It was about 8 that evening, the last night of our leadership training camp. Due to miscommunication, I was suddenly surprised with a cell group session I had not planned for. Feeling slightly moody, I took my guitar and led my camp cell group to a quiet spot just outside the church, where we sat underneath the starry sky.

I looked at my members. I had not known most of these 5 Boys well before the 4-day camp. They looked really, really tired after days of physical and mental stress. These Boys were 8^th-graders. "So how is everyone feeling?" I asked. "Tired," said one, and everyone laughed. We engaged in a bit of small talk, or "talking cock", as we say in Singlish.

Then we just sat silent. Realizing I was just playing chords on the guitar, I said, "let’s sing a few songs". So we started to sing in the quiet night, closing our eyes as we repeated the oft-sung lyrics.

Suddenly, we began to sob, one by one. I felt as if there was something tugging at my heart. All we knew was that God was in our presence, touching us with His love. Some of my Boys began to weep. Even my tears literally dripped onto my guitar. The Spirit was in control; I felt like an instrument in His hands; I was causing none of these. As and when He told me, I moved into songs like "Empower Me", "Power of Your Love", and "He will Carry You". Believe me, I never heard my Boys sing like that before… it was thirsting and heart-wrenching. I could vaguely hear some footsteps and talking somewhere around me, but I was so caught up with God’s presence that I did not even care. After a while, I felt directed to pray and bless each of my members in turn; we laid hands on each Boy in turn, and I blessed them and prayed whatever I felt God want me to pray about each person.

After the last person had been prayed for, the session drew to a close, and we sat there in silence enjoying the peace and each other’s presence. Just a few feet away, the father of one of the Boys was looking on with amazement. He had come to take his son – then a non-Christian - back from the camp. Today that Boy is a Christian, and I knew that God had answered the prayer I prayed for him. I looked at my watch, and blinked. More than an hour had gone by, yet it had not seemed more than a few minutes. We were very late for the next programme, but I knew what I had to do.

After dismissing my Boys, I found one of the Officers whom I earlier had a disagreement with. We reconciled on the spot after it became apparent that it was a misunderstanding. Another Officer later told me, "a lot of people passed by and saw you all worshipping. And we were encouraged."

It’s been more than two years now since this happened. Looking back, I realized that God taught me some important lessons about worship. Firstly, if it’s God we want to worship, we must worship the way God wants .To worship means to give God the highest honour, and as a leader, I had to give the Spirit control. I had to respond to His leading. I could have given a fantastic theological "talk cock" session to use up those spare minutes before the next programme, but I would have missed out so much compared to what the Spirit could have done. I trusted, and let God run the show, and He sure did use that "sing-along" session mightily.

Secondly, in every worship, not only do we want to give to God, He eagerly wants to give back to us much more. Not only did God touch all our hearts this time with His love, He also blessed us through the worship leader’s prayer.

Thirdly, when God touches us in worship, He also moves us to action. In my case, I knew I was to reconcile, and that I did.

Finally, and most importantly, God uses imperfect people – God can use anyone. I was a young, barely-experienced leader, and, as I still today, I made mistakes. In fact as I mentioned, I had a misunderstanding with someone before that session. I didn’t know God wanted to use me even when I goofed, but He did.

As a young leader then, I had not realized these important lessons. But if you, like me, are a young worship leader, I would like to encourage you not to give up, but to keep going. Keep trusting in God, and God will use you. Have you experienced failure? Insurmountable obstacles? I did too, many times. I never had it easy going my way. Yet in the midst of these times I knew it was not myself I was playing or leading for. I was playing and leading for God! God doesn’t need a 500-member praise choir or a star-studded worship band to move. God is a God of surprises! He can move anytime… and most certainly through you and me.

Even as I write these words, I cannot help but tell God, "WOW! You made something good out of nothing. You made the useless important. You took me, small as I am, useless as I am, and made something new, good and beautiful out of me."

"See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland." Isiah 43:19

© Copyright Wesley Cheong 1999