From 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 (NIV) – “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
My personal confession is that musically speaking, I am at best “average” to “below average.” Music is clearly not my strength. In fact, I would say it’s a weakness. I struggled to play the violin for a few years in elementary school and alternated between A’s and C’s in the lowest of three middle school choirs, dependent on how much I talked to my friends instead of singing in class!
So how has music become my topic for this devotion? Let me take a detour here and say that I recently looked up the definition of devotion. The first definition of devotion is: “love, loyalty, or enthusiasm for a person, activity, or cause.” Devotion.
How did someone more athletically inclined become DEVOTED to the impact of music in my life? I have three answers to that question.
First, a few years ago I listened to a sermon by my Kansas City pastor and he simply asked, “What’s on your playlist? What are you listening to?” He went on to tell about how he felt the need to change what he was listening to and how he was investing his time. He asked people to look at their playlists and prayerfully consider what they were listening to. The sermon was not judgmental but a reminder that what we think about, dwell on, and spend time doing matters. That sermon struck me, and I decided to look at my own playlist and be intentional about what songs I own and listen to.
Second, after forming my new playlist, I saw how God worked through various songs to touch, change, heal and lead me. I often wake up with a song on my heart and mind, and it stays with me throughout the day. It is an easy “meditation” for me and I often share my “song of the day” with my friends. Does this sound kind of weird to you? That’s okay! Music has become a primary way for me to connect with God, to receive healing, to “de-layer” my hardened heart, and to quiet myself.
Third, music is a powerful reminder of the creative and dynamic ways God works. God has taken a weakness of mine and used it to change me. In this way, God is not working through my strength but my weakness. That is humbling.
A section from John O’Donohue’s book “The Invisible Embrace of Beauty” shares his perspective on the way music works. Mr. O’Donohue writes:
“Within the shelter of music, other things become possible for you, things that you could never feel or know in your day-to-day world. You breathe and dwell within that soundscape as though it were a world specially created to mirror and echo the deepest longings of your life. There is profound belonging in music which at certain times in your life can embrace and reach you more deeply than a friend or a lover. It as though the music instinctively knows where you dwell and what you need. Music does not touch merely the mind and the senses; it engages that ancient and primal presence we call soul.”
Questions to ponder:
- What are the ways that God has used – or is using – a weakness to change or transform you?
- In what ways has or does God use music in your life?
Gracious and transforming God, thank you for working in and through our weaknesses. Thank you for your strength and creativity. We ask for your wisdom and love which are way beyond our capacity to understand or imagine. Amen.
