Power of Music

       I was listening to a concert after church service last week, and it was a most pleasant experience. It was full of joy, sorrow, love, and unity. How powerful real emotions can be?! Well, I say that music is another language: another way of expression. Americans speak in English, Israelis express themselves in Hebrew, and the Europeans have their many different languages. All of these languages express human intellect and our hearts. I contend that music is the best language to express the heart. Real emotions can be best articulated with the sound of a violin, a guitar, a piano, or—the best instrument of all—the human voice. You can even combine these instruments together to create a unique sound: a song.

        Well, I believe that music is the language of the heart. It is the best way to express how a person feels on the inside—when you can’t articulate it to anyone in anyway the mind can come up with. The push and pull of a song pushes and pulls the heart strings of an individual. We feel what is felt by the singer or musician. It could be anything from sorrow to joy, love to fear, or suffering to heroism. We can feel a love far away, or a love close to us. It’s an amazing gift from our Creator, but it’s a difficult set of talents to master. The best musicians take years to master it, and still they persevere to perfect the craft that God has given them

God gave the gift of music to individuals—do you believe that He’s a musician? A singer? (oh, He has the voice of many waters—God can sing.) A music-lover? You bet! Look at the psalms: these words were not poetry in the sense that we look at poetry today. It’s not filled with intense imagery as is common for poetry, but the words were written to be lyrical. The words were meant for singing: they’re song lyrics. These song lyrics weren’t just written without any harmony or rhythm. Some were written in harmony with an ancient guitar called the lyre (Keenor כנור]]: which I believe that’s what David had during his concerts with King Saul), some had brass instruments like a trumpet, and some with huge ensembles in mind. God loves good music.

        Yet, how powerful is music? I tell you the truth from a biblical perspective: music can rebuke spirits, make armies come against each other in there confusion, and music can, in its simplest and perfect form, praise and worship God. In 1 Samuel 16:14-23, Saul was troubled with a distressing spirit, and his servants called for David to play for him—which he did. The music was so pleasant to Saul that the spirit went away and he was refreshed. Now, how often do you play a song just for the purpose of rebuking a spirit? David knew what that’s like.

Another example is in 2 Chronicles 20:1-24, Jehoshaphat, King of Judah, was facing three enemy nations: Edom, Moab, and Ammon. Jehoshaphat gathered all the people to him, and proclaimed a fast for all the people in his kingdom in order to seek God’s help. God told the nation and the king through Jahaziel that He would deliver them—He told them what to do. The king and the people did what God told them to do, but what was amazing was that they stood by their enemies singing praises to God. While they were singing, God confused their enemies, and they killed each other. Don’t tell me music is not powerful!

        Not convinced? Alright, Acts 16:16-26, Paul and Silas were in Philippi preaching the gospel. They encounter a demon-possessed slave girl who kept annoying Paul. Paul rebuked the spirit out of the girl, and the merchants of the area were mad because she was helping them get rich. In their rage, they brought Paul and Silas to the local judge. They were both put into prison. While in prison, they did something that still astounds me: they sang hymns to God. More astoundingly, God responded by causing an earthquake to loosen the chains and open the prison doors—perhaps He was adding the rhythm section to their song : ). Amazing!

        What’s even more amazing is that angels can sing, and God sings. Look at the book of revelation: you have many passages throughout the book of angels singing praises to God: “Holy, Holy, Holy, / Lord God Almighty / Who was and is and is to come!” (Revelation 4:8). Jesus Himself sang with His disciples in Mark 14:26. A lot of examples for a blog I know, but it’s important to understand what I am giving you, O reader. Music is the language of the heart: the heart of man; the heart of God. It’s a powerful ensemble of instruments to praise and worship our Creator. I can see why Paul encouraged it in two of his epistles: we, as God’s elect, should sing our hearts to God. You never know, God might just sing His heart back to us as individuals and as a church.

Introspection of a Wilderness Mind #1

        About a few days ago, I prayed a prayer for the LORD to ‘search my heart’ and to ‘try my mind’. I needed to see the things God sees in me that either needs to be burnt away—pride, lies, self-deception, etc—or needs to be remolded and reshaped. What I mean by remolded and reshaped can be better explained in a later blog—I am still beginning to understand it myself. What I do know is this: God sees a vision of us as His dear children. He wants us to live up to the full potential that He created us to be. Thus, if we desire Him too, He shows us things in our lives that need to be changed or burnt away. He prunes things in us and/or in our lives to be more fruitful in Godly character.

        The LORD searched my heart, and saw things that He didn’t want there. What God reveals isn’t comfortable by any means, but it’s needed for our growth. I am not going to write what God showed me in my heart because that’s not the purpose of this blog. However, I can show you, O reader, what He revealed to me about what He saw in my mind. Notice, I asked for this; He responded to my prayer. Here’s steak for thought. Shouldn’t that prove in of itself that God is not a God distant from us? He wants to be near to us to work with us; He wants to have a proper relationship with us.

        Well, what He revealed to me about what’s in my mind is a lack of vision for my future. It’s a wilderness mentality that Satan puts on us to make us believe that we are defined by our past miseries and present circumstances. The enemy also tries to make things happen in order to keep us in this state of hopelessness. How does he do this when God is in charge? Simple, we allow him too, and God allows him in order to teach us to trust Him. I am allowing the enemy to control my circumstances because of my lack of vision. Why? This isn’t what God had in mind for me.

        Did not Jesus Christ pay the price for my sins so that He can cleanse me of my past? Did not Jesus Christ—after I was baptized into a watery grave and reborn again to new life—give me of His Spirit in order for me to live in newness of life in the present? Why then do I not have a great and positive vision of my future? God prophesied through Jeremiah in Chapter 29 and verse 11: “I know the thoughts that I have toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope”. He wanted to give that to the captives of Judah of Jeremiah’s day. How much more does He want that for me, a child of the living God?! O how little is my faith!

        It seems that I am introspective in this blog, but it’s for a reason. Sometimes, we need to be introspective about ourselves and our lives. This is one of those times for me to reflect. I feel that the example of Abraham would help in gaining a proper perspective and understanding of what God wants me to see. Also, I prayed that God would show me what He sees.