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.
As we grow older, we miss more family members and fellow churchgoers who are now with the Savior in heaven. We rightly remember them and yearn for our reunion. As we wait, we perhaps wonder what their lives are like. One song that touches upon this subject is “What Are They Doing in Heaven Today?”, written by the Reverend Charles Tindley, whose better-known hymns include “Nothing Between,” “Leave It There,” and “I’ll Overcome Some Day.” He was born a slave and was orphaned at age five. Despite those hardships, he loved and served the Lord faithfully. He obviously thought about his parents and others in heaven. His short song does not answer the question of what believers in heaven are currently doing, but it does encourage us to “set [our] affection on things above, not on things on the earth” (Colossians 3:2). The version that I particularly enjoy is by Murry Hammond from his album I Don’t Know Where I’m Going, but I’m on My Way, which is a tribute to his father, a devout Christian who had just died. The emotion is genuine, and the arrangement is decidedly unique. (There is a different song by the same name, one from the bluegrass tradition. In my opinion, it is not as powerful.)