Last night I joined two other world racers at a concert in Charlotte. Being unfamiliar with the opening bands, I stepped back from the crowd to listen and observe. What I observed on stage was momentous in my walk with the Lord.
mu·sic
(noun)
1 a
: the science or art of ordering tones or sounds in
succession, in combination, and in temporal relationships to produce a composition having unity and continuity
b
: vocal, instrumental, or mechanical sounds having rhythm, melody, or harmony
In today’s society, music is a relative term. There are genres and sub genres, instruments, technology, vocal techniques, style, celebrity, etc that all define what music means to us. The list goes on and on. But one thing I find to be universally true about music and/or performance, is that it is an attempt to connect with the spiritual. The earliest music predates the written word, and musical expression was a part of entertainment, celebration, and spiritual ceremonies.
How many times have you heard a song that better describes you than if you were to write it out? How often does an instrumental song speak deeper to your heart than any lyrics ever could? Behind any incredible lyrics, beneath the dialogue of any play or film, lies a desire to connect to the Divine. To realize something greater than ourselves.
I cannot accurately describe what I saw onstage last night. I shall try. In the painful look on the lead singer’s face as he sang, the tears he was holding back as he strummed his guitar. As the crowd watched on, he bared his soul through his music. I almost felt ashamed to be watching such a private moment between the singer and his guitar. As the music rose, the speakers pounded, and at the most climactic moment of the particular song, he became one with the music. He seemed to forget the crowd of 500 was standing before him, turned his guitar vertically, and began an almost sexual interaction with his instrument. His personal expression became worship. His love for the creation, his guitar, preceded his love for what the guitar was created for: the music.
As I observed from a few feet away, I was uncertain whether to be moved or disturbed by what I saw this singer do. But how often do I also lose sight of the One I am worshipping and trade it in for the tangible idol in front of me? The Lord reminded me that in all the amazing things He uses to point us back to Him (people, art, literature, etc),
how often do I begin to focus on the “thing” and not on the Creator Himself?
Even now as I read my fellow teammates’ blogs, I share in their fears and insecurities, I connect with them as they become vulnerable for all the world to see, and I am challenged by the Truth they speak into my life. I am beyond thankful for this group of believers, this
church, that I will be traveling the world with. But I also see the danger in becoming so consumed with the “amazingness” of these dear friends, that my focus shifts to who they are, and not on the God of the universe that their words and their insights are meant to point me to.
Lord make me sensitive to Your working. Let me be consumed by YOU, the consumin
g fire.
