Tradition is a powerful force that can propel you into greater connection with the Father or into stale and empty religion. Some people like the comfortability of traditions as they are familiar, even nostalgic. Others resist tradition, thinking it’s antiquated and limiting. It can be easy to rely on external rituals to connect with God instead of bringing our hearts to him in true worship. God is after our hearts, and we should desire our traditions and routines to be an expression of our love for him. Let’s start by looking at some of the dangers of tradition and how they can hinder true connection with the Lord.
HOW DOES TRADITION HINDER OUR WORSHIP?
Auto Pilot
Have you ever driven from a familiar point A to point B while thinking of something else and, once you arrived, you couldn’t remember how you got there? Crazy, right?!? The human tendency to fall into routines makes it easy for us to go into auto-pilot, to ‘do’ without thinking. When it comes to growing deeper with God, auto-pilot is a problem. God desires more than just to get you from point A to point B; he is after relationship. Our external expressions of worship are to be the overflow of an internal burning love. “Man looks at the outward appearance but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). Here’s a great question to ask yourself: “Where is my heart (my desires, my thoughts) when I’m doing what I’m doing?” True worship is more than checking all the boxes; it involves my internal thoughts and passions full tilt towards God and my external behaviors expressing that devotion.
Relying on Others
Another hindrance of tradition can be relying on someone else to make me feel close to God instead of taking personal responsibility. Or, maybe feeling deeply connected to someone who has a mature walk with the Lord is taking the place of our direct walk with him. As great as my pastor or spiritual leader’s walk with God might be, no one can take the place of me personally offering my own sacrifice of worship to the Lord. Not even my spouse or parent’s walk with the Lord can make up for my lack of personal connection and praise. Each of us individually are to “gather the oil" of intimacy with Jesus, as Matthew 25 teaches.
Culture
Humanity certainly has opinions about what should and should not be done in worship. And it’s tempting for us to take on those ideas as God’s will! Jesus confronts the Pharisees about this very thing in Mark 7:7, which says, “They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.” Then he says in verse 8, “You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.” Mic drop. Leave it to Jesus to draw that clear line in the sand.
We must continually come back to the Word of God as the roadmap for our lives and the springboard for our actions. A prime example is found in my own life. Having a conservative past, I’ve been trained not to be a distraction and don’t rock the boat. Ultimately, this taught me to care a little too much about what others think. Yet, as I studied the Word, I observed that radical and undignified worship is pleasing to the Lord (2 Sam. 6:22), and demonstrative and expressive worship is encouraged all throughout the scriptures. It’s been freeing for me to look at the entirety of scripture and what it has to say in regards to this - letting go of people’s opinions while continually bringing this before the Lord in prayer. There is definitely a tension in corporate worship between being respectful to others and being expressive to the Lord. We are not looking for conformity or uniformity. Ultimately, we want our worship styles to conform to the pattern in heaven, which is always extraordinary worship expressed to an extraordinary King. The Spirit will help us grow in that area.
Fear
Fear is a tool of the enemy that is intended to steal our peace, kill our joy, and ultimately destroy relationship with the Father. Imagine a world without fear! Sounds heavenly, right? It’s interesting to think how anything based on fear is not the Lord’s heart for us. Fear can sneak its way into tradition and worship. Concern about what people think can overshadow the fear of the Lord in our lives and become the driving force behind keeping a tradition. Fear can also swamp our thought life, consuming the space designed for thanksgiving, worship, and dialogue with the Father. To remove fear is to remove a mountain standing between us and our heavenly Father.
Do any of these dangers resonate with you? During fasting week back in January, we asked ourselves the question, “Where am I being deceived?” Maybe we can add to that, “Where has my culture been deceived?” A beautiful scripture of examination is Psalm 139:23, “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.” I recently heard of someone who prays this scripture every morning as fresh surrender. This invitation for the Lord to come inside and “take a look around” is such an incredible opportunity that brings greater connection with the Lord as we come into the place of worship.
Here are a few questions to keep us honest:
Is my tradition built on biblical worship?
Am I holding tradition above God’s desires?
Am I open to changing my traditions if the Spirit convicts me?
Does fear, culture, relying on others, and/or autopilot mode prevent me personally from offering whole-hearted worship to the Lord?
HOW DOES TRADITION HELP OUR WORSHIP?
Now, before you begin completely removing tradition from your life, let’s look at when it's helpful! Tradition is a beautiful pathway when intentionally done in love to the Lord.
2 Thessalonians 2:15 instructs, “So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter.” Having godly traditions is a blessing to us, our children, and their children! Traditions assist us in abiding in the Lord.
Tradition Gives Us A Pathway
Tradition can be the pathway that points us in the right direction. From some of the earliest scriptures, we see God encouraging his people to incorporate faith into their daily, weekly, and yearly routines. Sabbath is a tradition, one that originated with the Creator himself! Passover, communion, tithing, daily prayer, etc. And I wouldn’t be a worship leader if I didn’t take this opportunity to share some traditions related to worship/praise and the scriptures where we see these encouraged!
- Singing together when we gather (corporate worship) - Eph. 5:19 and Col. 3:16
- Using instruments to worship - 1 Chron. 15:16, etc.
- Lifting our hands, bowing, dancing in worship - Psalm. 63:4, Psalm 134:2, 1 Chron. 29:20, Psalm 149:3
- Singing songs that are written - Eph. 5:19 and Col. 3:16
- Singing our own “new song” - Isaiah 42:10, Psalm 149, Psalm 98, etc.
All the beautiful Biblical traditions found in our culture (and many more found in others!) are there to pass from one generation to the next, demonstrating the Word of God in our lives.
Tradition Gives Us A Rhythm
I love the rhythm found in having a routine. We don’t have to leave it up to our feelings before we do something. Instead, we do what God instructs and align our feelings with that. Similarly, in the worship world, there’s a coined phrase of “singing something until you believe it,” not waiting to sing it until you feel it. We subject our souls and emotions to the Spirit of God.
Our tradition of praying before every meal reminds us to slow down and be thankful for God’s provision. The tradition of praying 3 times a day is deeply embedded in the Jewish culture, and we see Daniel not willing to compromise on this powerful routine, even to the point of being punished with death.
Maybe having a prayer list is a helpful rhythm to you! Don’t shy away from these routines that call our anxious minds into peace. Spiritual rhythms are there to assist us in keeping and building connection with our Father.
In conclusion, what are some traditions you’ve had or have that are full of the richness of Biblical truth? Or maybe God is bringing to mind some traditions he wants you to start? Let’s strive to lay down personal preferences and embrace what pleases God. Let’s be willing to adjust our lives, no matter how long we’ve practiced something, to pursue traditions that uphold and preserve God’s truths and those that detract from or contradict them. Let’s not mindlessly go through the motions but mindfully bring our heart and passion to honor the Lord. Happy worshipping!
Tags: worship, freedom, tradition, rhythm, pathway
