Melodic Mondays
Those of you who know me know that I love music even though I am not musical myself. I listen to good music as often as I can. It is beneficial to the brain, valuable to the vocabulary, and strengthening to the soul. Isaiah 12:2-3 is a lovely passage that includes this soaring statement of surety: “The Lord JEHOVAH [YAHWEH] is my strength and my song.” This could be translated, “God is my mountaintop and my music.” Yes, He is! Each Monday, I want to study this subject and suggest a song to listen to. Anyone reading this devotional has easy access to any song. (I am an exception because I do not go on a computer or other information device.) If you do not like my suggestion (and we all have different tastes), you can think of or search for one that speaks to you. Then, it can become a source of encouragement throughout the week.
My wife generally begins playing Christmas music on Thanksgiving night. She decorates the house the day after Thanksgiving and puts the tree up no later than the first Saturday in December. She enjoys the entire season. Like a child, she just loves Christmas! Charles Wesley’s “Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus” is a familiar Advent song that captures the excitement of the miraculous birth of the Savior. As we would expect from Wesley, he references Scripture, including “the consolation of Israel” (Luke 2:25). Simeon the prophet was “waiting” for “the Lord’s Christ” (verse 26), just as we are. Haggai 2:7 predicts that “the desire of all nations shall come,” and indeed He did. The rendition by Red Mountain Music is a contemporary version of this centuries-old song.