Please welcome Gina Holder to Faith in Writing. She has written a post for our Musical Wednesdays feature.
On any given Sunday morning in any given church, there’s one thing that stands out above anything else. Many in the congregation are not singing. They don’t even hold a hymnal and pretend to sing. They stand there like stoic beings with their arms crossed and not a word of praise passes over their lips.
Music is one of the most basic instincts of man, along with food, shelter, and clothing. I’m sure you’ve seen the videos—little babies “shaking their booty.” I’ve seen dancing parrots and singing dogs… you name it, someone has filmed it. Music is one of our most primal connections to each other. Even in the most remote corners of the world—in the most untouched tribes—you will find that their culture has a way to express itself through music. No matter your spoken language, music speaks to us all. Even the hearing-impaired can “hear” music—through the vibrations.
Many Christians today are lacking something major in their Christian walk. Where is their song?
Life is full of troubles and trials. Life is full of grief and want. Even then, the scriptures say in Psalm 42:8 – “Yet the LORD will command his lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night his song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life.”
Colossians 3:16 – “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”
Psalms = Scripture
Hymns = Godward
Spiritual songs = Personal testimony
Good music brings soothing to the soul. 1 Samuel 16:23 – “And it came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took an harp, and played with his hand: so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him.”
What do you think David played? The Psalms. The very Psalms he penned while keeping watch over his father’s sheep. The very same Psalms we have in our Bibles today.
Have you lost your song? Has life kicked you down? You’re hurting—physically or emotionally or mentally or spiritually? Has your heart filled with such bitterness that you can’t hear your song anymore? What went wrong? When Jesus saved you, was your heart not filled with a peace and joy beyond all human comprehension?
The cello or bass in the photo above has certainly lost its song. It’s funny though, if you look at the picture, you may realize as I did, that this instrument is only missing one thing…
It’s strings! Sure, it could use a washing and a polishing. It will need pegs and mounts to hold the strings, but if you think about it—all it needs are NEW strings. It’s a small thing, but a major problem. Without those strings, that instrument will NEVER play again. It’s an impossibility.
King David said in Psalm 51:12 – “Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.”
Restore. That’s what this instrument needs—restoration—restored to the purpose for which the maker created it.
You—my friend—were made to praise the Lord.
God, the Great Creator, wants to restore to you the song he put in your heart when he saved you. But you must ask. Ask him to restore to you the joy of salvation. Ask him to restore the peace of knowing him. Ask him to restore his praise in your mouth and heart.
Why? Because it’s your purpose. It’s what God created you to do.
Psalm 40:3 “And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.”
Gina Holder currently resides in Kentucky with her husband of 10 years, Daniel. She is a stay-at-home mom and homeschools their daughter, Lydia.
She dreamed of being a writer from her early teen years and graduated from the Long Ridge Writer’s Group “Breaking into Print” program in 2004. She graduated from Faith Bible Institute in 2005.
Whither Shall I Go? is her debut novel.
Connect with Gina @ https://storiesbygina.wordpress.com/ or https://www.facebook.com/storiesbygina/.
In 1911, Eleanor Williams struggles to see God’s hand in her life, when she loses both parents and is sent to live with her wealthy, estranged aunt, who transforms her from awkward country bumpkin to socialite heiress. 6 years later, she meets a young preacher and finds hope as they serve the Lord together.
Ellie’s journey takes her from her home in Cades Cove, Tennessee to the concrete jungle of New York City and finally to the harsh unforgiving world of the Amazon River Basin, where she meets Paul, a doctor who’s lost his way and Jack, a soldier with amnesia. Encountering anacondas, jaguars, and an antagonistic Shaman, will Ellie give in to the fears that threaten to overwhelm her?
Or can she depend on God’s grace to bring about His will for her life?
