“‘I’ve moved my mind up, so I’m okay’”
Song originated with God and accompanied “creation” (Job 38:7)
In scripture, singing is attributed to both “God” the “Father” and “Christ” the “Son”
“Specifically, Psalms, ending with number 118, an especially messianic Psalm Jesus will one day sing to God in our presence”
“Emotions” and “experience” can be expressed through songs in ways “spoken” words can never “satisfy”
“Psalm 32 – Our souls probably speak the language of music and singing. The soul is eternal; it doesn’t have to get old – it can be renewed as in Hosea 2:15. Some souls are prematurely old if as a child one has been exposed to adult things.”
A song greatly enhances the “ability” of the human mind to “memorize” (Deuteronomy 31:19-22)
See Ezekiel 33:30-32 “(Pew-warmers)” We can think a song is “beautiful” and memorize its words yet remain completely “unaffected” by what it says. Consider the relevance of Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 14:15 in our present context: ‘I will sing with my “spirit,” but I will also sing with my “mind.”
“Don’t just sing, be a psalmist. Feel the emotions, mean the words. (Remember Beth’s hilarious tale of her night at the symphony: ‘Ellie May goes to the symphony’ By the end, she was enlightened artistically, and moving gracefully like the first-chair violinist. Only as she and her daughter settle into their hotel beds, Cinderella turned back into Ellie May and they laughed hysterically)”
A song can also greatly “affect” the heart of “God.”
“When someone lures you to fight at their level, sing a song of praise or crank up a CD.”
See Revelation 5:13. In the New International Commentary of the New Testament, Robert Mounce describes this scene as ‘the adoration of the entire “created world.” In ways beyond our comprehension, the gift of song is not limited to “humans” and “angels.”
“Isaiah 55:12
“Psalm 150:6
“May there never be a rock that has to cry out in my place.”
Dearest Rachel –
Between still dealing with jet lag and fighting off a more powerful cold than I gave it credit for, I thought I would take it easy on myself and just take a look at the week’s wrap-up session you filled out, since it only covered two pages while still having a fair amount of commentary that was uniquely yours (as opposed to simply restating the points of the video session itself). I should have known better; just because there wasn’t as much written down didn’t mean there wouldn’t be something profound in what you chose to say.
To be sure, your first comment strikes me as a bit cryptic; what did you mean by having “moved [your] mind up.” anyway? Did that have to do with the fact that, since you were studying the Psalms of ascent, you were mentally taking those steps leading up to the Temple to worship? I wonder (and maybe this comes from having just returned from such a long trip of my own) how much different your replies would have been to this had you done this study after having been to Jerusalem, and physically walked those steps leading up there.
Still, I accept that there are other ways to bring one’s mind in line with God’s apart from having gone to the specific place He determined to call home for such a length of days. It’s the very purpose of the Psalms (and these particular Psalms, especially), after all – to put us in a reverent mood to be able to stand in His presence.
They also serve as a means to renew our souls – assuming we let them do so – and keep ourselves young, spiritually speaking. And if anyone knew the secret of keeping their spirit young, it was you, honey. I miss that about you; especially since your departure was in itself an ‘adult thing’ to be exposed to that neither Daniel nor I were ready to deal with (not that any of us had a say in the matter). I wonder if we haven’t been aged significantly because of it all. We try to soldier on, of course, but there are moments when it’s difficult, I’m not going to lie.
And yet, as you point out at the end, if we don’t maintain our voice of thanks and praise to God for all that He has given and done for us, it’s all too likely that the rocks and stones will cry out when and where we decide not to. May that never be on our behalf, oh Lord!
Letters to Rachel 