For today's post, I want to talk about music. I have been playing music since I was about 10 years old. I play flute, piano, saxaphone, and a few other instruments but only enough to be dangerous! :) My favorite is the flute.
This week it is my turn to do the devotional for our rehearsal get together. We have been working to become more purposeful about our ministry as worship leaders by gathering together weekly to share about not only ourselves but also to pray together as a group and share devotional time together. So while I was percolating on what to do for the devotional, I found a specific phrase going through my head over and over:
"Sing a new Song."
What does that mean? To sing a new song. One definition of the word new is "made or become fresh." A new song can be a fresh song of praise declaring the great deeds He has done. Another definition of new is "original." A new song could be an original song of praise to the Lord. Definitions for the word fresh which is a synonym of new: "pure; free from taint, not stale, renewed in vigor.
So as I thought about how we could renew our vigor as a team, especially with music that we often play more than once over the course of time, it occurred to me that maybe the shift we needed wasn't about HOW we played the music but WHY we played it. A fresh perspective.
Suddenly I remembered an audio I had heard a long time ago that so touched me at the time (prior to having God in my life) but now, upon remembering it, hit me even harder with it's implications. It is an audio of crickets.
Yes. Crickets. Did you know they sing too? No, I mean REALLY sing. Check this out:
There are two tracks playing at the same time: One is how we hear crickets with the human ear and the other is the same crickets with speed slowed down to equal the human life span.
Like I said, at the time I first heard it, it blew me away but now it does so in a whole new way (aha! New Perspective!). The bible is full of references of how all of creation sings its praises to God. My favorite is Psalm 98 1:8
1 Sing to the Lord a new song,
for he has done marvelous things;
his right hand and his holy arm
have worked salvation for him.
2 The Lord has made his salvation known
and revealed his righteousness to the nations.
3 He has remembered his love
and his faithfulness to Israel;
all the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation of our God.
for he has done marvelous things;
his right hand and his holy arm
have worked salvation for him.
2 The Lord has made his salvation known
and revealed his righteousness to the nations.
3 He has remembered his love
and his faithfulness to Israel;
all the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation of our God.
4 Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth,
burst into jubilant song with music;
5 make music to the Lord with the harp,
with the harp and the sound of singing,
6 with trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn—
shout for joy before the Lord, the King.
burst into jubilant song with music;
5 make music to the Lord with the harp,
with the harp and the sound of singing,
6 with trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn—
shout for joy before the Lord, the King.
7 Let the sea resound, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it.
8 Let the rivers clap their hands,
let the mountains sing together for joy;
the world, and all who live in it.
8 Let the rivers clap their hands,
let the mountains sing together for joy;
WOW! Talk about a concert!!! Can you imagine? Shouts of joy, horns blasting, strings strumming, voices bursting in jubilantly singing!
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| Shouts of Joy |
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| Horns Blasting |
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| Strings Strumming |
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| Jubilant Singing |
But what I hadn't noticed before was even the sea and everything in it and everything in the world sings too! And upon further study, I found many more verses that speaks of creation itself praising and singing to the Lord...all of the time!!! It is an unceasing, joyous universe-wide chorus to God!
Ok, so I'm a youtube junkie. You can find ANYTHING on there. So I went to check to see if there were more "creation singing" videos. And there are! There are lots of them that have recorded the sounds of pulsars, planets and other things in space (taking radio waves and converting them to sound) as well as other animals singing. Too many to post here.
But then I landed on one where a guy took several of these sounds, put them all together and played them at one time. Pulsars, stars and whales all singing together. Now granted, this has been put together using an IPAD to match the rhythms etc but the point he is making is evident at the end. I just love how he puts it all together into one glorious song. Check it out:
In the past, I would have had no frame of reference for why all of this singing was going on. I would have said "it just is." The universe is just displaying its harmony. That feels so empty. So purposeless. Like sitting on stage in a concert hall with every seat in the theater vacant.
But I now know that there IS an audience (God) AND a purpose (His Glory). I can rejoice and say, ALL OF CREATION IS SINGING TO ITS CREATOR and know that I am joining in that continuous ongoing song of praise every single time I pick up that flute. So now, when I am getting ready to play on Sundays I will think of this, and remember that all of creation is ALREADY in joyous worship to the Lord and I am about to join in. I would say that is a most awesome fresh, new perspective.
Dear Lord,
Thank you so much for giving us such a joyous way to worship you. Thank you for all of the myriad of different ways we can express our love and praise through music. Please help me and our worship team to sing a new song every Sunday. To sing with freshness, newness and pure joy. In the words of one of my very favorite songs of worship to you (which I now see in a new way):
I love you, Lord
And I lift my voice (flute)
To worship You
Oh, my soul, rejoice!
Take joy my King
In what You hear
Let it be a sweet, sweet sound
In Your ear.
In your Son's sweet, precious name,
Amen.
