Just sound waves? - by James Newton

Music.

It’s just waves of air hitting our ear drums at various different frequencies. And yet, it’s so much more. Music can bring joy, tears, goosebumps… sometimes all at the same time. It can make us want to move. We can feel it as well as hear it. Music can set the ambience, change a mood, reignite memories, precede a battle and even drive out evil spirits.

In the bible, in 1 Samuel 16 we read that, because of his disobedience, King Saul lost his relationship with God…

14 Now the Spirit of the Lord had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord tormented him. 15 Saul’s attendants said to him, “See, an evil spirit from God is tormenting you. 16 Let our lord command his servants here to search for someone who can play the lyre. He will play when the evil spirit from God comes on you, and you will feel better.” 17 So Saul said to his attendants, “Find someone who plays well and bring him to me.” 18 One of the servants answered, “I have seen a son of Jesse of Bethlehem who knows how to play the lyre. He is a brave man and a warrior. He speaks well and is a fine-looking man. And the Lord is with him.” 19 Then Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, “Send me your son David, who is with the sheep.” 20 So Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread, a skin of wine and a young goat and sent them with his son David to Saul. 21 David came to Saul and entered his service. Saul liked him very much, and David became one of his armour-bearers. 22 Then Saul sent word to Jesse, saying, “Allow David to remain in my service, for I am pleased with him. 23 Whenever the spirit from God came on Saul, David would take up his lyre and play. Then relief would come to Saul; he would feel better, and the evil spirit would leave him.

Note that David’s skillful, anointed playing (and probably singing) did more than just make Saul feel better. The last phrase of verse 23 says “and the evil spirit would leave him”.

Psalm 22:3 says “But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel”. As Ed Kerr and Paul Baloche interpreted: “The Lord inhabits the song of His saints and lives in their praises.”

So take encouragement that when we worship the Lord; when we play our instrument or sing using the gift that God has given us to return glory to Him, we are so much more than sound waves. Much more than nice ambience. And more than a warm fuzzy feeling. We bring the very presence of God into that space. And where the presence of God is, evil cannot sustain its presence.