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 esteemed hymnwriter Phillip Bliss once heard the great evangelist Dwight L. Moody tell a story about a deadly shipwreck that occurred near Cleveland. The lighthouse was visible, but the lights along the channel into the harbor were out due to the raging storm. Mr. Moody concluded, “Brethren, the Master will take care of the great lighthouse; let us keep the lower lights burning!” In a very short time, Mr. Bliss then composed the hymn “Let the Lower Lights Be Burning.” Matthew 5:16 commands, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father [Who] is in heaven,” and Daniel 12:3 confirms, “They that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.” The rendition by Circa Blue is a good one.