There are many ways of making music. What matters is the song in your heart. I was touched as I read this quote in passing today. Supposedly they were spoken to a young lad many centuries ago, a boy who had a deep desire in his heart to make music, to sing or to play, but he could do neither well. A kindly gentleman spoke those words to this little boy to encourage him to find his own song, and that young boy, Antonio Stradivari, did just that. This talented woodworker and craftsman would have a seventy-one year career creating the finest bowed instruments in history. When placed in the hands of a virtuoso such as Yo Yo Ma, cellist, or Itzhak Perlman, violist, those finely crafted instruments, created by the hand of Mr. Stradivari, would bless the world with rich sounds and sweet tones. That young lad finally found his song.
What is your estimation of your musical abilities? Perhaps you are gifted in the field of music, well-versed on a musical instrument, have been blessed with the voice of a nightingale, or possibly both. But maybe you have a lower estimation of your musical skills, absolutely no clue as to what to do with an instrument, while equipped with a voice barely fit for the shower. God was well-aware of the excuses we would weave when dealing in the field of music, so He did not merely suggest that we try to sing to Him, He commanded it. “Rejoice in the LORD…Praise the LORD with harp: sing unto him with the psaltry…sing unto him a new song.” We are instructed to “Sing unto him” well over 100 times in Scripture, one of the most recorded of all the commandments of God! And here is a quick English grammar lesson to add emphasis: those are all imperative commands, and YOU are the subject of those commands. YOU are to rejoice; YOU are to praise; YOU are to sing! We have an awesome God Who inhabits praise, and He desires to hear that praise from all of His children, not just the musically gifted ones.
Not everyone is suited for a concert stage, but all of us who have “passed from death unto life” through the sacrifice of our dear Savior can make “a joyful noise unto the LORD…and rejoice, and sing praise.” When we are down in the dumps, we can take the focus off of our circumstances and fill our heart with song. We can encourage and admonish “one another in psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs” to lift up our brothers and sisters as they travel through discouragement. And while on those mountain tops, while we are basking in His glorious blessings, we can express our gratitude to our heavenly Father by “singing with grace in (our) hearts to the Lord.”
Our sovereign Creator and loving Father is worthy of our praise, so even if you are lacking in those musical skills, grab a hymnbook, find your voice, and invest some time rejoicing in the Lord.
Psalm 104:33 I will sing to the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
Thank You, Lord, for the gift of song. Help us to remember that You inhabit praise, so may we fill our day with song lifted up to You.