The One Question that matters

Every week, after leading worship, I ask a question, consciously and unconsciously:

How was worship?

As people approach me with smiles on their faces, I'm secretly hoping for their validation. I look into the eye of those I partner with - the band, the singers, the pastor, the sound guys, etc… “Was it any good???”

Of course, part of me genuinely wants to serve and impact others positively through my worship. So its not like their feedback is not valuable - thats how we get better…

But if I'm honest, I often ask because I crave reassurance that I did a good job and that they like and accept me more because of my performance. My identity is still intertwined with how others perceive me, and doing well in worship feeds my sense of self-worth.

How was worship?

There’s nothing wrong with the question, actually. The question itself is just misdirected, like a child proudly showing their crayon drawing to their dad, asking if he likes it. A loving father would respond with enthusiasm and genuine appreciation because it came from his child's heart. He’s not pretending to like it so much as he is thrilled by the posture of the child’s heart that would even care to make something for him.

Instead of asking others (or ourselves): How was worship?
What if we ask our Father: "Daddy, Abba, how was worship today?" That's the question that truly matters.

And the beauty is that His answer is always yes when we bring Him our true selves. His delight in us has little to do with how we performed.

This happened at Jesus’s baptism. He was pleased with Jesus before Jesus had done anything of note.

There is power not just in the answer from our Father, but by our mere asking the r question to the right person – our heavenly Father, we signal something precious and important to Him and to our hearts. Just asking this question says something about the posture of our heart and identity.
I am Your child first, and Your opinion matters most to me. Help me see myself as You see me.

When we live knowing that we are fully loved and delighted in. As loved as Jesus is loved. Our world will never be the same…

So next time you lead worship, remember to ask Him first: "Father, how was worship today?"