Good Morning!
Psalm 42:8;
“By day the Lord commands his
steadfast love, and at night
his song is with me, a prayer to
the God of my life.”
“Here’s a story of a man named
Brady…” “Just sit right back and you’ll
hear a tale…” “Love is all around no
need to fake it…” “Baby, if you ever wondered, wondered whatever became of
me…” Does that ever happen to you? I can be sitting at my desk working on a
lesson or a sermon and all of a sudden, a tune or a song will pop into my
head. It might be just about any
song. Amazingly, they can actually and
accurately match my mood at the time. If
I am especially chipper, one of the TV themes will pop in. If I am melancholier, it might be more of a
plaintive ballad. When I watch the news
and see the violence and destruction, I hear more of the 60’s war protest
songs. It is fascinating because sometimes
I end up stopping what I am trying to do because I am distracted from what I am
doing by the song.
Music has that kind of power or effect on
us. This is why music is important in
the Bible, especially in the Old Testament.
Much of what we use from the Old Testament is actually music. The Psalms were the ancient hymn book. We have the Song of Moses. We have the laments and the songs of great
joy. In the New Testament we have the
Song of Simeon, Mary’s “Magnificat” and the songs of the angels. Music plays a huge part of Scriptures.
There is a very good reason for this and
that is because music has the capacity to reach more of our emotional reactions
than simple speaking. The sounds and the
resonance tend to make our joys more joyful and our cries of lament and sadness
even deeper. Music also stays with us
longer. That is why most of us can
remember things better if we put it to music.
It is the rhythm and the tonal expressions that make it easier to
remember. Music can also be very
soothing to us. It can excite us or
soothe us all depending upon the volume, pitch, timbre, and all the other
elements tied together.
This is part of the reason why the psalmist
notes that “at night his song is with me.”
It is to evoke within us the resonance of memories deep within us. Think of the soothing lullaby that gently
calms you and gives you rest. That is
how God’s Word works for us. It soothes
us, it calms us; it is the only true source of hope that we have. So, we want to always be able to recall it
and to remember it.
So, take some of your favorite verses and
try to place them to a tune that you know.
Or try to find a couple of hymns that will do the same thing. Find something that God will use to remind
you of his tremendous love and grace.
When you find them, you might be surprised how often they pop into your
head at just the right time. God desire
is for you. His love for you knows no
limits.
Father, your words of grace are indeed music to our ears. You sing the joy of our salvation. Help us to sing your praises. Be with those who are in need of your
soothing sounds. Bring them the peace
that only you can. In the precious name
of Jesus, our risen Savior we pray, amen.
God’s Peace,
Pastor Bret
