Whoa on the Whoas

Until I gave my life to the Lord in 1991, I didn’t have much appreciation for contemporary Christian music. During the 1980s I worked at roller rinks that had a Christian Skate Night. Most of the songs I heard then sounded lame and outdated compared to the secular stuff I loved so much. 

Although there’s now a greater variety of quality Christian music to listen to, I’ve noticed an increasing number of songs with the repeated syllables "oh" and “whoa.” Two Sundays ago I watched a worship service online. During which many “whoas” were sung. They were even added to the Delirious classic “Majesty (Here I Am)”, which doesn’t have “whoas” in the original recording. 

I don’t want to be critical of brethren who put their hearts into worshipping the Lord. Still, I’m turned off by the excessive usage of these filler syllables. Can you imagine praying with a bunch of “whoas”? (“Father God…Whoa Whoa”)

The word whoa is also a command to make a horse stop or slow down. May I suggest Christian singers and songwriters put a whoa on the “whoas” for a while? It’s become a cliché causing otherwise anointed songs to sound too much alike. How about singing in the Spirit more or coming up with additional Bible-based lyrics? I believe those things would be a greater blessing to the Lord…and to His people.

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” - Colossians 3:16