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.
In Revelation 4:10, 5:8, and 5:14, we read of the inhabitants of heaven falling before the throne of God in hearty and heartfelt worship. The hymn “All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name,” written in 1779 by Edward Perronet, captures and celebrates this heavenly reality. A friend of mine, a gifted musician, used to sing the chorus of the alternate version in a memorable manner: he sang a different part each time through. When he led the singing in that way, I always thought of how Jesus has placed us in the “body of Christ” (I Corinthians 12:27), with all of our different abilities, to serve Him and worship Him. The version by Pilgrim’s Praises is a good one (but not as good as my friend’s unrecorded rendition).