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.
One of my wife’s favorite hymns is “Abide with Me”. Jesus has promised, “Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world” (Matthew 28:20b), and this song poignantly applies that promise to the end of life on earth. The writer, Henry Lyte was a gifted pastor and poet. In 1847, it became clear to him that he had little time left to preach, for he had contracted tuberculosis. Shortly before his death that year, he revised this hymn, which was first sung at his memorial service. We will listen to a version by Audrey Assad.