October 29th, 2013

Psalm 95:1-2 — O come, let us sing unto the Lord : let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.

Do you mind if I use today’s devotion to revel in a private pleasure? Today is the second day that our choir is working on recording a new Christmas project. (You know, I’m so old that when I was a kid they used to call it “making a record”!)

It’s very moving for me to think that the combined work of the choir and the people will touch many, many, people. It will draw some of them to Jesus. It will change lives. It’s a blessing to be part of such a project.

There’s another thing that moves me about this whole process. We are part of a musical river that flows from the sweet psalmist of Israel to the mighty chorus in the Revelation singing “the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints.” (Revelation 15:3)
The tapestry of church music is wonderful. There is not the space in a short devotion to review all the threads. But just look — Psalms, hymns, gospel music, chorales, spirituals… In so many styles. It reminds me of the hymn by Frances Havergal, “Like a river glorious, is God’s perfect peace, Over all victorious, in its bright increase;Perfect, yet it floweth, fuller every day, Perfect, yet it groweth, deeper all the way.” Of course the theme is not worship … But it awakes the same response in me.

There’s something miraculous about the continuity of musical worship. But that miracle is consistent, too. That same thread of continuity runs through all the spiritual disciplines. Prayer. Bible study. Contemplation. Christians have practiced these disciplines from the very start. Why do you suppose that is?
I don’t really have Biblical warrant for it, but I think the great spiritual disciplines are gifts to us from God. Specifically, I believe they are our weapons, offensive and defensive, for spiritual warfare. Sing Christian music, put your heart in it and satan will surely be repelled. Read the Bible, day by day, store it in your heart and you will find it hard to sin against God. Have a quiet time, morning by morning — contemplate — and The Lord will guide you. Pray, constantly and He will help you. I don’t think it’s for nothing that we are instructed to sing, to read, to pray …

I’m so grateful that God equipped us with these wonderful weapons to go with our full armor — and that He made using them such a joy!