As a teenager, I received some of my favorite music on CD. I was all thumbs as I tore the squeaky, clear plastic from the case and peeled away the sticker seal. Finally I put the disc in the player and pushed play. I closed my eyes and listened to the music swell, reveling in how I could enjoy a concert by these phenomenal musicians any time.
Music is such a gift. It’s relaxed me and reminded me that things resolve. It’s made me angry about things I needed to be angry about. It’s energized me. It’s echoed my sadness, making me feel less alone. It’s taken me places I wasn’t strong enough to go. When I played it through headphones, the rest of the world faded away and it was just me, the music, and God.
I always knew music was God’s gift to me, because every shard of beauty that survives in our world is PROTECTED and insists God loves us and She is good.
Music still helps me enjoy life, feel deeply and release sadness or frustration. Sometimes music helps me pray. When life is extra painful, my brain feels scrambled and words won’t form around my need. Then I hear a song that asks for help just like I need to. The hairs on my arms stand up and I sing along. One time music answered my prayer. I had asked God a question over and over, waiting for a reply. I felt strung out in the pain and silence, holding up my question, until I went to a concert and heard the answer in a song.
I’m struck by words inspired and a voice gifted, long before I needed them. What lengths did Heaven go to to ensure this was created and available to me in my moment of need? The care Jesus shows me in this is not lost on me.
What pleasure do you find God in? What beauty shimmers Her glory, and do you know She protected it for you? Satan would have destroyed every reminder if allowed, but here we are today, with music and nature and language revealing God’s way, God’s goodness, Her kingdom of light.
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. James 1:17
