Music Therapy Part 2

Did you do your assignment? Did you think about a song? Did you write in your journal? Or did you just read my last post and think "Hmm... Interesting." Or maybe "Hmm... that's kind of dumb. Who has time for that?

If you will allow me to beat the dead horse, I will share with you a small portion of what prompted the last post. As some of you may know, my son's language skills did not progress at anywhere near a standard progression as he was learning the rudiments of language. But a funny thing happened. We discovered that if we sang a song to him, he could learn a word much more easily than otherwise. So that was one reason my mind was on the topic of music therapy. But there was another.

So I'm on my lunch hour listening to my Shuffle (yes, you can reference my other recent post if you like) and this song comes on with the lyric "Jesus, you're all I need." Etcetera, etcetera. Frankly, I wasn't in the mood. I just snapped back to no one in particular, "No, that isn't quite right. I need more than that. I need food to eat. I need a place to live. I need clothes to wear. I need a permanent job that actually has decent health insurance. So, that song really doesn't quite express it correctly. I need MORE than simply Jesus.

Next song.

Psalm 63.

"Thy lovingkindness is better than life. My soul shall be satisfied. My soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee."

And I simply broke down and had to acknowledge the Truth of the words in the previous song. There really wasn't any need for my bad attitude about what I needed or what I thought I needed. His Grace is sufficient for me.

So when you are feeling like you don't know if your musical talent has a purpose, if you wonder whether it makes a difference because you sure don't see anybody worshiping . . . you never know when the words to that song you sang for a special last Wednesday night will catch someone unawares, and be the blessing that they need, not just to survive another day, but to rejoice in the glory of His presence forevermore.

It's all the rage to be critical of Apostolic musicians who get too full of themselves and not full enough of God. They no longer see the source of the music, but they see themselves as the source. They will not go far. But those musicians who humble themselves . . . we often do not praise them enough for fear they will get a big head.

Say "thanks" to your praise team this week. Give the soloist an extra pat on the back and say "Well done, thou good and faithful servant."

Consider the poor unnamed harpist from 2 Kings 3:15. Elisha was in a mood. He wasn't one to be trifled with. But before he could hear from God, Elisha needed to hear a soothing song.

Music as Therapy

Do you know any music therapists? Were you aware that you can get a master's degree in music therapy? A good friend of mine is a music therapist. He works in hospice, playing his harp and singing with anointing to minister to those who are near the end of their journey in this life. I don't think it's my calling. But I can't say for sure. I'm still looking for what I want to do when I grow up. I hope I'm not still saying that when I'm 80.

The therapeutic nature of music has been well documented throughout biblical history, from Saul being soothed by David's playing, to the disciples' bittersweet singing at the close of the Last Supper, to Paul and Silas encouraging themselves while locked in prison, not to mention the celebratory and didactic function of, say, the various poems throughout the biblical text (Exod 15, Judg 5, Phil 2, just to name a few).

But how many times has a song ministered to you, personally, in a time of need or crisis or low point in the deep valleys of this journey we call life? Just the other day I had one of those "God moments" in song. God spoke to me personally through the words of a psalm, but more importantly, it was the music that was the vehicle of the message. I could not have received that message through the words alone, but the wheels of song carried it into my heart.

Now here's the homework: get your pen(cil) and paper ready. Select a song that has especial meaning to you. Find a quiet space where you can sit and listen and think without distraction. Press play on the recording. Listen. Write. Tell what you love about this song. Write about how it has ministered to you in the past. What is the over-arching meaning of the song? Does it speak to you on more than one level? What, if any, biblical text(s) does the song reference? How effective is the song at communicating the true meaning of the biblical text? If necessary, listen to the song again. And again. If it's within your technical capacity, perform a cursory analysis of the form and discuss how the song fits within its own genre or whether it breaks the mold of its genre.

If appropriate, share your findings with someone. Or post them as a comment, here.