Words & Music
For my birthday this year I got some Bluetooth wireless headphones, and I am enjoying new freedom when out and about listening to music.
I have a whole variety of songs and albums, and one of my playlists is simply called ‘various’. It’s filled with tracks that I love and mean something to me. They are my life’s ‘soundtrack’ spanning over 40 years. If you played the songs back-to-back it would last 7.5 hours!
Music is wonderfully evocative. It has the ability to transport us back to certain moments in life! Music which directs us towards God is therefore incredibly powerful.
I recently read the prayer of Hannah, who was the mother of Samuel, and he was a priest, a prophet and leader of God’s people in the Old Testament. Whilst reading this verse something strange happened to me...
“There is no one holy like the Lord;
there is no one besides you;
there is no Rock like our God.”
So, what was the strange thing that happened? I started to sing this verse! I recalled an old song, from when I was a child, that we used to sing in our church gatherings. Some of you reading this may also remember that tune?
It was a dramatic moment! Suddenly I was catapulted back to my childhood, into the old church building on Sarum Hill. I could see and hear the people in the room, lifting their voices in beautiful harmonies in worship to God together.
This short verse was turned into a simple song that gave the congregation a unified voice, which honoured God and, somehow, drew them into God’s presence.
I am grateful for music. I am grateful for the Bible. And I’m really grateful for skilled people who can combine them together to give us rich songs of praise, adoration and worship that direct us towards God.
Please check out our live stream every Sunday at 10:30am, simply go to www.hopebasingstoke.org/livestream
Stay safe & God bless
Gary Bastin - Hope Community Church leader