Psalm 118:14 The Lord is my strength and my song;
    he has become my salvation.

There were so many familiar verses that spoke to me in this passage that I didn’t know what I should write on, and then I realized that the reason all those verses were so familiar was because they have been set to music! There are many passages throughout the Bible that speak, directly or indirectly, of singing to God, and particularly so in Psalms, since it was the equivalent of a hymnbook today. The thing is, when we become aware of God’s goodness to us, in whatever form that might come, it is the most natural thing in the world to sing about it. Some people grow up in an environment that is non-musical to a degree that is hard for me to wrap my mind around, but even they quickly learn the joys of music addressed to God, even if they can’t participate directly. Many years ago we had a new believer who asked, in all honesty, “How do you do that? Make your voice go up and down, I mean.” There are also people who are medically tone deaf, though that is extremely rare, and there are plenty of people who “can’t carry a tune in a bucket,” as the saying goes. None of that negates the reality that God gave us music to gladden our hearts and give thanks and praise to Him. There are many styles and modes of music, but it’s a clear fact that Western music – and yes, even rock and heavy metal – has its roots in Church music. The point is to take our music back to its original purpose, and praise God with it. When we do that, we discover strength that can be had no other way, just as this verse says. Everything God gives us has a purpose, and the sooner we recognize that purpose and fulfill it, the more blessings we receive from whatever it is – and that certainly includes music.

I grew up in an extremely musical family, to the point that my brother-in-law once said, “I always wondered what it would be like to live in The Sound of Music, and now I know!” I was a vocal music minor in college, and my job in the Army was playing clarinet in the 25^th Infantry Division band. Throughout my life music has been integral to who I have been, and I’m sure it will continue to be so into eternity. In recent years I have been privileged to translate many songs between English and Japanese, in both directions. It’s always interesting to see how some songs seem to come out better in other than the original language! That’s particularly striking between my two languages, because they’re so dissimilar in so many ways. Sometimes they are equally moving in both languages, but just different. All of that, to me, shows that the Holy Spirit is behind it all. I certainly know that singing His songs opens us up more to Him! I don’t think it’s an accident that there’s a whole genre of music called, Gospel, but the Gospel can be expressed in just about every genre, if we will yield that music to God.

Father, thank You for my musical heritage, and for the great joy of making music to You. May my life indeed be “a sweet, sweet sound in Your ears,” as the chorus expresses it, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!