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 JEHOVA [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.
I like cloudy days: they are cooler, and generally we do not have problems with excessive rainfall. However, I do enjoy the song “The Unclouded Day.” There is nothing evil about clouds, of course, for Revelation 1:7a-b says of Jesus, “Behold He cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see Him.” However, particularly in the Old Testament, clouds are connected to God’s judgment. For example, Joel 2:2 speaks of “a day of clouds and of thick darkness” (see also Zephaniah 1:15). Ezekiel 30:3 warns that “the day of the LORD is near, a cloudy day,” and Ezekiel 34:12 promises the deliverance of those “scattered in the cloudy and dark day.” Conversely, “The Unclouded Day” points us to heaven, where we will see Jesus face to face and have our tears wiped away. I like the relatively unadorned version by the Swanee River Boys (and I just like to say “the Swanee River Boys”).