"It's like I always said, If God raised Jesus Christ from the dead, everything else is rock and roll." ~ A London Cabie Rock On!
Dusty old scholars in their halls of stone rarely mention this critical discipline of the heart. The Psalms were written as songs. So, when I hear the Psalms being read in stained glass tones, it makes me want to throw up. I'm a musician after all. If you hear nothing else I say, hear this: Songless souls have no joy. Sing for joy.
David drove out demons with song. Jehoshaphat defeated armies with praise and song. But it wasn't the music. It was the song of their souls singing in tune with the Spirit of God to harmonize in heaven and shake the earth.
Scripture makes it crystal clear:
Speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing and make melody in your hearts to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Eph. 5:19-20We are all but assaulted with the constant noise of songs, so that we can hardly hear the song of our heart. And there's no song like our own heart singing. To find your voice and to sing your song is at the heart of this practice. To mount up with wings as eagles is like singing your song on the winds of the spirit.
Our Song Is A Heart Practice
I was in worship one evening, singing beside a guy who couldn't carry a tune in a bucket. Worse, he was singing at the top of his lungs. Frustrated, I was trying to harmonize and losing the key. I was singing in God's presence, but my agony was about to bust out of me. Then I heard a soft voice, "Bob, do you hear how he sounds to me? Such beautiful worship."
I was mortified, when I realized that God listens to our heart. It changed me for ever.
Later, I sang for a time with two guys, one tone deft and the other flat. I smiled and laughed because it didn't matter any more. Their heart was worshiping and that's all that mattered. The miracle was that both learned how to control their voices, and one recorded three albums and toured.
The point is this: God sees our heart. It doesn't matter what we sound like. Why? Because God listens to the depths of our heart. And again, because our music is an art where we create with God in sound and timeless space. It's our song and there's no comparison. It's ours.
Overview
Worship is at the heart of song. And as we become what we worship, our life becomes a worship of God. Our life becomes an anthem, a hymn, a song of praise, of thanksgiving to our God. The fragrance of our lives, rises before God in worship and praise. Our songs in the silence of our being, becomes the anthem of our lives, rising out of our being to touch our lips. We charge the atmosphere as our heart sings.
And as our songs become the anthem of our lives, our life becomes the stage of God's presence.We may be washing dishes with Brother Lawrence, governing with Joseph, or tending the dying with Mother Teresa, but we charge the atmosphere around us with God. The humble part is that we rarely, if ever know it. We're too wrapped up in the wonder of God. We leave it to others to see and feel it. We're just grateful.
Music is a powerful weapon in our heart's practice. It sweeps us into the presence of God through worship, and changes the very tone and atmosphere of our lives. Remember, David would sing and demons would flee..."a man after God's on heart."
This Generation
The huge outpouring of songs in this generation is awesome. With them we are tearing down the walls of separation between us. By them we are raising the valleys, lowering the mountains and clearing out the highway to reveal our God. It's the prophetic song without the woo woo.
So, what is the song of your heart? Can't you see young David, sitting out there in the field, creating his Psalms, pouring out his heart to God in song? So, make it your song, not the stained glass songs of ancient yore, unless that's your bag. We all pull from all our resources and styles, moving into the Spirit to create, tone and refine.
God's genius is encoded in the simplicity of a vast complexity of sound. Which means, we sing with the Spirit, and simpler is better.
Peace+
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For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth. John 4:24
*Whenever the spirit from God came upon Saul, David would take his harp and play. Then relief would come to Saul; he would feel better, and the evil spirit would leave him. 1Sam. 16:23
**As they began to sing and praise, the LORD set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated. 2Chronicles 20:22 (It's in a awesome context 2Ch 20:1-30)
Well, my brothers and sisters, let's summarize. When you meet together, one will sing, another will teach, another will tell some special revelation God has given, one will speak in tongues, and another will interpret what is said. But everything that is done must strengthen all of you. 1Cor. 14:26
