The Transportative and Transformative Power of a Song
Music is a powerful medium. Ever notice that all you need to hear are a few bars in a measure of a certain song… and you are back in high school… or stage right at a concert at the county fair… or maybe, at the altar in that old church, where the tears flowed as you repented of your sins!
As a young person, I was really into music. Many times, because I was socially awkward and sometimes was picked on by my peers in junior high, after school, at home, at night, I would retreat to the farm house living room where I would put on one of my favorite records (yes, one of those twelve inch diameter black vinyl disks with tiny grooves on both sides of it) turn off the lights, plug in my earphones (they looked like ear muffs), and let the music carry me away for 30 minutes or more. My music of choice was gospel. It carried me into His Presence, away from my troubles, frailties and flaws. There, I was safe. I was whole. I was His!
Anybody relate? The good news is, we can do a similar thing in a worship service in church! When we gather together, and the music starts, let it carry you away from your troubles, let it lift you above the clutter of your day to day life, let it transport you into His Throneroom! Let it transform your vision so you no longer see who is around you as you worship, but rather, you begin to behold His Beauty! That time of worship is your time to unplug from your world, and plug into His Heaven! Let His Presence enfold you! Let His Love surround you! Let His Touch lift your countenance! Let His Light illuminate your understanding! Let His Power energize you! When church is over, you will find that you have not only been transported to heavenly places, but you will leave transformed!
On the flip side, if we allow one the songs of the world to enter our ears, a similar, but opposing effect can begin to happen… Yes, we can still be transported and transformed… but this time, we can be carried to dark and depressing places, further away from His Presence, maybe to a place where our senses are awakened to the lusts of our flesh. Maybe, to places where temptation takes over. Maybe, to places where sin lurks at the door. Maybe, to places where the voices and messages from those who oppose our Savior may begin to influence our thoughts, feelings and behaviors.
Let me leave you with a couple of verses from the Apostle Paul’s writings to a group of Christians in the city of Rome… “I appeal to you therefore, brethren, and beg of you in view of [all] the mercies of God, to make a decisive dedication of your bodies [presenting all your members and faculties] as a living sacrifice, holy (devoted, consecrated) and well pleasing to God, which is your reasonable (rational, intelligent) service and spiritual worship. (2) Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you]. (Romans 12:1-2 AMPC).
Let Jesus, who is our strength and our song, transform us and transport us!
Pastor V