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.
Those of you who know me well know that one of my favorite hymns is “Holy, Holy, Holy.” It is based on Isaiah 6:3, where “one [angel] cried unto the other, ‘Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory,’” and especially in Revelation 4:8, where the angels repeatedly say, “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Which was, and is, and is to come.” Much of the imagery of the song is found in Revelation 4. When I was a boy growing up in the church that I now lead, my pastor, the beloved Reverend Stuart, opened each Sunday morning service with this grand and glorious anthem. He told me years later that his intent was to immediately focus our attention on worship and to reinforce the Biblical teaching of the Trinity – One God in Three Persons: Father, Son, and Spirit. He was blessedly successful in that noble goal. The version by Hillsong United is a good one.