Selah

Prophetic music seems to be growing and changing. Years ago, prophetic music was reserved mainly for solos and duets; today, worship teams are starting to flow together in prophetic song. We used to see prophetic song as a unique gift in the life of a Psalmist; now we seek to lead whole congregations into it. Prophetic music used to be as individualistic as the people who sang and played; today, prophetic musicians are starting to sound more and more alike.

These changes reflect several good things that are happening in the church. First, we are learning to prize teamwork. Ministry is not the one-man show it used to be, and this change is affecting our music. Second, prophetic musicians understand that we need to open the wells of prophetic song in the whole church, and not just in the musicians on the platform. This means we are using chord loops as a musical foundation for our singing in the Spirit.

These chord loops are the third change, and they are a great step forward for the whole church. Fifty years ago, a few churches took time for free worship – and the instruments played nothing but a major key and its relative minor. The music always had the same tone. Today, the musicians often play the chords of the last line of a chorus over and over again, and the congregation sings in the Spirit with it. The instruments use a variety of musical textures and patterns, and the music is richer and more expressive than it was fifty years ago. Meanwhile, the Holy Spirit is free to lead the church in spontaneous praise and worship.

We have come to a plateau. We know God has brought us to a good place, and it’s higher than where we were before. Nevertheless, many prophetic musicians hunger for more liberty. The issue isn’t musical skill. Sometimes our chord loops fit the sound where we begin, but as the song develops we begin to feel we are in a musical rut – we don’t see how to steer the worship team into the next sound we need. And sometimes a chord loop becomes monotonous after an hour.

But God has already given us a way to steer our spontaneous worship into new directions: the selah. We need to start using it, and in the chart below I’ve given a few suggestions as to how we can do so. But first, here are a few points that are foundational in prophetic song.

1. Music is language. Chord loops serve us well in prophetic worship, but they can be confining. Sometimes we get stuck in a loop that doesn’t always fit what God is doing in the church. For instance, we might start with a sound of travail in a loop of minor chords, and then a few minutes later God speaks a promise of victory to the church. But when the prophet tries to proclaim victory, the background music sounds like a funeral dirge. And even if the musicians try to make the music sound more triumphant, the chord loop ties them down. We need the freedom to change direction when needed.

Music itself is language. A musical line can be complete in itself, or it can leave us hanging. It can sound confident or unsure of itself; it can stir people up or soothe them; it can be bright or brooding. When a musician plays under a prophetic anointing, the music can be as full of language as an utterance in tongues. If the musicians in the church can play in a high level of the anointing, we need to make room for them to play. As they do, waves of inspiration will sweep over the church. Someone with a prophetic ear will be able to get up and interpret what was played.

Chord loops are good, and they help the whole congregation flow together in spontaneous song. But if we restrict our prophetic music to loops, we will miss much of what God wants to say in prophetic song.

2. Musicians must let the cross do its work in our lives. First, we must decide who is the master and who is the servant: do we seek the anointing so God will help us fulfill our personal musical agenda, or do we lay down our musical goals so we can be available for God to use us however He may choose?

Then we must decide who is the star and who is in the background: do we look for God and the other musicians on the team to play and sing whatever will make our own musical dreams come true, or do we truly cry out to be hidden in the background so Jesus Himself can be seen?

We need to move in mutual submission, discerning the anointing on each other. God then can direct each musician to take a supportive role or a lead role, as each is needed. There is a tradition among jazz musicians, to let each player take a turn at leading the music – there’s something very fair about this arrangement. But in prophetic song, “fairness” isn’t really the issue. What counts is that God be able to express Himself, as clearly as possible. This means the whole team may need to play backup for one or two musicians who take the lead, as the Holy Spirit directs.

Our personal issues need to go to the cross: “It’s my turn now … I had a song, but someone else took the microphone and I never got a chance to sing … I’m tired of this rhythm …” and so on. These hidden thoughts make war against the flow of the Holy Spirit. As these self-centered issues die, we will be free to see what God is doing and to hear what He is saying. And then our songs can express the heart of God.

3. The selahs make good turning points, but a good selah is more than just a pause or an instrumental break. I have broken the selah into three parts: a holding pattern, a time for a soloist to “explore” a new sound, and finally a time for defining a new musical theme. If we use these three steps, the selah will become a turning point where we can move into new keys, rhythms, chord loops, melodies, or vocal themes:

The Holding Pattern. This is the time to let the music wind down. Less is more at this phase. There should be just enough music to maintain the momentum of what God is doing, but no more. As much as possible, the rhythm should become undefined. Chord loops stop, unless a soloist is ready to jump in and motions for the loop to continue. But the point of this phase is to stop and listen for God’s next phase of inspiration, so a soloist can be released with the next part of the new song.

Exploration. The soloist may need to explore a little to find the next theme the whole church can use. This may be a time for a prayer or prophecy to be sung. It can also be a time for the guitar or keyboard to take the group to a new key. The drummer can move to a new rhythm. But the soloist will set the tone for the next loop of congregational worship.

The soloist may need accompaniment. Sometimes a duet or trio will work as well as a solo. But again. less is more – with fewer instruments involved, there will be more musical freedom. Each worship team will need to work out its own signals for soloists and accompanists. But by the time a team has worshiped together for a few weeks or months, they should get to know one another well enough to know what to expect of each other and how to flow together.

As I get to know other singers, I begin to learn what kind of sounds will help each one flow in the Spirit. When I see that God is giving them something to sing, I try to play the sounds that fit the meeting and that will most likely unlock the person who is about to sing.

A Crystallized Theme. Something in the solo should trigger the next part of the congregational worship. This means that either the soloist or someone else on the team will need to identify one or two lines for the whole congregation to sing together. This new theme will become the foundation for the next loop the congregation uses as they worship.

I have seen this pattern work in church services: the congregation worships together on the background of a musical pattern, a selah makes room for an individual to sing a prayer or prophecy, and this in turn creates the next loop for the congregation. It’s simple enough that the congregation doesn’t get lost, but it makes room for new sounds when needed.

4. The power of each instrument. Each instrument has its own capacity to walk through this three-step pattern. Here are a few pointers for several instruments –

Instrument	Holding Pattern	Exploration	Defining A Theme
All	Play or sing just enough to keep the momentum, but not enough to define the music. The style here will include an understated rhythm and chord structure. KEY THOUGHT – Less Is More.	One individual goes out in a new direction, reaching and exploring but not yet trying to define anything. KEY THOUGHT – Pursue intimacy in song, and be as free as possible.	This individual moves into a pattern that defines the music for the rest of the team OR the team defines the next segment by backing up the musician who has taken the lead. KEY THOUGHT – Look for something simple the whole church can sing together.
Guitar	Settle into a loop based on the last lines that have been sung: either by repeating the chords, or by playing with a musical phrase that ties in with what was sung before.	Play a solo. Make it a heart-to-heart cry to God. Go all over the place – but aim to bring it to a new loop or pattern that the whole team can use together.	Using chords, the guitarist can define a new loop OR other instruments can begin to accompany as the guitar plays lead, thus defining a new pattern for the group.
Bass	Ask yourself this question: how little can I play to maintain the momentum of what God is doing now?	A bass solo can be highly rhythmic or melodic – either can give vent to God’s heart cry.	The bass is uniquely able to create a groove on which the vocalists or other musicians can create a new chord pattern.
Keyboard	The pad or string sounds work well in a holding pattern.	The keyboard can go all over the place with chords, rhythms, melodies, and textures.	Most often, the keyboard will define a new chord loop and/or rhythm for the rest of the team to use.
Drums/Percussion	Understated rhythm is the key here – and sometimes a rhythm as free as the sound of waves crashing on the beach, or a gentle wind rustling the trees.	The solo can be incredibly free. The goal with the solo is to communicate what God is saying and doing.	Upon settling into a groove, another instrument can begin to define the next chord or melody pattern. Other instruments then join in, one by one.
Sax/Flute/Violin or any other instrument that plays a melody	Caress the sound of what’s gone before. Play very little; look to add grace notes to the overall mix.	The solo will often sound best with another instrument playing backup. But for more freedom, a pure solo may be needed.	Aim to identify a line of melody the whole church can sing together. You will need a vocalist to put the melody into words – or you can do it yourself.
Vocals	Back off the mike; sing “the sound of many waters” where many voices flow together, with none standing out.	Sing a prayer from the heart. Your audience is God, not man; be more concerned about intimacy with God than with professionalism as a lyricist. OR Sing a prophecy – the goal here is to sing with clarity.	Look for a key line you can use as a chorus for the whole church to sing together, OR Let another vocalist on the worship team do this for you.

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Selah