (relatively) long after the original impetus has died out. In this sense, the echo is the legacy of your voice- what is left behind when your voice has died out. While Merriam-Webster does not contain any definition of “echo” like this, Dictionary.com defines “echo” as “a lingering trace or effect”. (https://www.dictionary.com/browse/echo, noun sense 6)
It seems that a wish for the King of our heart to be the legacy of our life is very much biblical. It reminds me of Casting Crowns’s song “Only Jesus”: “And I-I-I, I don’t want to leave a legacy / I don’t care if they remember me / Only Jesus / … / Did I live the truth to the ones I love? / Was my life the proof that there is only One / Whose name will last forever?” Or their song “Nobody”: “So let me go down, down, down in history / As another blood-bought faithful member of the family / And if they all forget my name, well, that’s fine with me / I’m living for the world to see nobody but Jesus”. I would rather people remember the ways in which I was the hands and feet of Jesus than remember anything about me personally.
Vince Wright
Neal,
Thank you for your comments!
First, if you happen to be a father yourself, happy Father’s day! If not, than thank you for the well-wishes!
Second, If I am understanding you, then God is the “lingering trace” of my days? I suppose I can see that as a possibility, but that’s pretty far down the dictionary list to make a case to defend McMillan’s lyrics!
I propose a change that is much more clear. How about “The victor of my days”? This puts God at the center and avoids this controversial discussion about which definition of “echo” is correct.
-Vince Wright
Vanessa Carrigan
I disagree about how you’re reading the last line of verse 2. I don’t think it’s saying that God is an echo of us. It’s expressing a desire for God to be an echo throughout our lives.
Colten Hood
I’ve noticed that the line which you say is unbiblical is different than the actual words I’ve heard in recordings. I don’t know if they changed the lyrics from when this was originally posted. But i think there’s a massive difference in saying “Let the King of my heart be the fire inside my veins, the echo of my days, Oh, He is my song.” and what you have posted, “we are the echo of God’s days”. It very well could be that they received feedback on this and changed it, but as I’m just hearing it and am keen on biblical accuracy, I don’t see the issue with the lyrics as I’m hearing them.
Vince Wright
Colten,
Thank you for your comment!
What I offered, “we are the echo of God’s days”, is meant to be the correction to the lyric, which says, “the echo of my days”, or that God is the echo (or reflection) of our days.
-Vince Wright
colten
Oh! I see what happened. My apologies. I guess I understand what you’re saying in relevance to us being created in God’s image. But when I think about God and wanting to echo who He is through the outward and inward expression of my life (days), that’s what I take from it. Not that God is to reflect us but that we are to reflect God and therefore my days would echo Him? Kinda convoluted but I can see it. I think you have a fair point though.
Carol
Please speak (with grace) with your worship leader about the excessive repetition.
Lexeniel
I’ll replace “the echo of my days” to “who guides me day by day” when we’ll use this song in worshipping God. Any other ideas? Apologizing in advance to the song writer but thank God for you Vince for pointing out this error.
Vince Wright
Lexeniel,
Thank you for your comment!
I think “who guides me day by day” is a great substitute. It contains the same number of syllables and fits within its context in the lyrics.
-Vince Wright
Ruth Ann
I just found your site and have read several reviews of songs – songs that I like and don’t like. This is one I don’t like – because of the excessive repetition, it seems too vague (romantic boyfriend style), and is very shallow theologically. What are the lyrics of the outro? I haven’t seen anything with a “name drop” as you said.
Thank you for creating such thoughtful, Biblical reviews.
Vince Wright
Ruth,
Welcome to The Berean Test and thank you for your comments!
Outro says:
When the night is holding onto me
God is holding on
It explicitly names God as the One who holds on. This is the only thing that keeps this from finding a boyfriend interpretation. I also agree about its shallow theological depth; However, milk is useful for seeker-sensitive churches.
-Vince Wright
Ruth Ann
Thank you for clarifying. I just realized you linked to the genius lyrics at the top. The lyrics Google popped up and Bethel’s website didn’t include the outro. I think my church has done the Bethel version which is why I disliked the song and thought it was pure fluff. Naming God in the outro makes me feel better about it.
Jeswin Ebenezer
Brittany says:
March 9, 2018 at 3:42 am
Hello!! I saw on a Facebook thread from John Mark McMillan’s page and he describes “echo of my days” as “what lasts beyond my life”. Hope this helps in your translation!! 🙂
Reply ref: https://melwild.wordpress.com/2016/01/31/king-of-my-heart-sarah-mcmillan/ thoughts???
Vince Wright
Jeswin,
Thank you for your inquiry!
I’d be willing to agree with Mel Wild if the line said “echo of His days” instead of “echo of my days”. The wording makes it sound like God is subservient to our “echo” and not the other way around.
-Vince Wright
James S. Frazier
Hello, and thanks for the great critique of this song, it was very helpful. I was scrolling through the comment section and noticed this comment of yours included an alternate lyric for the line in verse 2, and was curious if you would be able to add that as one of your thoughts in the review itself? Or would you rather have someone comment asking your thoughts on alternative lyrics if one would be necessary?
Vince Wright
James,
Thank you for your inquiry!
Are you asking me to update my review with the proposed alternative lyrics from the comment to which you are responding?
-Vince Wright
Christina
I find this song symptomatic of a larger trend toward singing about God being good and not letting us down but never backing that up with how God has shown His goodness – first and foremost in the cross. We are so focused on God not letting us down in our present (often trivial) challenges when we should be focused on the fact that Jesus died for us when we were dead in our sins. That we would even consider the possibility of God letting us down is ridiculous…
Vince Wright
Christina,
Thank you for your comment! I think you are on the right track. Our focus should be on Jesus (Hebrews 12:2), not our immediate circumstances.
-Vince Wright
Dave
I just found this after having similar concerns with this song. I take it a bit further in the “never gonna let me down” as kind of the climax of the message of the song and it seems like it is more about “me” that He isn’t going to let “me” down, rather than His will be done for me. Maybe I’m splitting hairs or reading into it too much, but that was my immediate thoughts hearing this for the first time.
Morgan S
Greetings!
I am so excited to come across your page! I am also passionate about making sure that the music I listen to is biblically sound. It is so great to see sites like this that are so thorough that I can take in to consideration! I am preparing for leading worship tomorrow morning, and this has give me so much useful insight!
I would like to suggest a slight change to the unbeliever rating. I think it should be slightly lower! I, as a believer, did not know half of the references in this song until I read the scriptures you attached to them. I took them more as word pictures than as scripture until you showed me the exact scriptures that it would most likely be referring to! Thanks for that! (And I clearly need to study more).
Also, THANK YOU for clearing up the echo verse a bit. I was also thinking that this made no sense and had to be grammatically backwards. Why in the world would God be the echo (or reflection) of MY days?? He made my days! Lol
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this and will be back for more.
Vince Wright
Morgan,
Thank you for your thoughts and compliments! I am glad that you found my content valuable.
I’ll consider lowering the “Outsider” rating. I may have been generous.
-Vince Wright
pamchoo
“The echo of my days”
I interpret it as the repetitive sound of God’s voice throughout our lives. His Word repeated every day.
Vince Wright
pamchoo,
Thanks for that! I see what you are saying, but I am not sure if I agree. I’ll pray on it.
-Vince Wright
Steve Barhydt
I too do not like the repetition in the bridge and, from a human standpoint, God does sometimes “let me down.”
As for the “echo of my days” line, I have always taken that to mean that when my days are over that the King’s goodness and faithfulness be what “echos” throughout the ages.
tastywallet
Steve,
Thank you for your comment! I think that might be what the McMillan’s meant, but the phrasing makes it difficult to agree. Perhaps it would have been better to phrase it “the builder of my days” or something to that effect.
-TastyWallet
Timothy Bayne
This is it. “Echo of my days” is the personal prayer. May He be the fire inside my veins, the echo of my days… May He be what is echoed after I leave this earth. I think it is a powerful prayer of faith and hope that our lives would reflect the person of Jesus, that at my funeral the resounding note is Jesus, Jesus, Jesus.
Neal Cruco
I’m surprised this song is from 2015! I had never heard it until my church started singing it last fall. Unfortunately, I immediately disliked it because of the ridiculous amount of repetition. I actually excused myself on more than one occasion when the song started, so I wouldn’t have to endure “You are good, good, ohhh” and “You’re never gonna let, never gonna let me down” for what felt like eternity. Definitely not buying this one.
As for the “echo of my days” line, I agree- it’s not good. But maybe the McMillans intended to speak of how God should be “echoing out” from believers in their daily behavior? It’s not well-worded at all, but there’s got to be some reason why the McMillans wrote that line.
tastywallet
Neal,
It is nice to hear from you again!
You are a lot braver than I am! I just stand there, watching other people and enduring the relentless repetition during worship. I should start excusing myself more often.
-TastyWallet
Sage Walz
Hello Neal and Vince!
I am a worship leader and have been for roughly 3-4 years now. I agree with you in many regards that over repetition can be a little boring and takes up space for a chance to add some great theological nuggets. However, it saddens me to read that during a time where we are corporately worshiping God that you would walk out because of one song.
I bring this up because it could point to your heart being in the wrong place. I too find this song is repetitive, but when we turn ourselves away from this time of worship, to “worship” our own comfort I think we are missing the point of it. I am not saying you have to sing but maybe this is the time you pray for the church, the leaders, your family, yourself. Maybe this is when you take a chance to read your Bible and reaffirm the truths of God in your heart. If you find that it is best to excuse yourself to do these things, by all means do it so that you can continue to worship and serve God but not to serve yourself.
Vince Wright
Sage,
These are excellent points! My goal was to temporarily step out for respect of other people worshipping, but your suggestions are superior than what I chose to use with that time. Worship is about God, not about me. Sometimes I forget that with my critical, analytical mindset. Thanks for that reminder!
-Vince Wright
Wendy Morgan-Lampier
GREAT thoughts and response here! Way to turn negative to positive. I believe we are WAY too critical sometimes without turning that into action on our end. Thank you!