Are You Listening?

I arose somewhere around 3:30 this morning in the dark to ah… shall we say… meet a need!  On the way back to bed I suddenly became aware of the distant sound of music coming into my auditory senses as if in stereo as it was emanating from the open window over the shower to my left and through our large bedroom window on my right.  I stood there for awhile trying to discern where it might be coming from as well as to what kind of music it was.  It just seemed kind of strange to me that someone would be listening to music at that time of the early morning.  As I sought to concentrate on the makeup of the sounds, I recalled that I had heard this distant music on several other night journey’s to the little room off the vanity.  And as in past attempts, the words and tempo were just too indistinct to identify.  With a shrug of my shoulders I headed back over to the bed, pushed over the dog who had filled my temporary vacancy and laid back down.

It would seem though, that the Lord had a higher purpose in the night’s activity.  As soon as my head hit the pillow I heard the Lord say “Are you listening to the music?”  With that I rolled over on my back and began to meditate on the meaning to those pointed words.  Just what music was He talking about?  When am I supposed to hear this music?  Is it loud or is it soft?  Is it modern or classical?  Is it real or just in my head?  With these many thoughts rolling through my mind I slowly drifted back off into slumblerland.

Approximately two hours later I found myself repeating the above exercise.  This time though, I made a point to step into our walk-in shower and peek through the open window that looks out over the tops of a few of our neighbor’s homes and across the street to the municipal golf course that backs up to the hills.  The first glimpses of the morning light were just beginning to make their presence known on the horizon which gave me the ability to observe more details on the scene I was viewing.  I strained my ears to see if I could discern the music but it seemed to have stopped playing.  What I did hear was a different kind of music.  It was the sound of a few birds singing their morning melodies to the slowing awakening day.

When I returned to the bed (and having to move the dog over AGAIN!), I heard those same words once more: “Are you listening to the music?”  This time though, I was ready and had some understanding on what He was trying to convey to me.  It would seem that there is music, the Lord’s music that is playing all around us, all the time!  The question is, “do we take the time and make the effort to hear it?”  In the still of the night it was easier to hear, but I still had to make a concentrated effort to try and discern it.  Whether it was the actual music being played on someone’s distant radio (or was it?), or the birds singing their morning greetings, I still had to stop and focus my auditory capabilities.

Psalm 66:4 says that “The whole earth will worship You.  It will make music to praise You.  It will make music to praise Your name.”  (God’s Word ©)  I believe that the Lord was trying to tell me that His music is playing all the time.  This music is a source of praise to Him and a source of peace, comfort and joy to us.  Daniel Webster in his original 1828 dictionary made the point in his definition of the word “music” saying “What music and dancing and diversions and songs are to many in the world, that prayers, devotions and psalms are to you.”  The music that He is playing is a soothing melody not only to our ears, but also to our lives.  David said that music that praises His name is “a highway for Him to ride through the deserts” of our lives!  (Psalm 68:4 God’s Word’s ©)

So let me ask you the same question that He asked me a couple of times this morning: “Are you listening to the music?”  Maybe it is time to settle down and make a point to listen to the tunes that He has written and is playing just for you.  Have a great Wednesday.  Stay in tune to His Word (and His music…) and keep asking yourself… “What am I expecting today?”