Listen: it happens.
There are going to be times in your worship leading where you don't feel good enough. There are going to be times when you feel like you can't do anything right.
You always stumble over your words. You play the wrong chords. You forget where you are on stage and accidentally fall off. (Okay, that's never happened to me personally but I've seen plenty of videos before!)
And at the end of your time of leading worship, you just feel... unworthy. Like maybe you weren't meant to do this.
But the truth is: God doesn't want you to feel that way. He wants you to lead with confidence.
Here are 3 secrets about "not feeling good enough to lead worship":
1 | Every worship leader feels that way
Every single worship leader struggles with not feeling good enough at one time or another.
Because we all make mistakes. Nobody's perfect. And YOU put yourself under a microscope and dissect every little nuance that you get wrong.
It's called "impostor syndrome."
That's when you're afraid that you're not good enough because you know the REAL you.
You're afraid that people are going to expose you for the "fraud" that you are.
But like I said, every worship leader feels that way.
All the way from people who lead worship in small groups up to megachurch worship pastors who wear tight jeans with holes in them, fancy leather boots, and funny looking hats.
Because, at the end of the day, we're all just normal, imperfect people.
And the truth is, if we're being brutally honest, we AREN'T "good enough" to lead worship.
So, what hope do we have? Onto the 2nd secret.
2 | God doesn't ask YOU to "feel good enough." He asks you to trust that HE is enough.
Use your feelings of inadequacy to remind yourself of the Gospel.
That is that we AREN'T enough. We can't do it in our own power.
But that's okay, because God chose to step into our story and be enough FOR us.
The same is true in your worship leading.
No amount of simply playing the correct chords, saying the right words, or praying spiritual enough prayers can lead people in worship.
If we always only focus on the "what" of leading worship, we will miss out on the "how."
And it's the "how" that qualifies us to lead worship and makes us "good enough."
So, what's the "how?"
Look at John 4:23:
True worshipers will worship the Father in SPIRIT and in TRUTH.
How do true worshipers worship?
1. Spirit
Worshiping (we'll focus on musical worship for this post) is not simply the act of singing.
Worshiping is not simply the act of raising your hands.
Worshiping is not simply the act of closing your eyes and "trying to focus on God."
None of these things are "true worship" unless the Holy Spirit is involved.
In the same way, your worship LEADING is not TRUE worship leading unless the Holy Spirit is involved.
And that means... you guessed it... understanding that YOU aren't good enough but believing that, because God has given you the Holy Spirit, HE is good enough through you.
2. Truth
You know what the antithesis of truth is? Feelings.
Here's why: Feelings constantly change. Truth never does.
The same things that were true when God created the world are still true today.
But our feelings?... They change by the minute.
(My feelings are mostly dependent on how long it's been since I've had something to eat.)
So, when we base our qualification on whether we "feel good enough," we are in a constant state of limbo and uncertainty where one moment we feel like we're doing okay in our worship leading and the next we don't.
How do you break that cycle? Focus on truth because truth doesn't change.
The problem is: we'd rather think that we're capable of leading worship by ourselves SOMETIMES, instead of admitting that we're NEVER capable of leading worship by ourselves but believing that God's Spirit in us makes us capable ALL THE TIME.
So, take a post-it note and write this down:
God doesn't ask me to be "good enough." He asks me to trust that HE is enough.
Then, slap that bad boy somewhere you'll see it every time before you lead worship. (ie. your guitar case, on the floor by where you lead worship, in your green room, etc.)
Your feelings change. THAT TRUTH doesn't.
Which leads to the final secret...
3 | Your OBEDIENCE is worth more than your FEELINGS
If your worship is based on FEELINGS, you will never live a life of worship...
Because you won't always FEEL like worshiping.
But obedience is different...
When you are obedient to something, you've determined in advance that something is true and you're going to do it whether you feel like it or not.
If your worship is based on OBEDIENCE, you CAN live a life of worship...
Because truth (which obedience is built upon), doesn't change.
That same is true in your worship leading.
Often times, we feel like a failure in our worship leading because we didn't "feel the right feeling."
And that's not fair because you can't MAKE yourself feel something.
But, when obedience is the measure of success in our worship leading, we can succeed every time.
Here are some questions you can control the answer to:
1. Did I properly prepare before I led worship today?
2. Did I cover my time of worship leading in prayer before I led today?
3. Did I trust the Holy Spirit to work through me as a I led today?
You can determine what your job is as a worship leader, use those responsibilities to determine whether you're being obedient to them or not, and then leave the rest up to God.
[Learn more about your responsibilities as a worship leader here]
God doesn't promise that you will always have the right FEELINGS when you worship (or lead worship) - just look at some of the Psalms.
David didn't always feel like worshiping.
But, he knew this important truth:
Often times, our OBEDIENCE leads to the FEELINGS we long for.
When you step out in faithful obedience - trusting that God knows what's best for you, He actually brings about what is best for you.
So, instead of seeking to FEEL a certain way before leading worship (like you're qualified, like you have the voice of Chris Tomlin, etc.), seek to be OBEDIENT to the responsibilities that God has called you to as a worship leader.
In the end, when you don't feel good enough to lead worship, remember:
Every worship leader feels that way from time to time - you're not alone. It's okay.
God doesn't ask YOU to "be enough." He asks you to trust that HE is enough.
Your OBEDIENCE is worth more than your FEELINGS.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.
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