MUSIC IN YOUR HEART.        

    Music is as old as creation.  While Moses wrote that ‘God made the stars’

( Genesis 1:16 ), Job recalled God speaking to Him of the wonders of creation when he said, ‘ the morning stars sang together.’( Job 38:7)  The stars not only sparkled in the sky, but made music with a rejoicing, triumphal sound, like a shout of joy. Science has confirmed the music of the stars.

    In the New Testament Paul encourages that musical harmony, melody and spiritual lyrics are evidence of the spirit-controlled christian. ( Ephesians 5:3)

    Music influences life more than we realise. Researchers monitored newborn babies of four to five days, at Queen’s University, Belfast, Northern Ireland.  The babes responded, even ceased crying, to the signature music from a specific TV series, ’Neighbours’ to which their mothers regularly listened during pregnancy. The babies of mothers who by-passed the series showed no response to the tune.

   This experiment shows the value of expectant mothers listening to harmonious melody.  She understands that her unborn child responds not to a TV series,, but to comforting and soothing music.  On the contrary, sadly the developing child will hear the noise of arguments and shoutings.

    Young children respond positively when commencing their day with soft music.  With a variety of personalities in a family, some of whom shine in the morning, others at night, music is a valuable leveller.  Often it restored peace to troubled waters in the midst of ‘Where’s my shirt?’ ‘Who borrowed my pen?’

‘I don’t want to get up.’

    Before cassettes ,CD’s. my husband always set the record player each morning with hymns, choruses, or light classical music, which calmed a busy household.  History repeats itself, and we reap the reward of enjoying their music when we visit our family in their homes.

    I remember the days when my husband and I received Youth for Christ records, chorus discs, or the reigning christian music for Mother’s or Father’s day, birthdays and Christmas.  How we laughed that Dad and Mum were given the very music that our children really wished for themselves. And we enjoyed it.

    When learning Scripture we often set it to music.  Once when my husband visited Papua New Guinea, we decided to learn the beautiful words of Psalm 1.

We set them to the tune of ‘I’m so happy, and here’s the reason why, Jesus took my burden all away.’  Sometimes we had to juggle the words to fit the tune, but the children enjoyed their musical memorising of the psalm. 

    While the scripture passages are easily learned, we best teach children passages of Scripture in their context, rather than random verses.  And music suitably aids the learning process.

    In times of testing, crisis, or unexpected circumstances, which may seem insurmountable , I play a cassette of gospel instrumentals, tunes without words.  They inspire with comfort and peace as I think and pray through a situation.

Yes, music heals spirit, soul and body.

    Encourage young people to sing.  Sing with them.  With a swing in our yard, it brought delight and pleasure to take a little grand-child by the hand and say,

’ Come on, we’ll sing and swing.’ Recently a grand daughter reminded me that I taught her a song about Moses, which she still remembers, and that was 20 years ago.  It is so worthwhile, even if you do not have a swing.

    If the morning stars sang together at creation, how appropriate that christians sing and make music, because of redemption.  Let us enjoy making music and melody in our hearts to the Lord, until that glorious day when we sing in heaven with the redeemed of every nation, ‘Worthy is the Lamb that was slain and has redeemed us to God by His blood…..’

    Make music in your heart and in your home.

    Take this hymn and sing it with your family.  The verses contain the whole truth of the gospel.

There is a green hill far away,

Without a city wall,

Where the dear Lord was crucified

Who died to save us all.

We may not know, we cannot tell

What pains He had to bear;

But we believe it was for us,

He hung and suffered there.

He died that we might be forgiven,

He died to make us good,

That we might go at last to heaven,

Saved by His precious blood.

There was no other good enough

To pay the price of sin;

He only could unlock the gate

Of heaven and let us in.

O dearly, dearly has He loved,

And we must love Him too,

And trust in His redeeming blood,

And try His works to do.

Cecil Alexander 1823-95