Heaven on “repeat play”

One of the complaints I most frequently hear about “contemporary worship music” is that it’s simple and repetitive, and I agree that some songs frustrate me for their lack of depth. For example, the chorus to one popular tune proclaims:
“I am a friend of God,
I am a friend of God,
I am a friend of God,
He calls me friend!”
Generally on about chorus two, I have the great urge to yell, “We get it! You’re friends with God! Move on!”

As He typically does, He spoke volumes to my heart yesterday through my sweet friend Sara Catherine. In conversation, she mentioned Revelation 4:8 which reads, “And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, ‘Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!’” and I was blown away. These creatures were created to only proclaim this one statement for eternity. It never gets boring, they never get tired, they never feel that they need to “change it up a little.” They simply praise the Lord over and over and over and take full delight in it.

The Lord calls us to be like little children….and little children repeat things…how many times have I watched the sweet ranch children giggle and squeal “Again Daddy! Again!” and Ronnie or Jonathan have to toss the child back in the pool for the umpteenth time…or bounce on the trampoline, or push the child on the swing. It doesn’t matter the action…the little child just delights in repeating over and over the action with their beloved daddy. When along the way does our “Do it again!” become “aww man…not again!” How sad that we can’t appreciate repetition! I think it’s a simple worshipful act that is impressed in us as little children that we loose somewhere along the way with the ability to have a simple childlike faith, hope and joy.

There is a reason that CD players have a “repeat play” option. It’s ingrained in our spirits as humans, we just need to tap into the simplicity of driving a point home by declaring it over and over. Jesus often reiterated His points…because they were important! They were things that He wanted us to “get!” To comprehend. Repetition shouldn’t make us weary, it should instill in us a sense of joy in the importance of what we are doing or saying.

So…Holy, Holy, HOLY is our Lord God, Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come!