15 So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind.
Trying to understand the inner makeup of humans has filled volumes of books over the years. The question boils down to how many parts are we, body, mind, soul, spirit, ego, id, super-ego, material or immaterial? Here Paul asserts that there are at least two parts to us as worshiping creatures, mind and spirit. He doesn’t give us much help with definitions, but he does let us know that both parts are involved in worship. This can be liberating for some people. God wants all of us involved in worship, not just our minds. We can see in the Gospel tradition that worship is a living model of this. Body, mind, voice, emotion, and volition all compellingly brought into God’s presence for examination and surrender. They are not afraid to bring it all before God. Some churches leave the emotion at the door. “We can’t be messing up what God wants to do by letting all that emotion get in here.” Some leave their minds at the door. “Don’t bother me with that doctrine stuff.” Some never call the will to submit to His rule. Worship is messy, not disorderly, but messy. All of our being needs to be present and involved in worship. And because we are each put together with a slightly different mix of parts, sometimes our toes get stepped on as the other expresses their thankfulness to God. Sometimes things “get out of hand.” Joy bubbling over can look out of place. Paul’s emphasis is that each part can be involved in all aspects of worship. When we pray, pray with mind and spirit (and I might add body and volition!) Same with singing; get every part of who you are into the song. Are you willing to be fully present in worship today, right now?
The Arnold Journey 