"The Lord is my strength and song; and He has become my salvation."
~ Psalm 118:14
Through every season of life, there is a thread of music weaving in and out of our hearts. Some people carry the song of bitterness and rebellion, while others carry a song of pride and selfishness. But for those walking closely with the Lord, there is but one song resounding in the depth of our hearts...it is the sweetest song, the song of purity and life, light and redemption, peace and love. It the song of a Saviour, a Redeeemer, a Restorer. It is the loveliest of all melodies one could ever hear or sing...it is the song of Jesus.
In the bright seasons of life, it's easy to sing to an upbeat tempo. How many of us crank up a great rock cd during the heat of summer while driving with the windows rolled down, breeze flowing through our car, and sunshine glistening from the sky? Those escstatic moments of joy and freedom are accompanied by the loud crunch of guitars, defining beats of drums, and happy lyrics. But when we are down, depressed,or discoruaged, how many of us are tempted to shift into melancholy rhythms? Gray skies and rain always seem to evoke images of soulful lyrics or saddened melodies. Depending on our moods and circumstances, our taste in music varies from one season to the next. And the music that speaks to us, moves us, and comforts us changes as we move with the cadence of life.
But in the depth of the heart, there is but one song for the believer. It is never mournful, never despondent, never bereft of companionship. Its melody may swing from soft and peaceful to joyful and exuberant, but its underlying message remains constant with every pulsating note. This song, echoing from the innermost chambers of our soul is the song of the redeemed. Regardless of our season, we have a song of redemption. We have a song of relationship, of restoration, of a Father's love and care. Ever resplendent of strength and hope, our song withstands the fiercest of battles, the loneliest of days, the saddest of times. And as we grow closer in our walk with the Lord, this song only grows sweeter and louder with each passing moment.
And so for those of us in our hidden, waiting seasons (there are many of us, I know!), we have the opportunity to fine-tune our musicianship. The quiet, reclusive days of waiting help us develop our listening ability and choreograph our steps in rhythm to this song. Every movement, every breath, every word, every action is being refined to respond to the song within our hearts. Unnoticed and hidden, we are practicing a performance. Some days, we sing it perfectly, and other days, we seem to crash and fail miserably. But the point is that we are becoming...we are learning with finely crafted skill the art of dancing to this melody. It's a life-learning process - one we will never completely master, for there are new levels and depths of this song we've not yet even heard - but we are growing, each and every day.
So to all of you learning to sing the sweetest song, I welcome you into this musician's circle. We have much to learn, but we are daily given the chance to practice our skill. May we live each day in response to the song placed in our hearts by the Redeemer Himself...and may we sing the sweetest song as an anthem to our King.
