The Sound of Music

Psalm 148:13 -- "Let them praise the name of the Lord, for his name alone is exalted, his splendor is above the earth and the heavens."

 

Even while the voice in my head was telling me "this is so stupid" I laughed out loud along with my boy's club as the colorful antics of Mordecai and Rigbee played out on The Regular Show. I guess some humor is an acquired taste. I've been around my guys long enough to appreciate some of the subtle sarcasm that would not have made me laugh in my youth.

In a classical delima, Rigbee becomes increasingly agitated when a catchy but annoyingly repetitious song simply refuses to be purged from his brain. The tune actually becomes a sentient being in the form of an old cassette tape and proceeds to taunt our cartoon raccoon with reckless abandon. Rigbee then attempts to physically fight the song with weird spastic punches, but the overly enthusiastic tune cannot be harmed. Rigbee's blows go right through the cassette tape that smugly sports bright red '80's sunglasses and stick-figure legs.
       

It is at this strange point in our animated adventure when Mordecai says to his friend: "you can't touch music, but music can touch you."

Ah, truer words were never spoken.

There are indeed moments when music seems to take on human characteristics. Moments when a melody can elicit all manner of emotion inside us and rhythmically stir points in our spirit untouched until the sound of it reaches our ears. I suppose that's why when we hear good news we proclaim that "it's music to our ears."

Music leads us to dance, it can lead us to cry, and it can express sentiments that we may find difficult to otherwise put into words. There is energetic music that puts our feet to tapping along with the beat and there is music that encourages our muscles to relax and our mind to rest. The wonderful thing about music is that no two sets of ears receives it in exactly the same manner. It's very personal in both it's expression and it's experience.

Music to God's ears comes from our own lips. It is when we lift up our voices in recognition of His majesty and might that He hears song. There can be no purer form of music than when we praise the Lord simply for the sake of expressing love, gratefulness, adoration, or defference.

As deeply moving as can be some musical arrangements when heard in just the right setting - so is our recognition of the splendor of our Lord. We have but to take a peek out from an open window or breath in deeply to experience the wonder of God, for His splendor is beyond Heaven and Earth.

What greater inspiration for music is there? What truer melody can exist than praise for our Creator and Savior?