Hannah Harrington, a female American author once remarked: “He took his pain and turned it into something beautiful. Into something that people connect to. And that's what good music does. It speaks to you. It changes you.” Colossians 3:16 reminds us: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”
Music has been defined as a beauty of form. It is a powerful, melodious force that can deeply impact emotional, cognitive, and social well-being. It can induce strong sensations, enhance mood, improve cognitive functions like memory and attention, and even reduce stress and anxiety. Furthermore, music fosters an interactive social connection and can be a tool to aid healing and self-expression.
In particular compositions or orchestrated pieces, music may incorporate vocal additions that blend with the foundational tonal qualities of a piece to enhance meaning and purpose, or it may be considered equally as effective by allowing the music to speak for itself by simply remaining purely instrumental Both forms have individual benefits to the discerning ear. Music intertwines with the everyday factors of life. Its chords create harmony and structure. Music can strengthen faith, encourage unity, and help individuals focus on God. It can also serve as a powerful tool for prayer, praising God, and expressing gratitude.
2 Peter 3:1-18 emphasizes the importance of spiritual growth and living a godly life in preparation for the Lord's return. While it doesn't explicitly mention music, the focus of the passage emphasizing knowledge, grace, and glorifying God can be seen as a foundation for using music to express these truths and deepen spiritual understanding. It primarily concentrates on the coming judgment of God and the need for Christians to live holy lives in anticipation of it. Peter addresses false teachers who mock the idea of the Lord's return and challenges readers to remember that God's patience is not a lack of action, but a prelude to a greater judgment.
He urges believers to grow in grace and knowledge, setting aside sin and living in peace with God, as they look forward to the new heavens and earth. The passage reminds us: “This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved. In both of them I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles, knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires.
They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.
But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.
Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn!
But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace. And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters.
There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.”
Music is a universal language, and a unique vernacular of love. It connects differing cultures and backgrounds that can unite and bond. There are usually no complications in its understanding, even if the lyrics used are in an unknown or foreign language. Words in music create their own understanding through a combination of musical and linguistic elements that work together to evoke emotional responses and create meaning beyond the literal words themselves. The music's melody, rhythm, and harmony interact with the lyrics to create a unique and powerful form of communication that holds no linguistic barriers..
Music connects individuals through shared emotional responses, creating affiliation and fostering empathy. It stimulates areas of the brain associated with emotions and memory, leading to shared reminiscence and feelings. Additionally, music can help those experiencing cognitive loss or challenging medical situations connect on a more human level, even when verbal communication is limited. Billy Joel, an American musician once remarked: “I think music in itself is healing. It's an explosive expression of humanity. It's something we are all touched by. No matter what culture we're from, everyone loves music.”
Churches can often be cool in temperature. Even in the coldest of churches, when we sing hymns, we not only open our hearts to the uplifting joy and warmth of music and the benefits that it may procure, we also invite God into our lives, to be amongst us and to feel His glow and love. Psalm 150:1-6 reminds us: Praise the Lord! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens! Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness! Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe! Praise him with sounding cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals! Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!
Music plays an important and foundational role in Christianity as it unites in fellowship. Hymns and psalms may tell individual stories, which can uplift the heart and diminish doubt. They may explain the testimonies of our forefathers. They can instill peace and comfort in troubled souls and create glad and trouble-free hearts. But above all, they can carry memories, hope, and the numerous prospects of good things that may still be to come. Romans 8:38-39 reminds us: “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Amen.
