Why Music?

People who talk with Pat & me for any length of time often hear us speak about or refer to various songs, composers, artists, videos of music, etc. A friend once replied, in a conversation, “Do you know how many times you mention a singer or song, just as if you expect me to know who you’re talking about?”  We laughed together, realizing that we all have our own “spheres of comfort” in which we are… OK, “comfortable.” For us, that sphere is music—especially music that glorifies & lifts up our matchless Savior & Lord, Jesus Christ.

Many years ago I taught in a Christian school, where one of the teachers simply did not like any music, and would refuse to sing with the other teachers, even behind closed doors. That always puzzled me. It’s one thing to only have the ability to make a joyful “noise”; it’s something else to not want to open your mouth in praise.

As a child, I used to be embarrassed by my father as we would sing in church. You see, Dad loved Jesus, and he loved music… but he could not even come close to being able to “carry a tune.” That never stopped him, however, from loudly joining in the hymns, or tapping his feet as other musicians played or sang! Today, I would love to be able to tell him just how proud I am—and should have been then—for not caring what others thought—only what God thought.

Scripture is replete with admonitions, as well as examples, to be a participant in this wonderful, free expression of praise and love for our God.

♬ “Hear, O kings! Give ear, O princes!

      I, even I, will sing to the LORD;
      I will sing praise to the LORD God of
      Israel.” 
(song of Deborah & Barak, Judges 5.3)

 ♬ ”Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him;
       Talk of all His wondrous works!”

(David, celebrating return of the Ark, 1 Chronicles 16.9))

♬ “Sing praises to God, sing praises!
     Sing praises to our King, sing praises!”

(the sons of Korah, Psalm 47.6)

♬ “Sing to the LORD a new song;
      sing to the LORD, all the earth.”

(Psalm 96.1, emphasis mine)

♬ “Sing to the LORD, bless His name;
    Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day.”

(Psalm 96.2, emphasis mine)

♬ “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom,

      teaching and admonishing one another
      in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,
     singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”
(Paul, while in prison, to the church at Colossae, Col. 3.16, Eph. 5.19-20)

So you see, the choice always belongs to us. The common term today is GIGO: “Garbage IN, Garbage OUT.” In other words, there is a proportional relationship between what we allow into our minds & what comes out from our mind. God has given us the instruction to fill our minds with things that honor Him (Philippians 4.8), and then, to do accordingly (Philippians 4.9)—you didn’t realize that computer terminology (such as GIGO) was actually a Biblical concept, did you?

For us, a day without listening to or singing edifying music would be tantamount to learning that we would never see the sun again! Music lifts, heals, invigorates, soothes, instructs, encourages, exhorts, and just plain adds warmth & enjoyment to your life! IF (or since) our Creator God created music, and placed so much importance on it, why is it that we compartmentalize it to Sunday worship?  What about you?  We’ll let you make the application.  Terry & Pat Lampel | Cup of Cold Water ministry | Everett, WA

Thankfulness at Midnight

       Can you imagine? You’ve finally hit the sheets after a tough day, hoping for some respite from your stresses, your anxieties, your conflicts, possibly some physical pain. Yet, as so often happens when sleep doesn’t come swiftly, you lie awake. Have you ever noticed that a bad tooth, e.g., can feel worse when you try to go to sleep? As your mind flits from one stray thought to another, often this is precisely when our conscience brings to mind all sorts of things.

       The psalmist lets us glimpse the fact that often his bed was anything but a place for sleep. Psalm 6.6 says, “I am weary with my groaning; All night I make my bed swim; I drench my couch with my tears.” Yet, as was so typical of David, it was then that his thoughts would begin to focus on his God. In Psalm 63.6, he says, “On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night.” How often do we allow the pressures and pains of this world to squeeze out the very words on which the Lord would have us meditate?

       But then, in Psalm 119.62, David takes this conscious thought to an extraordinary prompt of praise & gratitude to God: “At midnight I rise to give you thanks for your righteous laws.” (emphasis mine).  The Message translation highlights just how remarkable the psalmist’s response is: “I get up in the middle of the night to thank you; your decisions are so right, so true—I can't wait till morning!” David was so moved by thoughts of his God that his only option was to get up in the middle of the night and express his gratefulness to God!

       Notice that he did not wait until Sunday worship service, or even the mid-week prayer gathering. And he definitely did not wait for a convenient Thanksgiving holiday to roll around. No, he immediately got up (“I rise”) and expressed to his Lord exactly how filled with gratitude he was. Knowing David, he probably sang and danced exuberantly around his palace bedroom, not really caring what others might think! And, by the way, the word “laws” (“decisions”) is one of the many words used for God’s revealed Word. In other words, David was excited about (“so right, so true”) God’s laws and, yes, His rules & regulations!  He’s not rejoicing about some miracle or unexpected bonus; simply God’s instruction to him and his people.

       I have to confess that its been a long time since I got up out of my bed in the middle of the night for the sole purpose of praising & thanking God. Oh, I might pray for Him to bring relief to some overpowering pain, or to let me get to sleep, after wrestling with an uncooperative body for hours… but to get out of bed just to thank Him for revealing His Word to me? That is a staggering thought! What self-centered creations we are!

       I urge you right now—not on New Year’s Day—to determine to start cultivating a thankful, grateful heart. As the month of November heralds our annual “day” of Thanksgiving, let’s commit ourselves to become known as people of gratitude.  Wouldn’t it be marvelous to have generated such an “attitude of gratitude” this month that, when Thanksgiving finally rolls around, we find ourselves so filled with a thankful heart that all we can do is simply & quietly reflect on God’s incredible goodness?

     Terry & Pat Lampel, Seattle, WA | Cup of Cold Water ministry