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.
Psalm 50:1 sings, “The mighty God, even the LORD, hath spoken, and called the earth from the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof.” Later, in verse 12b, God states, “The whole world is Mine, and the fulness thereof.” The hymn “This Is My Father’s World” rejoices in this truth. Often in early June, when everything is green and growing, I think of the words of this song, written in the 1890’s by a pastor (Maltbie Babcok) who found great refreshment in the countryside surrounding his pastorate. Sometimes he would tell his secretary, “I’m going out to see my Father’s world.” The original poem had sixteen stanzas (that would be a long song in church!), but usually only three are sung. We will listen to a fine rendition by Hymns of Grace.