Not the Moment I Expected

If you asked me where I’ve had my biggest spiritual breakthroughs, I could point to a few obvious places: seminary classrooms, late-night prayer sessions, Sunday sermons. But one of the most unexpected and powerful moments came during a midweek worship team soundcheck.

No congregation. No lights. Just a few volunteers, some feedback in the monitors, and one broken microphone.

And somehow, God was there.

Showing Up Early, Staying Behind

It was a regular Wednesday evening. I stopped by the sanctuary to check in on the worship team as they prepped for Sunday. They were working through transitions between songs, testing vocals, adjusting levels. I wasn’t planning to stay long, I just wanted to be present, encourage the team, and then get back to sermon prep.

But something about that night made me pause.

The team was small, just a handful of volunteers, tired from work, kids, life. But they were showing up. Laughing. Encouraging one another. Gently correcting missed chords and missed cues without ego or frustration.

They weren’t performing. They were preparing. And they were doing it with heart.

A Spontaneous Song, A Subtle Shift

During a break in the run-through, one of the vocalists quietly began to hum the chorus of a song they hadn’t rehearsed. Another musician joined in. Then another.

It wasn’t planned. No one led it. But within seconds, the room was filled with this gentle, unscripted worship moment. Not loud. Not flashy. Just real.

And right there, standing in the back with a half-full coffee cup and a week’s worth of sermon notes in my bag, I felt something shift.

God was in the soundcheck.

The Lesson I Didn’t Expect to Learn

That moment broke through something in me. Because here I was, trying to lead from the top, preparing sermons, structuring services, making sure the “big stuff” was covered.

But these volunteers were leading in a completely different way. Quiet. Consistent. Fully present.

They reminded me that the Spirit doesn’t wait for Sunday to show up. He moves in the margins, in the rehearsals, the parking lots, the small conversations before the real event.

Seminary gave me tools. But this team gave me a glimpse of what embodied faithfulness looks like.

When Preparation Becomes Worship

What struck me most wasn’t the spontaneity, it was the posture. This wasn’t about performance. It was about preparation becoming worship.

That soundcheck wasn’t just a tech run-through. It was a holy space, because the people in it were tuned in, not just to their instruments, but to one another and to God.

It reminded me that leadership isn’t always about the final product. Sometimes it’s about how you carry the process.

I saw more grace in those 20 minutes of teamwork than I’ve seen in some boardroom strategy sessions. And I realized I had a lot to learn from the people setting up the stage, not just the ones standing on it.

Redefining Leadership

That night changed how I approach leadership. I stopped thinking of it as something that flows top-down. Instead, I started asking better questions:

• How do I honor the unseen preparation of others?
  
• Am I rushing through moments that might be holy?
  
• Am I letting God move during the “set-up,” or only on the platform?
  

Leadership, I realized, isn’t just about teaching or preaching. It’s about noticing. Listening. Showing up early and staying a little late.

It’s about the people who tune their guitars with prayer in their hearts and the volunteers who run slides while whispering lyrics under their breath.

The Power of Ordinary Faithfulness

What I saw that night wasn’t a breakthrough moment because of volume or emotion. It was a breakthrough because it re-centered me on what matters:

God shows up when His people serve with intention.
He moves when we least expect it.
And sometimes, the most faithful worship leaders aren’t holding a mic, they’re fixing cables, stacking chairs, and singing softly when no one’s watching.

The Sacred in the Simple

We don’t talk enough about the sacredness of preparation.

But I believe now, more than ever, that God delights in the quiet moments when we offer up our time, our skill, and our focus, not for applause, but for His presence.

So the next time you find yourself in a rehearsal, a meeting, or any space that feels “behind the scenes,” pay attention. Listen closely. You might just hear Him.

Because yes—God shows up on Sunday. But don’t miss the truth:
God was in the soundcheck.
And He still is.