Are your legs aching yet?

 

In the world we live in, the majority of us have grown accustomed to comfort. We love to be comfortable. We avoid discomfort. We don’t seem to have the stamina of our ancestors who pioneered before us, venturing into uncharted territories on horseback or bouncing across uneven terrain in a wagon devoid of suspension through all kinds of weather.

Okay, before I go all Little House on the Prairie on you, let me bring it forward to present day.

How often do you find yourself groaning inwardly when the Pastor or visiting speaker asks the congregation to stand for the reading of the Word, be it only 5 verses? Guilty? Yep.

I am working my way through the book of Nehemiah and I’m finding it such an interesting book. If you’re familiar at all with it, you’ll know that Nehemiah was the King’s cupbearer. Word reached Nehemiah that the walls of Jerusalem were broken down and the city was left unprotected. He was saddened by this news and his anxiety showed upon his face as he served the King. God answered Nehemiah’s prayers, and he was given permission to return to Jerusalem to rebuild it.

Months have gone by, the city is rebuilt, the people are settled and Ezra the priest comes on the scene. Both Nehemiah and Ezra play pivotal roles in this part of history. Nehemiah built the walls and Ezra restored the worship.

Ezra had an important job to do. That of restoring the worship, teaching the Word of God and leading spiritual revival in Jerusalem.

Fast forward to chapter 8. Read along with me.

Nehemiah 8:1-3 And all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the street that was before the water gate; and they spake unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the LORD had commanded to Israel.

And Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation both of men and women, and all that could hear with understanding, upon the first day of the seventh month.

And he read therein before the street that was before the water gate from the morning until midday, before the men and the women, and those that could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive unto the book of the law.

We see in these verses that Ezra begins to read the book of the law to the people. He read from morning until midday. It was a long service! AND the people were attentive! The Hebrew word for attentive has the idea of hanging upon the lips of the speaker, hanging upon every word, pricking up their ears, listening intently, paying close attention.

Not only were they listening to a very long reading lasting for a few hours, but they were also attentive. But wait. There’s more!

Nehemiah 8:5-6 And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people; (for he was above all the people;) and when he opened it, all the people stood up:

And Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God. And all the people answered, Amen, Amen, with lifting up their hands: and they bowed their heads, and worshipped the LORD with their faces to the ground.

Nehemiah 8:7 Also Jeshua, and Bani, and Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, caused the people to understand the law: and the people stood in their place.

Did you catch that? ALL the people stood up. They stood in their place.

So, from morning to midday, the people stood for the reading of the Word. It wasn’t just a few verses. It was a whole book of the law. It was hours long. AND they were attentive.

I bet our Pastors would love to see some dedication like that from their congregations today.

When you come down to verse 18 you see that the people kept the feast seven days and each day there were public readings of the book of the law. How often they stood listening and learning during that time I’m not sure, but I do know that the people were interested in hearing from God and repenting from sin.

Nehemiah 8:18 Also day by day, from the first day unto the last day, he read in the book of the law of God. And they kept the feast seven days; and on the eighth day was a solemn assembly, according unto the manner.

And I think that there was some ‘preaching’ going on too, not just reading.

Nehemiah 8:8 So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading.

There is so much more in this book of the Bible and a lot to be said about the Feast of the Tabernacles and the whys and hows but I was just so impressed by the people’s dedication and reverence for the Word of God that it really spoke to my heart about the importance I place on the book we often take for granted.

When we hear the Bible read aloud in our churches, do we understand its importance? Do we stand in awe? Or has it become ritualistic and do we see it as just something to endure when long portions are read?

The Word of God holds power. It is wisdom. It is love. It is grace. It is truth. It is light. It is enduring. It is sustaining. It is alive. It is God-breathed.

The Bible is an amazing book. Some books can change your thinking. But the Bible is the only book that can change your nature! It has the ability to transform you from the inside out.

The origin of success is the BIBLE. The Word of God. (Joshua 1:8) Applying the Word of God. Reading with attentiveness and obedience.

Success begins with following God’s Word.

But we can’t follow God’s Word if we don’t know it.

And we won’t know God’s Word if we don’t read it.

The Bible is a book about God. When we study the Bible and look at a passage, we need to ask ourselves, “what does this passage teach me about God and his character?” before we ask it to teach us anything about ourselves.

We are to imitate Christ.

We can’t do that if we don’t know him.

And we can’t know him unless we learn about him.

 And we can’t learn about him if we are not in the Word of God, studying it, meditating on it, memorizing it, applying it, obeying it and letting God reveal himself to us through it. 

As the people in Nehemiah’s day heard the book of the law read, they learned of God’s character and it revealed their own character and shone a light on their sin, causing them to repent and change their ways.

So, the next time you are tempted to groan as you stand for a short reading, spare a thought for the Israelites who stood in awe, reverence and worship, honouring God and listening attentively.

Maybe our comfort zones need ruffling. Maybe our legs need to ache. Maybe we need to stop grumbling. We really don’t have it that bad.

 

Little black dots and lines on a page

 

“We once saw a man draw some black dots. We looked and could make nothing of them but an irregular assemblage of black dots. Then he drew a few lines, put in a few rests, then a clef at the beginning, and we saw these black dots were musical notes. On sounding them, we were singing,
               “Praise God from whom all blessings flow, 
               Praise Him all creatures here below.” 
There are many black dots and black spots in our lives, and we cannot understand why they are there or why God permitted them to come. But if we let God come into our lives, and adjust the dots in the proper way, and draw the lines He wants, and separate this from that, and put in the rests at the proper places; out of the black dots and spots in our lives He will make a glorious harmony. Let us not hinder Him in this glorious work!” C. H. P.

Music is a big part of my life. I can’t even imagine a world without music. I love to play it. I love to sing it, and I love to listen to it.

Music holds so much power. It has the power to take you to different places. It has the power to calm your fears, comfort you, bring you peace, bring rest. But it also has the power to hurt and stir up feelings of anger. Music has the power to harm or heal.

If you don’t believe me, read the story of King Saul and the evil spirit that plagued him. (1 Samuel 16). We read how that David played a harp and upon hearing the lovely melodies, Saul was refreshed and the evil spirit departed from him.

And then we read in Exodus 32 about some music coming from the camp of the Israelites as they danced and sang around a golden calf that they had decided was to be their god to worship. This music was not healing music. It was harmful.

Music is NOT neutral. All music wields power.

This past week has seen me practicing for a wedding I am to play for today and it has brought to my attention once again the awesome power that music has in our lives. As I composed a wedding song combining two different melodies causing them to flow in and out seamlessly, I thought about the ways that God writes the unique music to our lives.

Music is one of my favourite ways to worship God. Note, there is a whole lot more to worship than just playing or singing songs about God. But I’m so glad God gave us music and the ability to worship him through its use. We see music first mentioned in the Bible in Genesis 4:21 with Jubal and his skilful use of the harp and the organ.

When I am playing or singing praises to God, I am drawn into a different place. A place of peace. A place of comfort. A place of rest. As I worship God through song, I am seeking to give him the glory and exalt his name as I raise my voice to him.

So, what about these black dots on the page? Do you sometimes question God as to why he puts all the black dots in our lives? We look at our circumstances, and we can’t make head nor tail of them. Nothing God is doing seems to make sense. But maybe it’s because all we’re seeing is little black dots. We’re not seeing the big picture.

God doesn’t always allow us to see the birds eye view. But when he takes his pen, and begins to join the dots, draw in the lines, place the rests in their proper place, add the treble and bass clefs, maybe a few little triplets and pauses too, something beautiful happens. Harmonies are written, and we begin to hear the music.

“Out of the black dots and spots in our lives He will make a glorious harmony. Let us not hinder Him in this glorious work!”

Often, I will write my own melodies. And when I say write, I mean make up songs and sometimes note down chord progressions or notes but not really write out the full tablature. But if I was to begin to fill a page with little black dots and add in some stems, some bar lines, a key signature etc and you took my piece of music and began to pick it out on the keyboard, the melody would start to come out and hopefully flow along to make a pleasant sound.

God’s melodies are so much more beautiful than anything we could ever write.

I’m not talking about music, as in a song, here, I am referring to the music of our lives. The song God writes. The music of our lives. The melody he creates as he weaves the patterns intricately, uniquely and specifically for each one of us.

We pick up the pages and all we see are little black dots. We see symbols we don’t understand. We see long pauses in places we wish they weren’t. We see loud crescendos building and then suddenly there are moments of softness and stillness so quiet we wonder if the music has stopped. We hear haunting minor keys and discordant clashes of notes played together.

If we were to write the music for our lives, we would forever write in major keys. We would leave out the minor sounds, take out some of the rests and the long pauses, maybe slow down the pace a little at times and allow the melody to flow along at a gentle, even pace.

But God knows that we need the minor keys as well as the major ones. The times our lives are playing in a minor key are often times of growth. Many a tremendous difficulty has been turned into a great victory and God’s name has been magnificently glorified. Those times in the darkness, as we sing our sad laments, we are drawn closer to him as we cry out to him and he reveals himself to us and shows us, by his power, what only he can do.

The long pauses, the discordant notes are all part of God’s plan in our lives. He knows what we need to go through in order to purify us and make us more like him.

God has to touch all the keys to make the music of our lives. He has to write in all the fortes and the pianissimos, the pauses and the fast-paced runs. He wants to make a glorious melody of praise, and the ups and downs of our lives contribute to the song that he writes.

So why is it that we think we are master composers, and we try to steal the pen? Why do we think that we have enough wisdom to write our own song? Why do we think we have the skill to accomplish such a feat?

Allow God to write the music of your life. 

Don’t stay his hand when he adds in a minor part. Don’t rush forward when he places a rest in a particular place. Sit still and wait when the pauses come. When you hear a discordant chord, look around for the lesson he is trying to teach you. When the pace picks up, look who’s racing alongside you. He is still with you, bringing the harmonies your song needs.

Let God join the little black dots and form them into something beautiful. Let him write your song. And sing your song of praise to him. Joyfully. Exuberantly. Continually. Loudly. Cheerfully.

 

Psalm 100:1-2 Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.

Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.

 

“When the musician presses the black keys on the great organ, the music is as sweet as when he touches the white ones, but to get the capacity of the instrument he must touch them all”

 

 

 

Do you hear the Music?

 

There is a legend that tells of a German baron who, at his castle on the Rhine, stretched wires from tower to tower, that the winds might convert them into an Aeolian harp. And the soft breezes played about the castle, but no music was born.

But one night there arose a great tempest, and hill and castle were smitten by the fury of the mighty winds. The baron went to the threshold to look out upon the terror of the storm, and the Aeolian harp was filling the air with strains that rang out even above the clamour of the tempest. It needed the tempest to bring out the music!

I’ve often read of Aeolian harps, and they have always fascinated me.

An Aeolian harp is in simple terms, a musical instrument that is played by the wind. It was named after Aeolus, an ancient Greek god and the traditional Aeolian harp is basically a wooden box including a sounding board, with strings stretched lengthwise across two bridges. As the wind blows across it the strings vibrate causing an eerie and ethereal sound.

As the years have gone by, many people have replicated this idea in various forms, from small ornate instruments to massive sculptures located on the roofs of buildings or on a windy hilltop.

The key factor in the ability of the instrument to create its eerie sounds is the wind. The strength and force of the wind determines whether you hear a soft murmur or a haunting wail.

Did you know that back in the 90’s, in an Arizona desert, a huge structure was built as an experiment to research and learn about the Earth’s living systems. Scientists locked themselves in this structure for 2 years, creating mini environments including a desert, a rain forest and even an ocean!

Their findings were interesting. The trees that grew inside this man-made structure, sheltered from the outside weather, grew very rapidly, but they also fell over before reaching full height. When the scientists looked at the root systems and the bark and leaves, they found the missing link. The one crucial missing element – WIND!

Because the trees experienced no wind, they had no resistance and because they had no resistance, they gained no strength. Without the stress of the wind, the trees grew weak and couldn’t hold up their own weight.  

Do you see where I’m going with this?

Think back to the Aeolian harp. What is it that gives it its song? It’s the wind. And the stronger the wind, the louder it sings.

I think that if we’re honest, we all want to live a life protected and sheltered from hardship, struggle or pain. We don’t want the storms of life to crash upon our shores.

But something happens to us when all we have is ease and comfort. We cease to grow. We lack strength.

Resistance doesn’t just challenge us, it changes us!

We see mention of trees over and over in the Word of God and often the imagery is tied to spiritual growth and endurance and strength.

One of the most well-known passages is found in Psalm chapter 1.

Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

And then we come to verse 3.

And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

We see this reference again in Jeremiah.

Jeremiah 17:7-8 Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is.

For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.

Here we are reminded of the importance of having delight in and meditating on the Word of God as our source of nourishment. This ensures that we will grow and mature and bear fruit. These trees are planted by the river. They are not growing in a controlled environment under a concrete roof with artificial lighting. No. They are outside, facing the storms, the sunshine and the rain.

Trees don’t grow strong by avoiding the storm, they grow strong by weathering them.

What if the thing you’re trying to escape is the very thing God wants to use to shape you?

That unexplained illness. That job loss. That relationship breakdown. The grief of losing a family member. The financial difficulty. The list could go on and on.

Ease may be nice, but the things that make life easier rarely make us stronger.

In my experience, the storms God brings into my life are the times when he does his best work. It is at these times when the winds blow strongest that my roots grow deepest.

When I look back over my life and all the things I’ve been through, the ups and the downs, it has been the hardest seasons in my life that have produced the most fruit. The winds that blew caused me to bend but not break. My ‘roots’ reached down for a taste of that living water, drinking it in, through study, much prayer and meditation on his Word, bringing nourishment and sustaining me, causing my leaf to stay green and my branches to bear fruit.

And as the wind whistled and howled, a sweet music began to sing all about me. And lest you think I have it all together, sad to say, there have been many times that I resisted the wind, trying instead to shelter from it and fight against it. This didn’t help my spiritual growth at all and needless to say, God had to bring the hard lesson into my life once again to teach me to trust him and bend with his guiding hand in the direction he would have me go.

Yes, God protects us and watches over us, but I think he is less interested in protecting us from the struggles of life and more interested in shaping us through them.  

What if instead of asking God to remove the struggle, to still the storm, to silence the wind, we asked him to use it?

What if we asked him to use it to make us stronger? To mold us and shape us more into his image. To help sink our roots down deeper into his living water. To enable us to help others through what he has taught us.

The storm you’re facing right now is not there to break you. It is there to make you stronger. It is there to help you grow.

Although the storm is not sent to wipe us out, it can make or break us. We can become better or bitter. It’s our choice.

God doesn’t bring the storms into our lives only to abandon us. He is with us in the storm. It’s not about the strength and power of the storm, it’s about who we have in the boat with us. He wants to make something beautiful of our lives. He wants to hear us sing.

What if we could learn to sing through the storm?

What if the wind rushing over us brought out a melody so unique, that caused those around us to hear its song and marvel at so great a God. A God that brings beauty from ashes. A God that creates a song from a broken instrument. One that is yielded unto him, allowing him to strum the strings and bring forth a song of worship.

Listen.

Do you hear the music?

 

They are HIS billows, whether we are toiling 
Through tempest-driven waves that never cease, 
While deep to deep with clamour loud is calling; 
Or at His word they hush themselves in peace. 

They are HIS billows, and He brings us through them; 
So He has promised, so His love will do. 
Keeping and leading, guiding and upholding, 
To His sure harbor, He will bring us through. 

—Excerpt of poem by Annie Johnson Flint