Next to the Word of God, music deserves the highest praise.
The gift of language combined with the gift of song was given
to man that he should proclaim the Word of God through music.
Martin Luther
The last year and a half has been a little crazy and chaotic. Personally, I’m in a season of pre-empty nesting (my baby of 4 is leaving the nest next year). This freaks me out and excites me all at the same time. I think if that was the only thing weighing on me, then I might be OK, but it’s not.
My anxiousness and restlessness began last year with the presidential election, which was then followed by the pandemic and all that both of those bring to the table. For me, that was a lot of anger, fear, judgement, confusion, shame, and so much more.
I was chatting with my dear friend a few weeks ago about how everything and everyone seemed to be spiraling out of control. From the crazy drivers on the Houston roads, to the "to be" or "not to be" vaccination drama, the social justice issues in our country, and then the hate that surrounds our current government system. It’s hard to hide from it all because it's all around us...it’s on the news and everyone seems to be talking about it on social media. Not surprisingly, my daily mood and psyche have been negatively affected by these external factors swirling around me.
I asked my friend, “how do you combat all of the stuff in the world today and not let it get to you and fester deep within your soul?” Her response, “Put your focus on God. Start by listening to some worship music!!”
I realized in that moment, that for me, this was the beginning of a more complicated answer and journey, but that I could at least start with this suggestion. I used to listen to worship music all of the time-in the morning while making breakfast, in the car, on my walks, when I cleaned, etc. It dawned on me that I didn’t do that so much anymore, but instead opted for silence thinking that my soul would be quieted in that silence…but it had not been working…what it was really doing was allowing room for the enemy to flood my mind with thoughts of all of the issues of the world, causing my anxiety and fear to worsen.
So, because she’s one of the wisest women I know, I did exactly what she said. I found my old “worship” Spotify playlist and began worshiping and singing any chance I could get. Worship means different things to different people. For me, it means focusing my attention ON God and expressing my affection TO God. Listening to worship songs allows me to worship through my worry, worship in my waiting, worship in my whining, and it literally changes my reality…Heaven becomes my reality.
I’d like to share with you one of my favorite worship songs and one I have had on repeat for the past few weeks-Elevation’s, Graves into Gardens. You can listen to it here.
You turn mourning to dancing
You give beauty to ashes
You turn shame into glory
You turn graves into gardens
You turn bones into armies
You’re the only one who can.
There’s nothing better than You
Lord, there’s nothing better than You.
