Archive | February 2013

Benefits of Praise and Worship

Feb14

Today is Valentine’s Day and the whole world is thinking about love, sweet love! Well, that is almost everybody. I just heard on our local news about three people being murdered in a supposed “drug house” by a man, according to the reporters, who had posters and pictures about love plastered all over the apartment he shared with his girlfriend. Obviously, his kind of love was pretty superficial if he could go out and kill three people! Needless to say, we have all heard about the ex-cop in California who murdered at least four people in an effort to “clear his name” for perceived injustices he suffered at the hands of the LAPD. He allowed bitterness and unforgiveness over the fact he was fired from his job to completely consume him and take over his emotions, eventually resulting in the tragic circumstances we have all seen on every major network in the country of late!

Last night my husband and I read the wonderful story of Joseph in the book of Genesis. I had heard this story from the time I was a tiny girl, read to me by my mother. But it was so exciting to refresh my memory on the events that transpired in this young man’s life: He was sold into slavery at age 17 by his brothers (whom he should have been able to trust!); lied about by the wife of his master when he rebuffed her sexual advances and she felt rejected; thrown into prison because his master believed his wife’s lies; made to live in a dungeon for two years in prison with common criminals; finally released to become Pharaoh’s chief ruler in charge of all of Egypt’s food preservation in preparation for famine, obeyed and bowed to by all! Read the story for yourself in Genesis chapters 37-45. It makes our modern-day soap operas and mini-series pale in comparison!

When Joseph could easily have become consumed with bitterness and hatred for his brothers for what they had done to him, he chose rather to trust in the Lord his God and believe him to turn this evil situation into good. God’s favor was so apparent in his life and he was able to save many other lives, including those of his family, because of his position as head of food storage in Egypt. He truly is an Old Testament example of Paul’s words in Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose.” (KJV)

Another example of God’s deliverance when things were seemingly hopeless is recorded in Acts 16:19-40 when Paul and Silas were beaten and thrown into prison for preaching and casting a demon out of a young woman. Did they cry and feel sorry for themselves, wondering why God would allow this to happen to them when they were out preaching the Word? No, instead we read in verses 25 and 26, “And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed.” (KJV)

Did you catch the concept here? God brought deliverance to them after they began to sing praises to Him! Instead of allowing bitterness, anger and a “poor me” attitude to envelop them, they chose to praise and worship the One to whom they gave their allegiance and love, glorifying Him in music, choosing to proclaim His love and mercy, rather than cry out about their beaten and bloody backs. They did not apparently go to the authorities and complain about how their “rights” had been violated; they did not call the local media to see how they could bring these terrible atrocities to the attention of the public; they simply praised and worshipped the Lord and He delivered them! He took delight in what they were doing; He saw them there in the prison and came to their rescue by using such an extreme measure as sending an earthquake! That is a wonderful example of the mighty God we serve!

If you are facing some crisis in your life today, if things seem impossible from the natural point of view, I challenge you to begin to praise and worship the Creator, the One who does not change, and watch Him work on your behalf! The Word says He “dwells” in the praises of His people (Psalm 22:3)! I want Him dwelling with me, don’t you? I challenge you not to give into bitterness as did these two men who murdered a number of people as a result of anger and self pity, but give those seemingly unfair, unjustified incidents in your life over to God who will vindicate you and cause you to be an overcomer! The benefits to your daily life will be enormous. Begin to be a worshipper, for He loves to hear your praises!

What is Real Worship?

Feb8

In the Word of God, David says in II Samuel 24:24, “…nor will I offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God with that which costs me nothing.” (NKJV)

What does this really mean to us today as we attempt to find out what God really wants from our worship?  Obviously, we no longer need to bring burnt offerings to the Lord, for Jesus Christ fulfilled this requirement for sin when He died upon the cross 2,000 years ago.  He became the “sin offering” or “burnt offering” for us as the sinless Lamb of God.  So, in reality, He has completed the work and there is nothing more for us to do to atone for our sins if we have received Him as our personal Saviour!

However, I believe that God is pleased with our praises when we offer them up to Him as “a living sacrifice” (Romans 12:1).  Another great reference about this is Hebrews 13:15 which reads, “Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.” (NKJV)  So, actually, we are offering up a sacrifice to God every time we open our mouths to praise Him!  The “fruit of our lips” is the joyful noise we make in word and song as we praise and worship the King of Kings!  David also wrote in Psalm 22:3 that God “inhabits (or lives in) the praises of Israel.”  We have all the promises of Abraham available to us today, including the assurance that our Lord will “inhabit” or live in our praises!  How exciting is this!  If you want to feel God’s presence dwelling with you each day and experience His blessings, protection, guidance, healing and abundance, just begin to lift your voice up to Him in praise!  I assure you that He will be very present in every area of your life as you begin to do this.

Praise and worship are not just limited to church.  It is not necessary to have a robed cleric speaking eloquently or a magnificent choir singing anthems of praise to enter into God’s presence.  Nor is it necessary to have a praise band with loud music blaring and strobe lights flashing to feel the spirit!  Perhaps you like the traditional, beautiful, anointed hymns of the church revered for centuries!  Maybe your taste is more to the three-chord contemporary songs played with guitars and percussion.  You may like the foot-stomping “Pentecostal”  choruses, the toe-tapping Southern Gospel songs or the powerfully sung Black Gospel melodies with intricate jazz chord patterns!  We all have our favorites; I know what mine are and you know what you prefer.  The real heart of the matter is this:  None of these things alone can bring, or are necessary for, the presence of God in your life!  You can worship Him anywhere, anytime, day or night, and He will hear and respond to your praise.  He will hear your cries for help; He will answer your longing, searching heart!  You will know that He is on His throne and that He has everything in your life under control.  It is a very freeing experience, because true worship transcends denominational barriers; it transcends barriers of style as to types of music; and, above all, it is pleasing to God.  It is not about us; it is about Him and how we can proclaim His “worth-ship”, if you will.  We were created to worship; God made us for His pleasure and if you are not worshipping there will be a huge void in your life that only companionship with Him can fill!  No lover, no spouse, no child, no close friend or relative can ever fill the void that God has reserved for Himself alone!  As we communicate in this way with Him, He communicates back to us in our spirits and we are filled, in the same way one feels full after a good meal.

If you have never been in the habit of worshipping, I urge you to begin today!  Putting on some great praise music (any style you enjoy!) is a great idea.  Then, get alone and just begin to praise and worship your Creator for who He is.  Download worship music on your iPod or play background music on the radio.  Worship involves every area of our lives, not just music, but this is certainly a good place to begin.  It is truly the foundation for the other acts of worship (such as kindness to our families and neighbors, serving God in our communities by feeding and clothing the homeless and suffering, ministering to our church families, etc.) that should be a part of every Christian’s life!  I challenge you to give Him your sacrifice of praise daily!

 

Why Does Music Stir Our Emotions?

Feb5

Have you ever had a “down” day or been a bit depressed only to feel your spirits lifted dramatically when you heard a beautiful song?  Or perhaps, in contrast, you were feeling pretty good and a terrible song that just “jarred” you came on the rado, prompting you to “turn it off” and go find your iPod with the songs you like on it!  What causes a person to hear an old song from “way back” and immediately know exactly where you were and what you were doing when that song was played the first time? It can conjure up deep emotions, such as a lost love, dear ones who have passed away, or profound sadness or joy.

I was fascinated when I interviewed a man who had his doctorate in bio physics on my TV show a few years back.  As I visited with him over the course of a couple of programs, he detailed something I had been unaware of: geometric fractals evident in music!  Of course geometry and fractals are present in every aspect of creation and the world around us.  I just had never realized what a big part they play in the composition of music!  If you are interested at all in this, do an online search for “fractals in music” and you will be amazed!  Some of this is very technical for the average non-mathematician like me (trust me on this one!), but as a musician I was especially interested in something he told me.  Studies have been conducted on various types of music and their effects on the human brain.  When chaotic, jarring music with much dissonance was analyzed on the computer using a meter to indicate pitch and timbre, the results came back as complete discord on the fractal scale.  Then they tried putting a Johann Sebastian Bach fugue to the test and the results were perfect, pure, gemoetrically correct fractal patterns on the graph!  Amazing!!

Now, I do not claim to undertstand fractal geometry in any mode, let alone music, but I do know that our God who created the universe is a God of order!  I also know from my long-running experience as a musician that music is very mathematical and scientific in its patterns and that if you understand them, you can probably create some beautiful music!  If you choose to break these patterns the results will be chaotic and stressful.  The reason for this is simple:  God created music, and if proper patterns are followed, and it is sung or played correctly, it will be beautiful and restful to our souls!

A great example in the Word of God about music soothing, calming and healing a troubled spirit is found in I Samuel 16:14-23 where King Saul had a vexing, troubling spirit which had descended upon him.  His servants, in an effort to calm him, suggested to him that he “seek out a man who is a skillful player on the harp.  And it shall be that he will play it with his hand when the distressing spirit from God is upon you, and you shall be well.”  (v. 16, NKJV)   His servants found David, at the King’s request, and brought him to Saul.  Verse 23 concludes the story by saying, “And so it was, whenever the (evil) spirit from God was upon Saul, that David would take a harp and play it with his hand.  Then Saul would become refreshed and well, and the distressing spirit would depart from him.”  (NKJV)  It appears that this oppressing spirit (allowed with God’s permission because Saul was doing wicked things in His eyes) came frequently upon the King and the only thing that would help rid him of it was David’s skillful playing on the harp!

Are you being troubled with depressing thoughts or feeling you are “under attack”?  The enemy of your soul wants to keep you discouraged and “down”,  but God has given us a great weapon against these attacks:  praise and worship to Him through music!  Why not put on some praise music and begin to worship right there in your home?  You will soon dispel the gloominess!  Soon you will be singing the praises of God and feeling those oppressive spirits of discouragement leave!  I Samuel 30:6 says, “And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him…but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.” (KJV)  I don’t think any of us are dealing with the possibility of being stoned!  If the great King David needed encouragement, and looked to the Lord for it, how much more should we, in our daily lives!  Many psalms begin with great distress and anguish and finish with joy and victory when the psalmist begins to praise and worship God (Yahweh) in the midst of his trouble!  I think this is directly related to music, so once again, I urge you to be a worshipper because He loves to hear your praises!  Watch your situation turn around as you begin to sing and praise the Lord!

An Amazing Story about Handel!

Feb1

Do you sometimes feel discouraged as a musician or composer?  Do you perhaps feel that no one really wants to hear your “stuff”, but it is just an uphill battle to get something noticed, let alone published?  Of course, this could apply to other areas of life, as well, not just in the musical realm, but musicians are notoriously “melancholy” in temperament (look it up if you are not familar with this word!) and can be on  the proverbial “Cloud 9” one day and down in the dumps, lower than the ground, the next!  Often their moods depend on external situations, for they tend to overemphasize the negative in a given situation.

In the music realm (because this blog is primarily about music matters), it is true that countless great, talented musicians go largely unnoticed while seemingly less-talented people “make it” in the music scene because they were “discovered” byt the right person or label.  Sometimes this can be disheartening.  I have a friend in Texas who is a very successful writer of contemporary praise and worship songs.  If I mentioned his name, you would no doubt be familiar with his songs, which are sung all over the world in most churches.  However, there was a time when he was a “nobody” and a worship leader at a small church close to where I lived.  He had written a song that got “picked up” by one of the hottest contemporary singers on the planet; a well-known publisher of praise and worship songs took notice, and the rest is history!  Now everything he writes turns to “gold” in the business, as they say.  Were his previous songs not any good?  Did this mean he was a better writer than many, many other Christian songwriters?  Or, was it, perhaps, God’s time for his ministry to come forth?  As he and I talked, we both agreed that was the case!  God has a timing for each musician to come forth and fulfill the destiny He has planned for them…if we will be patient!

     Now here is an amazing story that I’ll bet you didn’t know; it’s about the great composer George Frederick Handel, who wrote the music to Messiah which debuted in Dublin, Ireland in 1742.  Just a few years ago a unique video of mall “shoppers” (who were really musicians planted in the crowd) singing this wonderful oratorio’s (a sacred opera) signature piece, “The Hallelujah Chorus”,  went viral and has now been seen by nearly 50 million people around the world!  I am sure you are familiar with the Messiah because at Christmas it is presented countless times in locations worldwide.  What you probably didn’t know is “the rest of the story” about Handel, an amazing example of God’s love and timing!

Born in Germany in 1685, he always had an aptitude for music.  Although his father wanted him to study law, he was more interested in music.  His mother bought him a harpsichord which they secretly kept in the attic away from his father.  Handel wrote his first work at the age of twelve and studied music at the University of Halle in his hometown in Germany.  In 1712 he moved to England where he experienced some success with his various compositions, including operas, concertos and other instrumental works, but ultimately was faced with financial failure which threatened to overwhelm him.  His occasional commercial successes soon met with financial disaster and as he drove himself relentlessly to recover from one failure after another, his health also began to fail.  By 1741 he was swimming in debt and it seemed certain he would land in debtors’ prison.

But, God had not forgotten George Frederick Handel!  That same year became the turning point for him when his close friend, Charles Jennens, gave him a libretto (a text) for a sacred work.  It was exclusively 73 Bible verses focusing on the prophecies concerning the foretelling and coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, both from the Old and New Testaments.  A charity in Dublin, called the Foundling Hospital, which was an institution caring for newborn infants abandoned by their unknown, poverty-stricken parents, who were sometimes in prison, was putting on its annual benefit, and paid him to write something for the performance.

For 24 days, in August and September of 1741, Handel barely ate as he worked almost constantly composing this beautiful work we know as Messiah!  In fact, he told a friend he could barely keep up with the notation as the melodies and ideas flowed from within, directly from God Himself!  At one point, the composer had tears in his eyes and cried out to his servant, “I did think I did see all Heaven before me, and the great God Himself!”  He had just finished writing the “Hallelujah” chorus.   Every word was from the Bible, 42 verses from the Old Testament and 31 from the New Testament.  Finally, the day Handel had waited for arrived and Messiah was first performed in Dublin on April 13, 1742!  It was very successful, the proceeds of which, it is said, freed 142 men from debtors’ prison!  The Foundling Hospital became Handel’s favorite charity, to which he gave liberally, up until his death in 1759.  He is today still revered as one of the greatest composers to ever live and is buried in Westminster Abbey in London.

So, out of this genius’s pain and despair, seemingly the low point of his life, came a work of beauty and praise to his Creator, the likes of which have never been surpassed!  Handel could never have dreamed how this beautiful work would continue to uplift and bless millions of people the world over for centuries to come.  One man put it this way:  “Handel was a relentless optimist whose faith in God sustained him through every difficulty.”  Remember, God has a perfect time for everything, including bringing your ministry forth at a time when He will gain the most glory!  Be encouraged this day, my friend!