Oz-ziy ve-Zimrath / My Strength and Song
Yah, My Strength and Song,
Has become my salvation;
He is my God, and I will dwell in praise of Him;
My father's God, and I will exalt Him.
~ Exodus 15:2 (author)
"This day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the LORD is your strength."
~ Nehemiah 8:10 (NKJV)
Music speaks soul language.
Music has the power to evoke every emotion we know. The intricate science and math of something so filled with beauty and art could have only originated in heaven.
Music precedes humans. The Lord told Job that at creation, "the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy" (Job 38:7 NKJV). The Bible does not record that song. The first song to appear in Scripture is immediately after the Israelites have been delivered through the Red Sea from Pharaoh. The opening lines of that song declare, "I will sing to YHWH, for He has triumphed gloriously! ... Yah, My Strength and Song, has become my salvation ..."
We praise and worship the Lord in song because He is our Song!
And in our song we also find He is our Strength—of soul, heart, mind and body. The strength of our song lies not in the skill of voice or musician's mastery, but in the heart. Music may be performed flawlessly but passionlessly. The strength of song lies in the heart from which it is played. (I have this on good authority from those gifted in music.)
To say "the joy of the Lord is my strength" is not merely an encouraging platitude. It is the Word from God and it is a reality. The one who belongs to Christ has His Spirit in residence. In song, the Holy Spirit receives a voice to praise God, and strength lies therein.
His song is a love song.
Love is the most common theme of songs. Perhaps one of the reasons we so often express love of God and romantic love in the soul's language of song is because when we feel weakness in fluttering heart and weak knees, being lovesick compels us to find strength in song. In singing of love, and in expressing our love to the one (or One) we prize most highly, both soul and love are strengthened.
If the Lord were but Husband, we might or might not feel moved to song. But He is Song itself. He is Strength itself. And tomorrow, we'll look at Him as "My Beloved"—to Whom we sing love songs.
The above photo, titled "Rain Dance," is of my nieces while they're waiting for an outdoor wedding to begin. They demonstrate one response when the Lord sends clouds and rain upon one of life's celebrations: celebrate anyway.
Feedback appreciated! Post to BuildingHisBody.com "Comments" or e-mail to BuildingHisBody@gmail.com. Copyright 2009, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.
What an amazing picture and post!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great post, Anne. So true about music, which is more powerful than any arrangement of
ReplyDeletetones and rhythm should be.
As I tell my students, no one truly dislikes music. Some adore it, some participate, some are listeners only, some are picky. But no one says "I dislike every kind of music and never listen to it."
As you said, I think people love it because it resonates deeply and bears the fingerprint of our Creator. I can't imagine what music will be like in heaven. :)
God bless you today. (And I love that picture of your nieces).
T. Anne, I could blow up that photo and design a whole room around it.
ReplyDeleteGwen, you do know that you're my foremost authority on music, don't you? Thank you for what you've contributed to my understanding and appreciation of the music I so wish I was gifted at with more than my heart.
I love this post, and such a wonderful picture.
ReplyDeleteDenise, blessing you is a joy to me.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful picture, Annie. Beautiful words, too.
ReplyDeleteBilly, that compliment means a lot coming from someone so gifted with mastery of words.
ReplyDeletePerhaps we aren't meant to pick favorite names, but I have to say this is my favorite.
ReplyDeleteI would love to have a book on my coffee table of your July Names.
~ Wendy
I agree with Wendy about the book on my coffee table. :) These posts have been so inspiring, and I esp like todays. Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteEach Sunday, I stand facing the members of my little church family and sing. Not to them, but to an audience of One. I am reminded that my proper place would be sitting with everyone else, facing the same direction - eyes towards the Throne.
ReplyDeleteWendy & Ralene, maybe I'll just have to run that idea past my publishing agent. But this would be non-fiction, and I definitely don't have the platform.
ReplyDeleteKatdish, I understand completely. I only recently became part of the worship ministries at our church. It always bugs me when people applaud, because it's not at all a performance. My favorite moment was after an evening presentation, as the audience applauded, all the performers turned their backs to the audience and faced forward with the audience, lifting our hands to join the clapping, and acting as a channel for the applause to direct it heavenward, where it belongs.
You may not have the platform, but you could see if the publisher can hook you up with someone who DOES, and co-author something. Just an idea...
ReplyDeleteThanks for this post Annie. Being a part of our worship team is very difficult at times because when I am truly meeting with My Lord, I cannot even sing. I want to lead others but more importantly, I want to meet with Jesus. I want it to always be a heart song to Him. And of course your nieces are just beautiful! (No bias here.)
ReplyDeleteMary! How thrilled I am to see YOU here! Now that I'm up there singing, I wonder how long it will take before I can't sing. (I plan to skip the eye makeup altogether.)
ReplyDeleteI couldn't shake the thought about you writing a book about these names.
ReplyDeleteI love them. I could study them over and over and your writing is so beautiful.
Hope you are able to explore it.
~ Wendy