While a song’s notes are often familiar, the words and what we are declaring don’t always seem to be.

Take these lyrics as an example:  

“You give and take away.
You give and take away,
My heart will choose to say.
Lord, blessed be your name.”

It’s easy to sing, but what happens when this is actually the case? Worship flows easily when God gives, but how do we respond when He takes away?

In 2018 I lost my voice. My speaking voice, though weaker, remained, but I could no longer sing. The notes that had once flowed so easily became painful, raspy, and broken. Doctors couldn’t find an explanation other than inflammation. The notes simply stopped. 

As a singer, this was heartbreaking. I stood silently while everyone else joined in worship, unable to contribute. I remember praying repeatedly for God to restore my voice. Yet, for a long time, the only answer was silence. He gives and He takes away.

It took a long time to battle through the silence. I didn’t understand what the Lord wanted to teach me. But over time and through many hours of prayer and searching, I realized He was teaching me a new prayer. Instead of, “Lord, give me what I want,” my prayer became “Lord, help me to be content in your presence. Lessen my need to contribute and control. Produce in me the desire to receive.” 

Through this process, God taught me the lesson David shares in Psalm 131. Satisfaction for believers doesn’t come from getting what we want or from what we can do to please God. Lasting contentment comes from experiencing the peace and rest only God can provide. Our part in that experience has nothing to do with what we bring, only what we choose to receive.

This doesn’t come naturally. It is a process, and often a painful one. Thankfully, David’s words in Psalm 131 (NIV) can help.

My heart is not proud, Lord,
my eyes are not haughty;
I do not concern myself with great matters
or things too wonderful for me.

This verse may sound odd, even prideful, but David is speaking to the Lord about the intent of his heart. 

In doing so, David examines every facet of pride:

• Of the heart: How he sees himself in relationship to God. 
• Of the eyes: How he sees himself in relationship to those around him.
• In life: When David says “I do not concern myself,” what he means is he will not live in this manner. When pride is left unchecked, it always moves from our hearts and minds to how we live things out. 

It feels wonderful to be needed. It feels good to meet the needs of those around us. But what happens when the heart’s desire to be needed outweighs a desire to need the Lord? Pride can look different for everyone, but for me, that was it. Meeting needs was filling me more than my Creator was. I was so accustomed to feeling in control, that I failed to see the barrier it was putting between me and truly loving God and others. By taking my voice, God helped me to recognize the problem. He wanted me to be quiet and rest — a hard but necessary lesson. David speaks of this in verse 2:

But I have calmed and quieted myself,
I am like a weaned child with its mother;         
like a weaned child I am content.                                                                                    

David roots out his pride, seeks humility, and experiences contentment as a result. A child being weaned is experiencing loss. This experience is often painful for both the parent and the child. Yet, the point of this experience is growth. A weaned child moves from seeing their mother only as a source of nourishment to a place of trust.

I remember my children’s frustration when I wouldn’t give in during this process. It may have seemed unloving to them, but the more they learned to wait in my presence, the more I could prove to them how much I loved them. They would learn that I would always be their provider. As a result, being with me became more important than what they could get from me. 

As we identify our pride and surrender it to the Lord, the result is contentment in His presence. Uneasiness and uncertainty fade as the desire to be close to Him deepens. We can wait calmly for God to do what He has promised, because He is faithful. He has provided far better for me than anything the world has to offer. He provides more for me than I could ever provide for myself. Worship is about basking in the presence of Jesus Christ. That is enough.

David ends this psalm with hope, the fruit of contentment in God’s presence.

“Israel, put your hope in the Lord both now and forevermore.”

Eventually, as I learned to be content, the Lord gave me my voice back. In one miraculous moment, the notes once again rang clear as I sang these words:

Wondrous Deliverer! Sin-forgiving Saviour!
Cleanser of hearts! Unfailing Friend and Guide!
No one has ever trusted unavailing;
No one has claimed of His love and been denied.

Are you weary today? Are you struggling because you feel that God is silent? Do you feel like God has taken something from your life and you don’t understand why? 

Perhaps He is asking you to pray a different prayer. Perhaps today, He is asking you to quiet your heart, to find satisfaction in His presence, and to receive His perfect and timely goodness as you simply bless His name. That is beautiful and pleasing worship to Him — and it doesn’t require singing a single note.

“My heart will choose to say Lord, blessed be your name.”

AN OPEN INVITATION

You can receive the free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ by praying something like the following:

Dear God, I know I am a sinner. I need Your forgiveness and grace. I believe that Christ paid the penalty for my sin, and He died in my place, and He rose from the dead. I invite Jesus Christ to come into my life as Savior. Thank You for saving me from my sin and making me Your child. Help me to grow and learn how to serve You. Amen.

This article was originally titled “Worship Without the Notes” in the April 2025 issue of The War Cry.