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.
Malachi 3:17 is a memorable verse: “’And they shall be mine,’ saith the LORD of hosts, ‘in that day when I make up My jewels; and I will save them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.’” I consider my youthful trophy wife to be a jewel, in accordance with Scripture: “Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies” (Proverbs 31:10). However, for God to think of me as precious really is astonishing. In 1856, William Cushing wrote a hymn about this subject. It is sometimes called “When He Cometh” (the opening words of the song) or, popularly, “The Jewel Song.” The version that we will listen to is entitled simply “Jewels” and is performed by Alison Krauss (with Union Station) and the Cox Family.