May 2008

Don’t be drunk with wine because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts.
—Ephesians 5:18-19, NLT

This Scripture is one of many that indicates music is important to God. The Old and the New Testaments contain more than 200 references to music, and Israel’s history abounds with conclusive evidence that God’s people have always had a song to sing.

In various places, the Bible records that all of heaven celebrates with singing and indicates that God Himself is moved by it and possibly joins in. It also states that angels were created with musical abilities (see Ezek. 28:13).Clearly, God delights in music and song.

Music has the power to stir emotion, easily evoking a tear or a smile. It can shape our values or erode them. Whether we like it or not, music and lyrics are able to produce life or death in the hearer.

It is important to understand that music and song go much deeper than the natural ear; they affect us to the core of our beings. We actually become a byproduct of the music we embrace. Since that is so, we need to carefully screen the music we allow into our lives.

Music is associated with many of the major moves of God recorded in Scripture. Here are just a few examples:

»?During creation, the stars sang and the angels of God shouted for joy (see Job 38:4-7).
»?During the Exodus, Miriam and the women sang for joy (see Ex. 15:1-20).
»?When the children of Israel marched around Jericho, the walls collapsed as Israel sounded trumpets and shouted (see Josh. 6:10-20).
»?King David’s reign introduced 24-hour music (see 1 Chr. 25:1).
»?Trumpets and singing were the order of the day at the dedication of Solomon’s temple (see 2 Chr. 5:11-14).

Many believers contend that the link between music and revival is a strong argument that each move of God is accompanied by a fresh sound from heaven. If this is true, it means that if you want to be on the cutting edge of what God is doing, you must sing the songs He is currently releasing.

So what role is music playing in your life? Are you tuning in to the new sounds being released on the earth today? It might be beneficial for each of us to revisit our personal attitude toward music and song. Become intentional in using music properly—it could change your life.

John Chasteen is the assistant dean of Southwestern Christian University Graduate School in Bethany, Oklahoma. He writes a weekly blog at heycoachjohn.com.