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.
The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ are the best-attested events in ancient history. (For anyone interested in this subject of historicity, I recommend Ancient Evidence for the Life of Jesus by Dr. Gary Habermas.) If the opponents of Jesus could have produced the lifeless body of Jesus, the Christian faith would have been crushed before it even began. “But now is Christ risen from the dead” (I Corinthians 15:20a), and we celebrate the certainty of the eternal life that He gives to each believer. The last verse of “Were You There?” is especially effective in conveying this joy. The version by A Cappella Hymns is appropriately simple and reverent. If you like the majestic sound of the organ, you will enjoy the rendition by the Londonderry Choir.