Help! I'm Stuck on Which Songs to Choose for Worship

Let's face it, worship leaders: We could all probably bring better focus to our song sets. 

Look, I get it. Not every sermon topic lines up perfectly with current trends (or even classic tunes), but... 

We are still called to lead people in focused adoration, confession, and thanksgiving in corporate singing. With creative planning, you can loosen away from the sandbar of "worship leader's block" and make just about anything work—but it has to be done the right way. 

Remember the Fundamentals

When you're at a loss for what to sing, look back to these fundamental topics that connect Scripture to itself:

• The Gospel

• God's character

• His people's response

When we sing of these things, we confess the message and story of God's plan of redemption, savoring His mercy, grace, love, and justice through pouring out thanksgiving and praise. And no matter the topic, you can always use these themes to support the sermon.

Putting It Into Practice

Let's tackle a difficult topic, like preaching from one of the Minor Prophets: Haggai.

We often overlook passages from a book like this, mostly because many sermons focus on the Gospels, the Epistles, historical accounts of Israel, or sacred poetry and wisdom. In the case of Haggai, this book was written for a specific time, place, people, and purpose:

• Time: The rebuilding of the Temple after the Babylonian exile.

• Place: Jerusalem.

• People: Hebrews.

• Purpose: Encouragement amidst setbacks and failure.

Haggai gives encouragement and calls of repentance to the people of Israel as they face hardship when rebuilding the Temple. They had arrived in their homeland after several decades of exile, but progress was stalled on the rebuilding of the Temple. In time, they began to despair and turn to other comforts aside from God. 

Now, you may be more aware than me, but I don't know of many songs that specifically talk about building construction and setbacks/delays. But let's look at what Haggai ultimately points to in his words: a prophecy of a new and better Jerusalem, where God will dwell His people forever. 

Now we're getting somewhere! There are a plethora of songs that speak of that promise; "Holy, Holy, Holy" and "Revelation Song" are a couple that come to mind. In your spoken exhortation to the congregation, speak of Haggai's prophecies and how they point to fulfillment in the coming of Christ, both in the Gospels and the book of Revelation. You can then tie in other songs that give praise to God for His promise, faithfulness, and sovereignty. Here's a set list I would use, setting the tone with upbeat songs that transition into slower ballads and hymns:

• "You Are Good" (Israel Houghton)

• "His Mercy Is More" (Matt Papa & Matt Boswell)

• "Revelation Song" (Jennie Lee Riddle)

• "Holy, Holy, Holy" (Reginald Heber)

See? Once you dig in, you can find all kinds of ways to weave the elements together! Just look for how the material connects to God's redemptive work and story, aspects of His nature, and how we confess heartfelt responses to Him.

Be blessed 👊✌️