Soaking music
Soaking Music otherwise known as Soaking Prayer music or Soaking Worship music, is a subgenre of Christian Music, and is commonly used to denote songs that are used during contemplative prayer in prayer houses and other “soaking” Christian meetings. The description broadly encompasses any Christian music that is conducive to these types of gatherings.
Description
The purpose of Soaking Music is "setting aside of oneself to focus and meditate on God for renewal of strength and peace"[1]
It is a relatively new genre on the Christian music scene. It finds its origins in the likes of the Toronto revival.[2] Popularized by the recent upsurgence of local prayer houses, it has developed to incorporate some typical characteristics such as spontaneous singing, free praise, and instrumental sections. Often spontaneous in nature, the style somewhat resembles the feel of Easy Listening. It explores Christian themes, often focusing on the attributes of Jesus Christ and His achievements. Defining features include an unstructured approach with plenty of space and a relaxing mood. Simple and melodic lines are used with a strong presence of repetition. Sudden changes or upbeat, driving rhythms are often avoided.
Soaking music is not prevalent in a vast majority of Christian churches, whose services consist more of contemporary Christian music and praise and worship.
Historical roots
Practitioners mention the following practices as roots:
- The "Soaking Prayer" phenomenon has been influence a by a book titled The Practice of the Presence of God including letters by 17th century French monk Brother Lawrence.
- Toronto Airport Christian Fellowship (TACF) was probably the first to package this as "soaking prayer".[3]