Worship Love Languages

I hope that you are aware of Gary Chapman’s book Five Love Languages.  In the book, Chapman explains that people are wired with different preferences for loving expression (for example, some people prefer words of affirmation, while others prefer quality time as an expression of love).  While I think that some of Chapman’s writing over-simplifies the human condition of love, Chapman has gotten my mind working about love languages as they pertain to worship.

As a worship leader, I often find myself gauging the effectiveness of a service by how many people I saw raising their hands during worship, or the amount of applause generated at the end of each song.  I know better than that; I know that worship is not about people, but God-however, if I’ll be transparent, I must admit that I feel kind of saddened when I don’t see much of a physical response to worship in the sanctuary during music time.

When I find myself falling into this attitude, I have to remind myself that not everyone worships the same way that I do.  I have to remember that there are many people who praise God genuinely and beautifully during worship without opening their mouths, or raising their hands, or any other physical activity.  Not everyone is wired like I am in regards to expressions of praise, and I should remind myself of this fact when I feel disappointed by the worship service.

Sometimes, though, we use this idea as an excuse to not do what we are being led by the Spirit to do.  We allow our personal comfort level to hinder our desire to praise God physically, and this is something that every worshipper of Christ must be constantly on guard against.  Satan works best when I am comfortable, and I must make sure that I am yeilding my worship temperament to God. Though we may have certain worship predispositions, we must not allow those predispositions to hinder our obedience to the Spirit.

What is your worship love language?  Are you a hand raiser, a clapper, or do you worship in some other way?  I’d love to hear your thoughts on this issue.