Our Life Song

From day one in our mother’s womb, to the day we were born again by the Spirit of God and adopted into His family as a son or daughter, to the final day we leave this earth and enter heaven’s domain, there has and will continue to be a soundtrack to our lives. Some of these days, on the one hand, may be written in a minor key; giving music to the sorrows, trials, tribulations, and pain that this life brings; and on the other hand, a more uplifting major key, written with crescendos and choruses that compliment moments of heavenly bliss, the peace of God, the abundant blessings He brings throughout our days, and the joy deep within that is unshakeable, knowing that the war has been won at the cross of Christ, and we get to live in freedom and victory in His name. We often give imagery to this same notion with the reference of the “hills and valleys” of life. No one in Christ’s family is exempt from either of these. Sometimes the only song that can be brought up from our weak and feeble souls is an almost unutterable cry for help to the only true Helper we know. Other days ecstatic praise and new songs come from deep within to declare the unending goodness of God. When we survey the grand narrative of Scripture as well as our life in the current day, we see that we have an unchanging and immovable God, one who is the same yesterday, today, and eternally. But what we also see is that within the lives of the sinners and saints we read about in the Bible and the ones we see and meet today, none of them are the same. Over the years, I have heard folks say these words regarding others’ lives within the church body, “I don’t see that in the word of God,” as if they are cross-examining others’ lives with a scrutinizing eye, seeing if they are living in sin, a heretical way of living, or maybe misjudging them because it just doesn’t fit their narrative of a cookie-cutter Christian life. That is why it is so important to get to know God through not only through Scripture, but through the person of the Holy Spirit who will direct and guide your life. God is the ultimate Chief Musician that will be writing and conducting the symphony of your life and compose it into something beautiful. There are a few things that we can do along the way though, that can play a crucial part in how our lifesong will appear and sound to our King.

Do Not Fear. Yeah, easier said than done, I know! Our fears can come in a multitude of different ways, but at the core it is a threat to our souls on many levels. We are all frail, worried, anxious, and afraid a good portion of our days if we are being honest, but when we are able to catch ourselves in those moments where our emotions may start to get riled and stirred up, we can come to Jesus, every single time. He will still and quiet our souls so that the blaring alarm within us that has been triggered will stop sounding off, and in Him, we can find rest. There is certainly no step by step curriculum that cures fear, but one thing is for certain, there is one aspect that helps combat it effectively and that is trust. The hymn, “‘Tis So Sweet” written by Louisa M. R. Stead and William J. Kirkpatrick holds some lyrics that really help to put this concept to song so well:

I’m so glad I learned to trust Him

Precious Jesus, Savior, Friend

And I know that He is with me

Will be with me to the end

‘Til the last day we draw our final breath He will be with us, and that promise should help us all the more to place all of our trust in the person of Christ for our whole life.

There is also one very specific fear I have struggled with almost my whole life, but the Lord has released me from it in time, and He certainly can for you as well; the fear of man. I believe this places in the top fears especially within the body of Christ, and it can cripple a person if not tended to. Because most of us have been misunderstood, judged (or misjudged), and had our lives outright questioned at times by others, having a fear of man can take root after these occurrences, and sometimes it can take years to root out, but the Lord is faithful to help us out of this snare. I have been repeating Proverbs 29:25 to myself a lot throughout this year and found it to be a faithful little counselor of a verse, “The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord will be safe.” The key right within this verse once again, is trust. When we trust that the Lord is leading our lives and placing desires on our heart, we do not have to fear. Part of this fear of man can also take the form of people pleasing to which Paul wrote to the church in Galatia about in Galatians 1:10, “For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.” Christ will always choose the best path for your life, not man, nor their self-perceived wisdom and intellect. Listen to Him and trust His voice.

Lastly, in regards to fear, a helpful Psalm that we have sung over the years at our church that is a continual reminder of this exhortation not to fear is Psalm 27. In the very first verse of this Psalm it sings, “The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?” I pray that the words of David in this song will echo in your mind, heart, and on your lips to remind you that there is nothing that you need to fear in this world because not only has Jesus already overcome, He enables you through the power of His Spirit to be an overcomer as well. Take heart, trust in Him, and watch fear flee.

Let the Music Move You. I have heard countless times over the years in the church that music is “dangerous” because it moves us emotionally. Without going down the rabbit trail of that debate too far, all I will say is this, I believe God designed music in such a way, to do just that. When the truths of who God is and what He has said and done for us are married to music, it is a match made in heaven. Some of the most profound moments in my life where I was drawn directly to Jesus in gratitude, ecstatic joy, grief, agony, depression, and almost every other emotional state, was through music. The “worship wars” within the church unfortunately will likely continue until our Savior returns, but this much I do know, music is their to minister to help move us within our souls to draw even closer to Him and to effectively highlight the truths of Him and His works put to artistically beautiful music and song.

Harold Best speaks about the arts and music in light of Christ, “There is only one way to God, through Jesus Christ. This means that God sees and hears all of our offerings perfected. God sees and hears as no human being can, all because our offerings have been perfected by the Giver. The out-of-tune singing of an ordinary believer, the hymnic chant of the aborigine . . . the open frankness of a primitive art piece, the nearly transcendent “Kyrie” of Bach’s B Minor Mass, the praise choruses of the charismatic, the drum praise of the Cameroonian - everything from the widow’s mite to the poured-out ointment of artistic action - are at once humbled and exalted by the strong saving work of Christ.” Our musical expressions within the body of Christ come in many different shapes and sizes, and this is good! If there was no variation and no genres within the music that accompanies our worship, how uniform and dull it would be. So the next time you are either praising the Lord to a tune or just listening and meditating upon Him to instrumental music, let it move you within your heart, soul, and mind, and urge you closer to Him to enjoy His nearness.

Sing. St. Augustine once stated, “To sing is to pray twice.” This is something that I have felt for years when it comes to singing. The voice is a powerful thing and when we take our prayers and praises internally, and not only speak them out, but wrap melodies and harmonies around them, sending them heavenward to His throne, it not only pleases Him immensely, but it changes and transforms us. This act of worship has been a part of church history for millennia and it will continue to be as long as he fills our lungs with the breath of life. The verse God used to affirm my calling into music ministry was Colossians 3:16, and it is one that continues to be a foundational stone to my faith and life. Paul, in writing to the church at Colossae wrote, “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.” He then goes on to repeat this is in similar wordage to the church in Ephesus in Ephesians 5:19. There are few things more nourishing to the heart and soul than to sing to Jesus in whatever expression or prayer you are bringing for the day. Through singing, we engage the strength of our body, the focus of our mind, and the instrument of our voice to magnify our King and His greatness as He continues to be the Lord of our lives.

Through the grace of God, His providence, and the surrender and giving of our heart and will to Him, our lives can be a sweet song to our King; one that the world can also hear and join in on as well, to the glory of His name.

Lifesong by Casting Crowns

Empty hands held high, such small sacrifice

If not joined with my life, I sing in vain tonight

May the words I say, and the things I do

Make my lifesong sing, bring a smile to You

By Mark Anderson

December 2023