When I finally sat down in front of my computer and the
three open Bibles that were piled up on the table to my right, I found myself
staring at the screen as if it were a blank page before me! Eventually my eyes began to focus on the
words of Isaiah 12:5 that came up on my Bible study program. My first thought was that “I’ve already been there, isn’t there
something new I could look at today?” But it was like I was glued to the page! Have you ever experienced something like
that?
As I read and re-read the verse, I suddenly began to have
another layer of that scripture peeled back in my understanding. The idea to “Make music to praise the Lord (for) he has done wonderful things (and
to) let this be known throughout the earth” (God’s Word ©) struck a new
chord within me. This time around I
began to understand this teaching from the point of view of the “time signature” of a piece of music.
Written music contains its own unique language called “music notation.” These notations tell the musician such
important things as whether it is in the treble or bass “clef,’ the “key” of the song and also describes the timing or “time signature” of the piece.
As I studied Isaiah 12:5 this morning I realized the
importance of knowing the timing of the various parts or seasons of the song of
your life. This lesson can be likened to
different movements contained in a classical symphony. In an extended composition the work can
express a variety of tempos from the quick step of a rousing march to the quiet
solitude of a sonata, with many variations in between!
I have come to see this same basic principle in the life
span of a Christian! The key as set
forth in our scripture is to be able to realize when to shift into the various
tempos or timing that the Holy Spirit leads us into. A stunning example in my own life is when I
finally listened to the repeated nudging’s of the Lord and reluctantly drew
back from some of activities and people that were prevalent in my life back in
2012.
To say the least this was a very strange and difficult experience
in my life as I was used to working two or three jobs at the same time, being
highly involved in the life of my family and up to my ears in church
ministry! Suddenly my life was solely
focused on my wife’s care and healing and in listening to the Lord… everything
else was on the back burner. Talk about slowing down… Yipes!
But you know, it has turned out to be one of the best experiences
of my life. The lessons learned have
been exemplary and worth the necessity of the shock! Now that we have been in North Carolina for a
while, I sense that the beat or timing or cadence is about to change! I believe that the Lord is signaling me to
speed up my timing in certain areas of our life. Does
this make sense to you?
I firmly have come to believe that the Lord gives us the
grace, the strength and the wisdom to move rapidly and more intensely at times in
the different seasons in our lives, and at other times to slow down, seek Him a
bit more deeply and move with more caution in our steps. This gives me great comfort in knowing that
He has firm control of our lives and directs us as a conductor directs an orchestra. Think
about it this way… Each member of the orchestra normally has the music
before them as they play, but they always need to keep one eye on the conductor
as he or she is the one interpreting the piece of music being performed. A good musician always knows their music but
also knows to follow the leading of the conductor.
Each of us have a unique song that we are to play in this
life, but in order to play it right, we need to follow the leading of our
conductor, Papa God! So I would
encourage you to learn the various movements of the symphony of your life and
then be open to follow the different intonations that our conductor leads us
through in the various seasons of our lives.
Have a great day. Stay in tune
and harmony to His Word and with the inflections of the Holy Spirit and keep
asking yourself… “What BEAT am I
expecting to keep today?”
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