Spontaneous Songs of the Secret Place

Different people term it differently. Some call it prophetic songs or prophetic worship while others call it singing in the spirit or spiritual songs (Ephesians 5:19-20). The first time which I was exposed to the understanding of spontaneous songs was about two years ago when I heard a pastor shared her experiences in this area. She said she would pray (in tongues) for hours and soak herself in the presence of God. At a certain juncture, she would begin to hear melodies in her heart and she would then hum with her mouth what she heard from the inside. Then, words would come and she will sing into a recorder and songs will be composed. In fact, if I remember correctly, she mentioned that she actually "composed" several songs from such experiences. When sharing about her experience, the pastor also sang one of the songs she received from the secret place and amazingly, my heart melted and I know there's a special touch of the Lord upon the song. The song carries an anointing from the secret place.

Since relocating from my hometown to another city, God has led my family to a church where worship is the primary focus and emphasis. We did not know what to expect when we attended the church the first few times but something different was noted during the praise and worship. At different points of the worship service, the worship leader will lead the congregation into singing in the spirit (tongues) and free-flow worship (i.e. not any particular songs). This may be quite a common feature in charismatic/pentecostal churches today which (unfortunately) have become just a form without power. As the volume of worship from the congregation quietens, one of the "back-up" singers would burst into "spontaneous (or prophetic) songs". This could be followed by another "back-up" singer singing prophetically along similar themes (sometimes different) with different melodies. And yes, the wonderful thing is that the anointing of the Lord would be present sometimes when these spontaneous songs were sung. When prophetic worship was bursting forth, the presence of God filled the room, at times.

I could recall that on 3rd March 2008, when I was praying, I began to hear a melody in my heart. I began to hum and put words into the melody, singing unto the Lord. I could remember that day because it was a day set for prayer and fasting (as directed by the pastor of the church we were attending then). It was a beautiful time. Unfortunately, I could not remember the melody nor the song now.

Last night, I was worshipping the Lord while my wife put my daughter to bed. Inside me, there was a hunger to press in into more of God. I began to sing "You deserve the glory" and "Jesus I love you". As I sang and repeated the songs over and over again, it seemed that I wanted to express my worship in a "deeper" way but I could not express it as I could not think of any song that would express my inner feelings then. Shortly after, I began to blurt out, "Jesus, I love you.." in a melody that I heard simultaneously in my heart. Wow, it was just beautiful! It was like I could pour out my heart to God in a simple and short melody. Experience has taught me a lesson. Therefore, when I was singing the short melody, I just grabbed my handphone to record it. I do not want to let this sweet melody slip my memory again :)

I believe that the Lord has graciously allowed me to tap just a little into this spontaneous song of the secret place. It's just so amazing that the Spirit of God helps us as we desire to worship Him. Apart from Him we can do nothing, indeed (John 15:5) There is still a whole depth of spontaneous songs to be tapped into. Spirit-breathed songs and heavenly melodies that touch lives and enrich our worship experience at the same time. O come let us adore Him, Christ the King!