I’ve never liked the end of January.
The holidays are over, winter is in full force and life seems to consist of work, routines, darkness and fatigue.
This morning, while I was looking outside at the sloppy gray mess that is the world, a line from one of my favorite songs caught my attention;
” People need a melody to open their eyes”
I pondered that statement and felt its weight.
I don’t know about you, but lately I’ve been doused with more than my fair share of politics and health recommendations and conspiracy theories and negative views about the future.
While I know the importance of considering our reactions to the current events that are transpiring in the world, sometimes instead of simply considering them, they drag me down to a point where I can’t see anything besides the negativity and despair.
My heart is hungry for hope. For joy. For a melody.
Webster’s dictionary defines melody as ” a rhythmic succession of single tones organized as an aesthetic whole, a sweet or agreeable arrangement of sounds.”
Unity. Beauty. Sweetness. Peace.
We have so little of that in the world right now.
And yet, it isn’t in times of happiness and great plenty that we need a song the most. It’s in times of want. Times of chaos.
Times of monotony.
There are many songs recorded in the Bible. And the events that inspire them aren’t always what you’d expect.
Yes there are songs of victory, such as the song of Deborah and Baruk in Judges 5. There are songs of praise, like in Numbers 21 when Israel is wandering in the wilderness and find an ancient well. There is the Song of Songs, the epic love story between Christ and his church.
In 2 Chronicles 20 however, there is a song that seems out of place. In this chapter we find King Jehoshaphat, in the middle of war, outnumbered by his enemies and at at the end of his rope. He cries out to God for help and God answers him with these words:
“Do not fear or be dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours but God’s.”
So the next day, Jehoshaphat, clinging to that promise, sends not soldiers on the front lines,
but singers.
And the singers cry out: “Give thanks to the LORD, for His love endures forever!”
Faithful to his promise, the Lord ambushes Israels enemies, and his people are saved.
Saved while singing a melody.
Even amidst a war.
We are in a war as well. A war on truth, morality, sexuality, life, freedom of speech…..we are in personal wars too. Wars within our families, our very beings.
But maybe instead of worrying about them, we should sing. We should unite in a chorus of praise, thanking the Lord for his everlasting love.
Maybe instead of a sword, or a mask, or a fist, or a gun, we need a melody. Because the battle isn’t ours. But his. And fighting without the King of Kings will only end in defeat.
Aaron Copland once said, “ The melody is generally what the piece is all about. A melody is not merely something you can hum.”
So if people need a melody to open their eyes,
What’s yours?
“And do not get drunk with wine, which leads to debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” -Ephesians 5:18-21
