– written by W.N. Vincent
First of all, I’ll like to point out that, the concept of the title ‘Prayer Warrior‘ is generally misunderstood by most believers.
A prayer warrior is simply one who, ‘what ever he asks in the name of Jesus, receives his request through faith in Jesus‘. Luke 11:9-10.
And this is because he understands the requirements for answered prayers, such as; Being born again, having faith in God’s word, knowing what God’s word says about a matter and praying accordingly, etc.
But painfully, this is the concept of who a prayer warrior is to many believers;
‘Someone who knows how to shake his head vigorously, shout violently as he sweats profusely, pacing around quickly as saliva is fired from mouth like tongues of fire.
Someone who ‘gives no rest to the devil’ cos he’s always up at night… Praying‘_
We must understand that, singing and shouting are totally two different things.
In music, the term ‘Pitch‘ means the ‘highness or lowness’ of a note.
You may pitch a note on a high octave, but it never means to ‘shout’.
Also, Prayer is not a shouting challenge.
God is not deaf. You can effectively pray to him without shouting.
Please note that the Music Minister is first a believer, and so the place of prayer can never be ruled out of his life.
Infact, we, music ministers, must spend more time praying, and creating a balance to both rehearsing and studying God’s word, as there’s always that temptation to focus more on the music.
But as a music minister, you SHOULD NOT/MUST NOT pray and shout.
The temptation is so serious that, when some people see you praying without shouting like everyone else, they CONCLUDE in their heart that you’re not praying at all. And to appease them, you’ll begin to nod your head vigorously and pace about. No! Prayer is meant to be between you and God, (John 17:1-26).
“But Jesus ‘cried out with a LOUD voice’ at the grave of Lazarus, in John 11:43?” you may ask.
FORTÈ is a musical term that means LOUDLY. It doesn’t mean to ‘shout’, but to play loudly.
It may simply mean Jesus commanded Lazarus to come forth, in a voice that was VERY AUDIBLE/LOUD to the hearing of the people around him.
Also, Jesus’ ministry involved preaching/teaching/talking, and no matter how much he shouted when praying, no one ever called him to sing publicly.
Simply put, Jesus wasn’t a musician.
As a singer your voice is your instrument of communication, so ensure you keep it healthy.
Shouting can cause injuries to you vocal cords, be it in singing or in prayers.
I emphasise, YOU CAN PRAY EFFECTIVELY TO GOD WITHOUT SHOUTING.
God is not deaf, neither is He dead. And your desperation is first a thing of the heart before the voice, (1 Samuel 1:13).
As a musician who has events lined up for weeks running to months, it is wisdom to keep your voice healthy as you will be using it regularly.
So Live ready!
Regards.
#CreatingABalance
The Music Institute
