"If music be the food of love..." Part 2

 

Speak to one another in psalms,
hymns, and spiritual songs, singing
and making melody in your heart to the Lord. 

                                         Eph.5:19

 

 

 

 

Thank you to those useful and encouraging comments made about Part 1 in September. It was good to hear from a songwriter in our midst.  When I started writing on this theme inspiration came thick and fast enough to two, if not three blogs which was fortunate as being away, I need to post this one in advance. 

 

Over the years the Lord's Word even in song has the power to touch my heart.  In times of trouble, He leads me to songs relevant to my circumstances which have brought me to off-load my burden.  In praise and worship, peace flows bringing me to His refuge, His resting place and where His love, releases faith, trust and assurance that He knows and is with me.

In the last fourteen years I have been privileged to be part of a church where the uplifted voices in worship can spontaneously combust into great joy before moving to an awesome hush in which God's Presence is so tangible tears flow down my cheeks.

On a Sunday twenty years ago, with no idea of the programme, we went to a classical concert at the Royal Albert Hall. The music was all I would have chosen and as Handel's Messiah filled the box so did His awesome Presence.  I thought my heart would explode as I was caught up with wonder, love and praise. The scripture "God inhabits the praises of His people" took on a new reality that night.

Some of you will remember the 1970's where we sang 'choruses'.  Short songs with the ability to speak truth, that are still with me today.  One was "Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full on His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace." In the Old Testament battles, the singers would go our fist and just their proclamation of God's mighty power was enough to make their enemies flee.   No wonder 'making melody in our heart to the Lord' needs to be paramount in our lives if we want to walk in victory through our daily battles.   

 

I read recently that the Salvation Army, in order to draw people in they used the songs people knew from the musical halls to worship God.  Their belief, “all music is sacred when used with a holy purpose.” William Booth in 1880 was known to have written: “Secular music, do you say, belongs to the devil?  Does it?  Well, if it did, I would plunder him for it, for he has no right to a single note… every note and every strain and every harmony is divine and belongs to us…so consecrate your voice (and instruments) to the Lord." That's good news for I still break out in a 1950's Teddy Bears song, "To know, know, know Him, is to love, love, love Him, and I do, and I do, and I do."

Maybe it is time to reconsecrate our lives by simply expressing our thanksgiving in praise and worship be in it song or just proclaiming His word aloud, how about a rap?  There is certainly a need to plunder the enemies territories today, and this is one way we can play our part to bring His Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.