Some Songs are NOT Worship Songs

“I can’t worship to some of the songs on the car radio”.   I hear that comment quite a lot.  First of all, not all songs are worship songs.  Some are praise songs, testimony songs, commitment songs, ballads, etc.  The list goes on and on.  Secondly, the Christian music industry split a while back into songs of Christian worship (useful for church services) and what I will call Christian entertainment, songs that are about the Lord or the Christian walk, but are not conducive to worship or praise.  They are not designed to be sung in church, but are more to be listened to individually, such as in a living room or a car.

To put it another way, songs can have lyrics that are 1) man to God, or 2) man to man.  Many musicians refer to this as “vertical” and “horizontal”.  I would say that most songs that are “man to God’ are praise and worship songs, as they are directed to Him.  These are easy to worship with, as the lyrics are saying what you want to say as you worship.  The songs that are “man to man” run the gamut as to content, and in some cases (ballads and cross-over songs) never mention the name of Jesus.  They are still Christian, and the content can edify you and build up your faith, but the words do not easily lend themselves for you to worship to them.

Christian entertainment songs are also somewhat freer in their stylization, and this may sometimes strike you as not being “worship” or “praise” from the musicality and sound effects they may have.  We all have preferences and biases in what styles we like, and artists we want, and for those songs that are “different” from our preferences, we often have trouble receiving from them. Consequently, it wouldn't be easy to worship to them.   What I do is just push the button for another station!  Or have a thumb drive full of my favorite songs.  That way I can drive and worship in my heart as I travel.

So just because you can't worship to a song, doesn’t mean it is worthless.  I listened to K-Love for a couple of hours lately, and about half the songs were worshipful, and half were more entertainment-oriented.  I was edified and uplifted from both aspects.  I think there is a place for both types of songs in your faith journey with the Lord.