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 JEHOVA [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.
Previous generations wrote more songs about heaven than our generation does. Perhaps our material comfort distracts us from thinking about a better place. Perhaps, also, we do not hear enough preaching about both hell and heaven and the compelling contrast between the two. One old hymn that captures the Christian’s yearning for heaven is “Beulah Land.” In Hebrew (the language of the Old Testament), “Beulah” means “married”. It is used in Isaiah 62:4: “Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: but thou shalt be called Hephzibah [My delight is in her], and thy land Beulah [married]: for the LORD delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married.” My favorite rendition is by the Avett Family, with father Jim and daughter Bonnie singing. The family harmony is winsome and points us to the greater harmony in heaven with the family of God.