How BIG is Your SONG?

For as long as I can remember I have had a somewhat keen sense of the power in music.  Having been raised with a musical Mom, music and song were a big part of my family life from the beginning!  My Mom loved to sing and play the piano and did both quite regularly.  It took very little coaxing to have her sit down and lead those gathered during the many family and friend dinners they hosted in song from her beloved piano.  Our floor model Silvertone HiFi Console Radio/Record Player was almost in constant use during my childhood years.

My Mom taught all of us kids the piano… Well, at least two of the three of us!  I was always more interested in singing the words to the song than learning the keys and notes and never really mastered the talent.  Thank God that I have a wife that was classically trained and can play just about anything on those ivory keys!  It is no surprise that I married a talented musician who also taught all four of our kids to play the piano. 

In Junior High I did somewhat master the guitar and have played it ever since.  At one point I shared a few chords with our oldest son and then he took off with musical talent and can literally play circles around me.  He is one of those individuals who can pick up just about any instrument and master it with little effort.  When we cleaned out my folks house I gave Josh my great-uncle’s banjo that my Mom had restrung.  He proceeded to learn and play it and added it to his repertoire of piano, bass guitar, guitar, trumpet, and drums to just mention a few!  It is also no surprise that Piper’s and my love for music was continued by our other three kids as well.

With all that in mind, it was a natural progression for Piper and I to start singing and playing together when we started dating.  We performed our first public duet at her church during the Rock Opera that I wrote in the early 1970’s.  I guess you can say that we’ve been making music together ever since!

I’ve learned a lot about the nuances of music over the years.  My previous experience in leading singing was with Youth groups when we were asked to lead the Praise and Worship at the second church we attended in that old Convention Center/Hotel down on Santa Rosa Avenue in our hometown.  I knew the techniques to get the young people working as a team and involved in the singing, jumping up and down, laughing and singing out.  But leading a congregation in Praise and Worship was a whole new game!

So in the early 80’s we started attending various Worship seminars, conventions and classes and watched a whole lot of different church services on TV in order to observe and learn from the different music leaders.  That’s when we began to learn about the importance of the flow of the anointing of the Holy Spirit during praise and worship.  It became quite obvious to observe the leaders that understood it and worked with it and those who didn’t!  Through our ensuing years of ministry, it also became a little frustrating to see a few Pastors who seemed to not be aware of the power in their church’s praise and worship services.  For these the worship service was simply a pathway to prepare the congregation to receive the teaching during the sermon.  It is a pleasure to say that the Pastor that we served the longest under had a very sensitive understanding to the flow of the anointing of the praise and worship service.  We were also blessed with a humble, sensitive and talented praise and worship leader and team.

I remember one service when I was substituting for our Pastor during a Sunday morning when the anointing of the Holy Spirit simply fell from the heavens upon our congregation during the music service.  While I don’t recall all the specifics, I do remember being moved to stand up and begin encouraging those present to flow along with it.  After what seemed like only a matter of seconds, the front of the room was filled with worshippers receiving all kinds of blessings from the Lord.  At the time it felt like heaven on earth!  Let’s just say that my prepared sermon was definitely shortened that day as we gave the Lord His way and His voice to us all!

I kind of got that same feeling today as I experienced Isaiah 12:2 this morning when I exclaimed aloud: “Look!  Behold! Wow!  God is our Savior.  Therefore we are confident and unafraid, because the Lord is our strength and our SONG and best of all, our salvation!”  (Personalized from God’s Word © and The Message Bible)  When I referenced the 78 uses of the word “SONG” in the King James Version I realized that the Old Testament men and women of God really knew and understood the importance, power and anointing of music sung and played unto the Lord. 

In David’s and Solomon’s time there were leaders among the Levites whose only job was to offer praise and worship unto the Lord.  When the temple was built, these leaders actually lived in the temple as there was singing and music going unto the Lord 24/7!  We also understand that music was an important part of Jesus’ ministry.  It is recorded that the last thing the disciples and Jesus did before the events leading up to His crucifixion was to sing a hymn of praise in the Upper Room.

Isaiah 12:6 encourages us to “Shout loudly and SING for joy, people of Zion (for) the Holy one of Israel is great (and) is among us.” (God’s Word ©)  Most of the commentaries tell us that this is not only talking about the Jews back then, but also points to the church today.  They also agree that the last line of the verse is foretelling of the ministry of Jesus Christ when He walked the earth and present in us now as we walk among our families, in our neighborhoods, schools, work and everywhere else we go.

These scriptures as well as many others tell us that Jesus is to be our SONG.  And that SONG is to be played and sung through the words, actions, attitudes, and style of our lives.  So… if that is true… Let me ask you:  What kind of SONG does your life SING to those around you?  Do your words and actions, attitudes and overall projection of life SING of the Savior and His love for mankind?  Is the music and SONG of your life pleasant and uplifting for others to hear?

I was so moved by the ending of a piece of classical music yesterday afternoon that I found myself stopping what I was doing and stepping into the middle of the living room pretending that I had the conductor’s baton in hand and was directing the orchestra!  It must have looked a little funny as Piper looked up with a quizzical look on her face and broke into laughter!  A similar incident happened with her the other night as well.  We were watching a funny part in an old John Wayne western when the music turned into a loud crescendo that I noticed Piper was enjoying as she once again broke out into a huge grin!  It times like that when I am once again assured of the power of anointed music and song as a part of her healing manifestation!

Is the music and SONG of your life a part of someone else’s healing?  Does the SONG you carry with you move others closer to Christ?  I think that this is part of Papa God’s plan for our lives… don’t you?  Have a great day.  Stay in TUNE (pun intended!) to God’s Word, and keep asking yourself… “What or Who’s SONG am I expecting my life to be SINGING today?”