Inspiration Behind the Music
It was the end of the school year and we were getting ready for our baccalaureate service and graduation. We had to leave school in the middle of the day and go to the place where our Baccalaureate service Would be held so that we could practice. Many of the students drove their own cars to the venue. Just when I was about to get in the car I was riding in, I heard the driver say, “no no you all are not getting in to my car!!” On the way there I asked him who he was talking to and he said that he was talking to two girls who were in the special needs department of our school. They had assumed that it would be okay to ride with him, but he made it clear that they were not welcomed, even though he had lots of room.
Later in the week there was an assembly for all the seniors and some of the students had to give presentations. Then the time came for one of the girls Who were band from riding in the car with us to speak. The room irrupted with applause. She stood there for a moment, and then she began to cry. She didn’t speak at all. After a few moments, she went back to her seat. I remember wondering why did she cry after receiving so much support. Then it dawned on me that even though she had special needs, she was smart enough to realize that the applause were not sincere. She was often the punch line for many jokes and was teased and picked on by many of the students in our school.
Why the applause? Maybe it was because of the excitement that came with the revelation that this was the beginning of a new faze in our lives or maybe it was because everyone was in a good mood. Whatever the reason for the applause, she new that since the support she received was not consistent, it could not be from the heart. God speaking through the prophet Isaiah, makes a similar observation about his people. Here it is.
“Therefore the Lord said: “Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths And honor Me with their lips, But have removed their hearts far from Me, and their fear toward me is taught by the commandment of men,”
Isaiah 29:13 NKJV
Since God sees our hearts and knows all the areas that we still have not yielded over to him, What must he think about our praises? How does he feel when we value the approval of others more than his approval? When our love for him and his righteousness is tested and we surrender to the pressure of temptation and then during corporate worship we declare to the world how much we love him, I wonder if he responds in the same way that the girl with special needs did when standing before our senior class? Are there areas in our lives where we do not allow God to enter? What do we find ourselves saying when God try’s to gain access? Hopefully, we will not say what my friend said to the girls who wanted a ride from him.
Not too long after making the same observation about the people of God in Matthew 15:8, Jesus looked over the city of Jerusalem and wept. He knew the hearts of the people. He knew that many who were shouting his praises not too long before, would be among the multitude demanding his crucifixion. Jesus is longing for the kind of praise that comes from a heart that has his word hidden in it. His love is perfected in us when we keep his word in this way. (I John 2:5) Our love for God is demonstrated when we obey him in spite of the disapproval of others. This is the kind of praise that God desires. Let us not praise him only with our lips, but most importantly, with our lives. Let us give him complete access To our hearts that we may be completely transformed. There is no better way to declare his glory and to make his praise glorious.
Join me on this journey as we discover what God is saying to us through music.
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