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There are so many criteria by which we can choose songs for a worship service. A mixture of old and new songs. Songs that link together well in a certain key. Fast songs, slow songs. Reverent songs, intimate songs. The list goes on and on - and it can be easy to lose perspective, struggling to choose songs with a sense of purpose and vision.

To avoid losing this purposeful sense of song choice, it's important we have in mind some biblical models for worship - guidelines which shape our week by week song choices and help us to assess what we are singing and why. Perhaps one of the most helpful ways of finding such a model is to study the songs offered around the throne of God - scriptures such as Revelation chapters 4 and 5. Such passages invite us to listen in on the worship responses of heaven - and each of these heavenly offerings is a key pointer to the grand themes that should shape our worship gatherings here on the earth. I want to get us thinking by drawing on three of these grand themes we find before the heavenly throne. Though by no means an exhaustive list, each is an essential ingredient in any "worship diet" - and must therefore to be reflected regularly in some shape or form in every church worship journey:

Worshipping God for His name:

Day and night they never stop saying, "Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty, Who was, and is, and is to come." (Rev. 4:8)

In this first congregational response found around the heavenly throne in the book of Revelation, the living creatures are worshipping God for His "name". In other words, they are focusing right in on the essence, nature and character of who He is. Time will come later to thank Him for all he has done - but the first step is simply to worship Him for who He is. It's surprising how often we see this vital element missing in some of our worship gatherings here on the earth. We skip right by the soul-gripping wonders of who God is and start singing about what He has done for us. Don’t misunderstand me - thanksgiving for His work in our lives is a wonderful and essential ingredient in worship - but the danger is to miss out this first step - praising His name - and automatically begin on the wrong foot. For to do so makes the worship more about us than it ought to be. Worshipping God for who He is helps us to ensure that our worship truly is "all about Him".

The living creatures cry out that God is "Holy, Holy, Holy" - pointing us both to his "otherness" and also to His Trinitarian nature. Next they remind He is the Almighty one - and the eternal God of yesterday, today and forever. Each part of the phrase is a pointer to His unfathomable worth. There are so many other names of God found throughout the scriptures. Each one is yet another revelation of the all-deserving wonders of who He is, and reminds us of the all-consuming offering of our lives that His worth commands. To worship God for His name is a vital ingredient in our worship.

Worshipping God for His works:

"You are worthy our Lord and God To receive glory, honour and power, For You created all things, And by Your will they were created And have their being." (Rev. 4:11)

This expression of praise sounds forth from the joined voices of the twenty four elders. Falling down before the heavenly throne they proclaim another element of response which we must be sure to include in our earthly worship gatherings - praise for His works. We worship Him as the God of all creation - the One who spoke into being every living thing. Creation may well be one of the most under-used pointers to God by lead worshippers today. Psalm 19 tell us that the heavens declare the glory of God, and the skies proclaim the works of His hands - and that there's no speech or language where their voice is not heard. That being the case, shouldn't we begin to use aspects of creation a little more as a pointer and reminder of the great worth of our God? We live in a privileged age - the Hubble Telescope may well be one of the best worship leaders here on the earth! All the time scientists are giving us previously unseen views of the astounding works of God. Used sensitively and creatively these images can be an incredible tool in aiding us to worship God for His works. It's essential we worship Him as the Creator God.

Worshipping God for His wonderful acts:

"You are worthy to take the scroll And to open its seals, Because You were slain, And with Your blood You purchased men for God From every tribe and language And people and nation." (Rev. 5:9)

Next we find the living creatures and elders joining their voices together to sing a new song - and they sing of the wonderful acts of God. Specifically, they sing of the cross - the most wonderful act of all. It is an act of remembrance. We praise God for His name, and we praise Him for His works ñ but it’s essential we also remember and respond to Him for His wonderful acts.

There are many ways we can respond to God in worship for His wonderful acts. Take a look through the Old Testament and so many times we find the people of God remembering the mighty acts of God and His deliverance. The Psalms themselves are full of lyrics recounting the story of a saving God working wonders on behalf of His people. As God's people today, we should do the same. As Psalm 103 urges us, "forget not His benefits". He's the one who forgives all of our sins, heals our diseases, and crowns us with love and compassion. We look back over thousands of years of the people of God - the miracles He worked in their midst and the love lavished upon them. We re-visit the miracles and many kindness of Jesus as He walked this earth working wonderful acts. And we can also respond as a church family - frequently testifying to the journey we've been on together. We re-visit the times where God has lavished wonderful acts on our community, or the life of a particular individual in our gathering. When it comes to worshipping God for His wonderful acts, we must look at both the "micro" (our local little stories) and the "macro" (the big picture of how God has worked wonders in His people through history).

It's essential as lead worshippers that we pay attention to what we're singing about - and why. These heavenly songs are a great place to start, displaying for us a biblical model toward a healthy worship diet: praising God for who He is, all He has made, and for His wonderful acts of salvation and kindness.