Hosanna: What a classic praise and worship song! The excellent guitar parts combined with God-honoring, Christ-exalting lyrics make it truly amazing. I remember playing this not long after our Lord saved me. As we sang, I prayed along with the song while playing, asking God to “heal my heart and make it clean,” “show me how to love like you have loved me,” “break my heart for what breaks yours,” and empower me to live with the mindset that “everything I am for your Kingdom’s cause.” I’ll never forget those moments of prayer as I played.

This song helped me realize that what we do is so much more than playing an instrument. If I felt this deeply while playing, surely others in the congregation felt the same while singing. It reminds me of the great responsibility we have to play with excellence, fully engage with the lyrics, and be mindful of the words we put on the lips of God’s people during worship.

We want to foster genuine emotion rooted in truth, not in falsehood.

God uses many means to reveal His heart and will: preaching, teaching, Scripture, prayer, the words of other believers, and, as Colossians 3:16 says, songs, hymns, and spiritual songs. What a privilege and honor to be a part of one of these means of grace!

I encourage all of us to reflect on a time when you deeply connected to a worship song (with scripturally accurate lyrics). For me, it happens most often when I’m fully prepared and ready to serve. I know my parts, my tone is dialed in, which allows me to relax and let go of distractions. This is especially true when my parts are second nature. When I’ve put in the work, I feel confident, and that confidence brings a calmness that lets me fully engage in the moment.