Photo credit: Free-images.com
Music is a universal language. It brings people together; it can connect people of different countries, cultures, and languages where spoken words cannot. It’s like another love language! All throughout our lives, from birthdays to funerals and everything in between, music adds beauty and power to the words we speak.
What does music have to do with God? In the Bible, music is referenced more than 1,000 times. Singing, specifically, is mentioned more than 400 times. Many of the psalms speak of playing music and singing. Music plays an important role in our liturgies, too. It adds beauty to the celebration, and the songs’ lyrics often strike at the heart when spoken words do not. Praying in song may help us feel more connected to God. Also, when the congregation is inspired to sing along, their fuller participation strengthens the sense of community between its members. And to those who claim they don’t sing because they sing badly I say, “God gave you that voice. Give it back to Him!”
The last three verses of Psalm 150 are full of music. I was happy to see that the Scriptures for one of this week’s weekday Masses included Psalm 150. I use the weekday Scriptures in these blog reflections. In Psalm 150, you can hear the excitement in the psalmist’s voice as he tells us to use music to praise the Lord. The psalmist seems to be crying out, “Just look at how magnificent the Lord is! Praise Him with your whole being! Blast the trumpet! Clash the cymbals! Praise Him with any and every instrument you have! Sing out!” Listen to the power in the final words: “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!” As long as we’re breathing, let us praise the Lord!
Side note: It took me a while to understand the difference between praising God and thanking Him. When we praise God, we focus on His nature: “I praise you, Lord, for You are loving and merciful.” When we thank God, we thank Him for something specific: “Thank You, Lord, for my family.” Why does this difference matter? When life is difficult, it’s sometimes a challenge to find things to be thankful for. However, even though our circumstances change, God never changes. So we can praise Him for being loving, kind, merciful, and powerful, even in the midst of our difficulties.
Read Psalm 150 a few times and hear the excitement and urgency in the psalmist’s words. Hear the psalmist encourage you to praise the Lord. Praise Him with your voice! Praise Him with an instrument! Everyone, praise our loving God!
“Praise him with the blast of the trumpet, praise him with lyre and harp. Praise him with timbrel and dance, praise him with strings and pipe. Praise him with sounding cymbals, praise him with clanging cymbals. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!”
– Psalm 150:3-6
“Lord, I praise You with all my heart and soul and voice!”
p.s. The women’s a cappella quintet I sing with, Grace Notes, has two performances this week! See the flier below for more info. Hope to see you there!
Thank you for reading my reflection. © 2024 Gina Bedell Comments are always welcome!
Please share this with your friends by clicking on one of the icons below. Blogspot doesn’t have a ‘subscribe’ feature and so I appreciate your help in sharing my reflections. Thanks!
If you or someone you know would like to receive these writings directly, please email me at ginabedell1@gmail.com and I will add you to my ‘BCC’ email list.
You can also find my posts on Facebook!
P.S.
Pray for peace at home, in Ukraine, Russia, the Middle East, and around the world. Donate to a cause that tugs at your heart. Take care of those around you; take care of our planet. Pray for the families around the globe whose lives have been torn apart by war and natural disasters.
No comments:
Post a Comment