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.
Joy is a crucial element in the life of the Christian. The Bible affirms that “there is joy in the presence of the angels over one sinner that repenteth” (Luke 15:10b). Jesus wants us to have joy now: “These things have I spoken unto you, that My joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full” (John 15:11). We can “rejoice with joy unspeakable” (I Peter 1:8c). The hymn “Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee” is certainly uplifting. It was written in 1907 by the esteemed American preacher Henry van Dyke, who insisted that it be sung to Beethoven’s “Hymn to Joy” from his Ninth Symphony. We will listen to a rendition by Rosemary Siemens.