Guitar Solos

I don't know how you feel about guitar solos, but having grown up in the 90's with perfect-hair rock, I love them. The electric guitar has been a major part of music now for a very long time and in recent years it finally seems to have made it's way into the church.

Thank you Lord!

I don't know what most worshipers think about guitar solos in church but I'm going to try to explain what I think about them.

King David, before he was king and was just a little guy in the court of King Saul, was known for his skill with the harp.

The Bible says that Saul had problems with "a spirit from God." I will not even touch what that could mean, but I would like to touch on what happened when he had these encounters. The Bible says in 1 Samuel 16 that David would play his harp for Saul and that the music relieved him.

The Psalter is filled with examples of God's people celebrating God with not just song lyrics, but with the skillful playing of musical instruments.

So you have this two way street. The music serves as a conduit, and perhaps in some way as the yellow lines in the middle of the road. On one side runs traffic of worship and adoration toward the Father in the opposite direction as the relief, comfort, and joy that comes to His people. The worshipers lift up songs of thanksgiving and joy and praise on the very same medium that the Father sends down peace and comfort and hope.

Maybe the guitar isn't that conduit for you; maybe it doesn't serve as a path or line between you and the Father, but for me, listening to Dave play his guitar, listening to Sam on the keyboard, Kevin on the bass, Jason on the drums, and hearing Lisa's voice beautifully convey the message of the songs, I sense that something opens up, and we are in a place unlike many others, a place we don't get to come to just any moment of any day.

So if you're finding yourself sitting through a 20-second instrumental part of a song at KP (or wherever you worship), and you're not sure what that's got to do with the message, try to take a step onto that road, venture out into the path where these spiritual things can happen. Let yourself go.

If you don't want to do that, or can't, that's okay, just clap along and enjoy good music. The music is being made to honor the Lord and for that it is precious.