What is Harp & Bowl Worship?
Harp and bowl
ministries use a certain worship style to incorporate both prayer and music. It
is based on the worship found in Revelation 5:8.
“Now when He had taken
the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down
before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which
are the prayers of the saints”. Revelation 5:8 NKJV
The harp represents
music and the golden bowl refers to prayer. Music and prayer, when combined
becomes a powerful way to intercede and seek God’s face. The harp and bowl
style of worship also lends itself towards being able to sustain long periods
of prayer and worship at a time.
The general harp and
bowl model includes reading scriptures, praying and singing.
Usually someone
will read a passage of scripture and then begin praying. These prayers
represent the bowl.
Next, singers will use the verse and prayers as a
springboard to develop music around this theme – representing the harp. By
alternating between harp and bowl (music and prayer), different themes can be
developed and songs created that help establish an environment of prayer,
intercession and seeking His face.
A feature of harp and
bowl worship is the spontaneous singing that develops. Spontaneous singing or
antiphonal singing happens when singers hear the bible verse or prayer someone
has said and then develops it vocally.
They start singing around that
particular theme and soon a spontaneous song emerges. Often a simple phrase is
developed out of this spontaneous song which allows those listening to join in
and participate.
The music often builds to a climax as everyone repeats this
simple phrase. After staying on a particular theme, the music will quieten to
create space for the person leading the prayer time to begin praying or reading
a bible verse again.
The following is a
general explanation of what can happen during harp and bowl worship:
Reading of Scripture
The person leading the
harp and bowl worship session will often start by reading The Word around a
particular theme. This gives the worship session focus and allows the musicians
to develop creatively around this theme. Often the Bible verses read out will
come from the Psalms or the New Testament.
Prayer & Intercession
Once a scripture is
read out, there is an opportunity for prayer and intercession around that
topic. Different people will often speak out and pray while music plays in the
background.
Prophetic
The prophetic voice is
often heard during these times of harp and bowl worship. People can start
declaring things in prayer prophetically, or the prophetic word can be sung.
Soaking
Through harp and bowl
worship, an environment is created for soaking and encountering God’s presence.
The harp and bowl style is often used where ministries want an extended time of
seeking God’s face. People will often spend hours soaking in the prayer and
worship of the musicians. The combination of the prayers, scriptures, prophetic
voice and worship creates a perfect environment for soaking and hearing God’s
still small voice.
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