With the Bring on the Bands ’08 event and all that stuff I’ve been wondering: why did God give us music? And with the Bring on the Bands ’08 event and all that stuff I’ve come up with the answer: to glorify Him. After all, in the Bible it says in, um, Psalm 101:1“I will sing of steadfast love and justice; to you, O Lord, I will make music.”
And in Psalm 98, well, it’s all about praising God. The title is Make a Joyful Noise to the Lord it doesn’t get much simpler than that. Actually, here’s the whole chapter for ya:
Oh sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things! His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him. The Lord has made known his salvation; he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations. He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness to the house of Israel. All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises! Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre, with the lyre and the sound of melody! With trumpets and the sound of the horn make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord! Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; the world and those who dwell in it! Let the rivers clap their hands; let the hills sing for joy together before the Lord, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity.
I love that! Music is such a gift from God but many, many people use it for their glory instead of God’s. Do you see secular bands praising God during their concerts and in their “thanks” section of the CD? Do you ever hear popular artists thanking God for their gifts? Why don’t they glorify God? Because they care more for their glory here on earth than God’s glory.
Now here’s what I’m not saying:
1. I’m not saying that we should delete all music that doesn’t worship God or praise him in the lyrics.
2. I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with certain secular artists… I listen to secular artists sometimes. The lyrics are the unpredictable part. I’ve listened to one great song from an artist and the rest of their CD is terrible. Thank goodness for iTunes!
Now for what I am saying:
1. We need to be careful of what we listen to because, no matter what people say, what you listen to will eventually get into your head and you will end up liking it. Now, people say, “Oh, I don’t listen to the lyrics… I just like the music. The lyrics don’t affect me....” But that’s wrong. Lyrics affect everybody. Quite frankly, you can’t listen to a song without hearing the lyrics. It’s impossible. Unless it’s instrumental there is no way to just listen to the music.
2. Secular artists usually end up putting secular themes into their music… things like cursing and stories about bad experiences, disrespect toward parents and adults, romantic notions etc. These things can affect us just as much as they can affect the non-Christian. Just because we are Christians doesn’t mean that we are invincible to the ideas that songs put into our heads.
Music is an amazing gift. I am blessed with the ability to sing, play the piano and the guitar. God has given me these gifts, I thank Him for it, and I enjoy using them to glorify him. I love worshiping God by just singing and playing the piano or guitar.
This has probably happened to you and if it hasn’t it will. You’re hanging out with someone and you’re talking about music and your favorite artists and this other person has their iPod on them and want you to listen to this great song. Now, you’re sure it’s a great song and all that but you’re not supposed to listen to that artist. Your parents never said you couldn’t listen to this music but, would they want you to? What should you say when you are presented with this situation. Do you quickly change the subject and hope they don’t remember? Do you listen to the song and feel guilty for the next week or so? Or do you tell them kindly that you can’t listen to that song until you talk to your parents? This is the hardest thing to do! Standing up to your friends is difficult, I know. These questions might help discern this matter:
1. Would you be embarrassed to listen to this with Jesus?
2. Is it something you have to hide?
3. Does it cause you to isolate yourself from family members or friends?
4. Does it cause you to neglect other responsibilities?
5. Do you have a greater appetite for this music than you do for spending time in God’s Word or in some other activities that nourish your spiritual life?
6. Does it negatively affect your thought life?
(these questions are from lies young women believe by nancy leigh demoss publ. 2007)
I hope this has served you. Thanks for readin’
-Kaylee
P.S. here are some pictures from yesterday... enjoy!
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