Well, my latest adventure took me no further than my very own back porch. I was out there yesterday enjoying the beautiful colors of the mountain behind me and had a blanket wrapped around me to ward of the November chill that has finally arrived. I had my Bible and my prayer journal. The birds were flying around like a storm was coming (it was), and Jack was convinced I was going to leave him alone again, so he kept coming to make sure I was still there. God and I were communing and I was totally overtaken by the remembrances of His faithfulness to me.
I started singing some songs. Old hymns at first. Then I pulled up Damaris Carbaugh and the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir's version of "He's Been Faithful." Oh, how He has been faithful to me! Even in my darkest times, those times I couldn't find my way except for Him. I could go on and on about that song, about His faithfulness, about so many things, but what I want to tell you is...
I just sat there and sang as loud as I could. It wasn't pretty. But it was heartfelt. I used to sing, loved to. Was always in a choir or group. I wasn't the best, nor was I the worst. I still sing, but it's more of a joyful noise these days. Music is such a simple way to express yourself. It conveys truth. It conveys emotion.
I think my neighbors were outside, and I even think the people in the neighborhood south of us could hear me. But I didn't care. I was singing to the Lord!
This morning I was thinking again about music and how life is like a piece of music. God creates the orchestration and stands to conduct. I must keep my eyes on Him for cues that are subtle or obvious. I must be able to read the music so I know where to put my fingers on the keys. (I will use the piano as my instrument since I have no knowledge of how to make another work.) It takes practice. It means I have to concentrate. I have to be intentional. Deliberate.
When you look at a music score, if you don't know how to read music, it will just look like a jumble of black and white lines with little characters drawn all over. You will see some words, but you won't know what they mean until you learn the vocabulary. There will be symbols that mean nothing until you understand how they lead you to play the music.
And such is life. God has created us to live and He has given us a guide. We have to read it. We have to follow the directions therein. For example, music will get softer or louder to emphasize what the composer is wanting expressed. Sometimes life is easier and sometimes busier. Another example is the time signature. It's right there at the beginning of the piece and sets the rhythm for the composition. I have played pieces where the time signature changed in the middle of the piece. Isn't that true of life? Sometimes, for a season, we have to switch up the rhythm. Usually it's just for a few bars of the piece and then the original timing is resumed. Sometimes the composer gives us freedom to interpret. He may allow us to hold onto a note for a few extra beats. Or He may give us total ad lib rights.
God expects us to read His Word to us and follow it. He whispers sometimes. Sometimes He has to write it across the sky to get our attention. He sets the pace for us on the path He has chosen for us and walks with us the whole way. Sometimes He mixes it up a little and tosses the basket. Perhaps to make us a uncomfortable with the complacency that has overtaken us or to move us into a new season of service. He may allow things to rock along like they are for a long time. And then He fills our hearts to overflowing so all we can do is open our mouths and sing with abandon of His faithfulness and our love for Him.
I have found, friend, that when my eyes are focused fully on my conductor my life flows better. There are fewer missed notes. I stay in rhythm and what people receive is a beautiful melody declaring God's love. I strive to learn more and more. I practice by reading His Word. I practice by praying daily. And, do you know what? I get better at those things the more I do them!
If you are playing with a group, like I did in the Pianorama so many years ago, you MUST follow the conductor. If you don't you end up messing up the music for everyone. The conductor demands your attention and he leads with gentle authority. My friend Monty's dad was the conductor back then, and I remember not wanting to disappoint him. Later when he was in church where I was playing a piece he had written, my hands began to sweat and I shook all over like it was twenty below zero. I wasn't expecting him there, but I wanted him to be pleased.
We must ask ourselves a couple of questions.
1. Am I preparing by learning to read the composition placed before me? In other words, am I reading my Bible?
2. Am I in-tune with the conductor and composer? Am I praying and focusing on God?
And finally, am I willing to abandon the idea of what people think and enjoy the ad lib as I sing out loud to proclaim my thanks for His faithfulness?
Make a joyful NOISE unto the Lord...come before His presence with singing. Psalm 100:1-2
