Scott Jasmin

Angels in our midst

Posted by yourfriendjaz on June 1, 2011

Does preparing for worship leading ever get old?  Now be honest, does it?  If you’re like me, preparing for worship leading week-in and week-out can get mundane.  It’s an occupational hazard.  You may think that I’m about to offer some helpful suggestions to help keep things fresh and new, but I’m not.  Instead, I want to share a revelation I had.

One evening our congregation was gathered for a special worship and prayer service.  Our band led the worship as usual.  As I was worshiping, I noticed that I could hear something out of the ordinary.  Over the drums, guitars, and keyboards, over the percussion and voices I could hear something I had never heard before… a flute.

As I continued to play and sing, I listened to this beautiful, wonderful descant.  I was struck by how heavenly it was.  It was the perfect part being played flawlessly.  I loved it.

Then my thoughts turned to wondering about the flute’s source.  Where was it coming from?  I knew there was no flautist in the the band.  In our church it wasn’t too unusual for members of the congregation to bring their own instrument, like a tambourine.  I looked around the congregation, but no flute.  And yet it continued to play.

I gave up wondering about the flute and just enjoyed it.  It’s lilting melody ministered to my soul with heavenly brilliance.

Finally, the service ended.  I turned around and asked my band, “Did anyone else hear…”

“A flute!” came the excited response from our percussionist.  She had heard it too!  I was relieved to know that I was not the only one who had heard it, because I had actually considered that I had just been hearing things.  We asked the rest of the group if they had heard it too, but they hadn’t.  Apparently we two were the only ones who had heard it, but that was enough for me.  I was just thankful that God had allowed me to hear it, and that he gave me just one other person who had heard it too.

Now I can’t say for sure that it was an angel playing that flute.  I mean, flutes require breath, but angels don’t have lungs.  And you have to have lungs to breathe, don’t you?  Or maybe angels play special flutes that don’t require breath.  I don’t know.

What I do know is that there was some sort of heavenly flute being played that night.  And it made me keenly aware that there are heavenly hosts in our midst when we worship.  I’ve always known that the Holy Spirit is present.  It shouldn’t surprise me to think that angels are in our midst as well.  And it’s not that angels are somehow better than the Holy Spirit; they’re not.  It’s just that it has made me even more appreciative of the fact that during worship there is so much more going on than meets the eye.  Angels are worshiping with us!

So the next time your worship planning is feeling stale or mundane, remember this: you are not just leading worship for humans…there are angels in our midst.