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.
Music was undeniably important to the early Church. The latter part of I Timothy 3:16 likely reveals a small piece of the hymnody of first-century believers: “God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.” The phrase “believed on in the world” is the crux of the Christian faith. Paul said, “We preach Christ crucified” (I Corinthians 1:23a), for a personal faith in Jesus is necessary for eternal salvation. Many of our songs focus on this central truth. One such older hymn is “We Believe in One True God,” which provides a simple summary of the Christian faith. We will listen to a rendition by Trinity RBC.