Why the oh oh's

Please play before reading


Driving home today from my cousin's wedding in California, i was listening to some music and "With Everything," from Hillsong United came up.  It has this section of the song where the only thing sung is "oooh."(i'm not good at onamatapeia so if i spelled it wrong sorry)

Oh Oh

Anyway, what struck me was a complaint a lot of people might have about a song that has a bunch of bars of "woah" or "oh."  A lot of people might say that there is no content to a song like that.  Feel good hippy music.  Shallow theology.  Believe me, if you go online and look at some comments people make about songs they say stuff like this and worse. 

But as I listened to the song and the sound of people worshipping, I was awed by the Challenge this song actually places on its hearers.  Moreover amazed at the courage, intensity and passion of the response from the people on the track. 

Who God is

You see the whole first part of the song is a proclamation of who God is.  Its a recognition of the glory and Holiness of Jesus.  Its an agreement of the truth revealed in Scripture and History of who God is....

Then the Challenge:  "With everything we will shout forth your praise"

That's not an idle suggestion, but a declaration of an intentional act done in response to our recognition of who God is.  It is a communal response from the people of God to His revelation to His people. 

Declaration of Love and Commitment: Relationship

The dynamics highlighted in this song are a lot like a love relationship.  I'm speaking from a guy's perspective(girls u can come up w/ur own analogy)  When a guy likes a girl and they are in relationship, at some point in time there is this recognition of, "Wow! You're Awesome!"  Followed usually by acts that declare our love to said girl.  One of the best examples of this process comes when a guy proposes to the woman he loves.  Usually prior to the process of asking the woman to marry him, he reflects on why he loves her.  He reflects on the woman's identity and sees how this relationship with this woman affects him.  Accompanied with these reflections are musings about what life with this person might be.  How his future will be affected by his relationship with the woman.  Everything in life will be different.  All future life decisions are now made as a team.  One person doesn't decide, its two people as one.  After all these things are considered and thought through, really in the blink of an eye, he makes a proclamation of his love by making the marriage proposal.  At the same time he's also making a commitment. 

Our Response to God

That's what this song is, its the proposal, the act of love shown in response to our "Wow! You're Awesome!" moment.  Its raw and visceral expression of our love for God in response to His love for us that comes on account of who He is. 

Community

The other incredibly powerful aspect of this song comes in the communal affirmations of what the people of God will do in response to God's acts of love.  "We" will shout forth Your praise.  Its the whole idea of the unity that comes in worshipping God with everything we have.  To join in the chorus with integrity, the focus can't be on us, it has to be on the one being praised.  "Our hearts they cry, be glorified...for you our King with everything we will shout forth your praise."  The focus is on God and our need to glorify Him.  When we say that, it makes the act of glorifying God our purpose.  Then a decision has to be made, to join God's people in glorifying Him or not.  The decision to be united in the mission of glorifying God says a lot about the condition of our hearts.  It says that we place God first and above all, His glory, His purpose first.  The one who decides not to join shows a heart attitude that reflects idolarty.  Something that has come before the glory and praise of God.

Healing and Transformation by focusing on God

Speaking from experience, I know what that feels like.  I've allowed hurts in my life from people in the church to keep me from placing God first in my life.  I've not joined because i didnt and couldn't join in worship with other Christians because I thought they we're fake.  That was a miserable time of my life.  Because regardless of whether or not I was right, my focus wasnt on my relationship with God.  My focus wasnt even on the relationships the people who "wronged" me had with God.  It was about me, and whether not i was right.  I held on to that hurt for a long time, and the only way i experienced healing was by putting the focus back on God.  I was so focused on wanting other people to change, that i didnt recognize the change God wanted to accomplish in me.

So why the oh's

The part in the song that gets to the woah's is so awesome and resonates with me because, it comes as one.  All at once in unity and affirmation the Body of Christ acting as One body giving praise to God. 

The other part that is incredible is its simplicity.  Not a bunch of complicated words. Just one sound.  Its not a bunch of notes that need to sound melodic even, just one shout.  A person can just shout as loud as they can, with everything they are emptying themselves out.  

So when i hear these people crying out with everything they've got as one...I cant help but be moved because in that moment they get it.  One Body.  One Church. One God and Father of all. 

Ephesians 1:15-23

 Ever since I first heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for God’s people everywhere,* 16 I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, 17 asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom* and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. 18 I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance.* 
19 I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power 20 that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. 21 Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else—not only in this world but also in the world to come. 22 God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church. 23 And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself. 

So a question I ask myself in reflecting over this song:
Who is God and how has He demonstrated who He is to me through Scripture and History?
What is my response to God's revelation of Himself?  
Am I united to the Body of Christ?  Do I act in a way that shows my commitment to Christ by uniting with His Body and His mission?

Tyndale House Publishers, Holy Bible : New Living Translation., 3rd ed. (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2007), Eph 1:15–23.