“I thought I saw how stories of this kind could steal past a certain inhibition which had paralysed much of my own religion in childhood. Why did one find it so hard to feel as one was told one ought to feel about God or the sufferings of Christ? I thought the chief reason was that one was told one ought to. An obligation to feel can freeze feelings...But supposing that by casting all these things into an imaginary world, stripping them of their stained-glass and Sunday School associations, one could make them for the first time appear in their real potency? Could one not thus steal past those watchful dragons? I thought one could.”   ― C.S. Lewis

 

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Music, like stories, has a way of slipping into our heart in ways that words or ideas alone sometimes cannot.  It can sneak things past the “watchful dragons” that C. S. Lewis describes as preventing our heart from fully engaging with the weight of God’s truth, allowing us to glimpse the real potency of God and His relationship with us.

 

At times we find the lyrics and/or melodies of songs articulate thoughts or feelings we thought we were alone in, connecting us to other believers and helping us experience a sense of being seen and understood in a way that mirrors God’s seeing and understanding.  At other times, they call us back to truth, reorienting our hearts to what is real and solid and trustworthy when we are feeling lost at sea in whatever is happening around us. They help bridge the gap between what we know to be true and what we are experiencing, drawing truth into our lived experience.  They help us to hold onto truth and anchor in deeper reality.

 

The early church incorporated songs into their normal mode of interaction with each other and God — something they passed down through the centuries to us.  Paul even instructs the church in Ephesus to, “be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,” (Eph 5:18-20).  Songs have been used all through church history as a form of communal worship, as a helpful way to memorize scripture and theological truth, and to encourage one another in the Spirit. This tradition has carried down to us today, which is why songs and singing together plays such a central role in our gatherings.

 

Melodies have a way of lending weight to words, sinking them deep in our hearts (and ears, if they’re catchy).  Songs stick with us — many of us remember songs we learned in our childhood, even if they were simple nursery rhymes set to melody.  Songs can help us return again and again to hold fast to truth. The act of singing can be a reaffirmation of what we believe, a prayer for God to knit that belief deeper into our hearts, a charge to our own souls and the souls of others to hold fast, an intimate moment with God as we reflect on His work in our lives in light of what we sing.

 

Many of the songs we sing, both traditional hymns and newer contemporary songs, have rich roots in scripture, or theological foundations born out of scripture.  Taking time to sit with these deep truths, particularly in times of uncertainty and transition, can help our hearts stay attached to Christ when the cares of life seek to pull us away.  We invite you to join us in sitting with these songs, whether familiar or new, and to ask God to use these words and melodies written by believers over the course of church history to draw you more and more to Himself.

 

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Directions for each reflection:

1. Listen to the song, following along with the lyrics and opening your heart to the LORD

2. Read the accompanying scripture and reflection

3. Talk with God about what comes up

4. Try to pick out one thing you’d like to carry with you into the day from your time with God

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Songs for each devotional can be found on a Spotify playlist HERE, or can be found on YouTube.

 

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Note: Not every song may be attuned to your musical taste, and that’s okay.  Still try to open to engaging with God as you listen. He can use even what we don’t like to stir things in our hearts.

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