It is no secret that music affects the atmosphere. Walk into a coffee shop where your favorite songs play and your heart will be filled with joy. Walk into a loud bar in Thailand where the music is raucous and the lyrics offensive and, if you’re like me, you’ll probably want to walk right out.
Several years ago, I attended the Bethel School of Worship, where my mind was radically challenged with a notion: to sing over the nations. I knew that music impacted the atmosphere, but I began to realize the power of worship when we sing over places and people. The Bible says that God dwells in the praises of His people. The Bible also tells us that God rejoices over us in singing (Zephaniah 3:17). In that, I realized that when I sing His praises from deep in my heart, I am ushering in His glorious presence, and my heart’s song meets His. I tend to sing everywhere I go, but after that revelation, I began to sing with intentionality, knowing that the songs (as well as the words) I sang had power to change atmospheres by ushering in God’s presence.
Since then, God has continued to challenge me to “sing over the nations” wherever I go. I can’t count the number of times I’ve had the opportunity to sing over churches, over the red-light districts of Phuket, over cities from mountaintops, and over individuals.
There have been two distinct moments on the World Race when I’ve felt strongly compelled by the Holy Spirit to sing over sick individuals. When we were in Malaysia, we visited a Hindu family home where their daughter struggled with kidney failure and abnormal growths on her arm. The spiritual atmosphere of the house was deeply oppressive with its collection of Hindu idols, but I felt the peace of the Lord resting on my heart. As we prayed over the young girl for healing, I felt the Lord tugging on my heart to sing over her. Holding her hands, I sang “It Is Well,” with every bit of my being. While we did not witness physical healing in that instant, I believe God’s presence was actively working in that house at that moment. The family had been guarded, though hospitable, up to that point, but there was a sudden change in their countenance as I felt God’s presence and peace fill the room. I do not know how the Holy Spirit worked that night, but I do know that His presence was very real in that room, and if I had eyes to see Him work in the Spirit, I believe I would have seen His light pierce every dark crevice in that home.
The other moment when I felt compelled to sing was this past weekend, while we were distributing food to some of the poor of L’viv, Ukraine. Ponnei Vera (Faith) is a 90-year old woman who broke her hip not too long ago. Her daughter, Ponnei Nadia (Hope) has been taking vigilant care of her since then, spending every day and night at her mother’s bedside. I met them both several weeks ago, when we delivered food to their tiny apartment on the top floor of an old Soviet apartment across from a beautiful Catholic Cathedral. Ponnei Vera’s bedroom window looks straight at the striking archways of the cathedral, where the words “Soli Deo Honor Et Gloria” – To God Alone be Honor and Glory – are written in beautiful script.
During our first visit, I had sat awkwardly while Lindsay, our wonderful contact, conversed back and forth with Ponnei Vera and Ponnei Nadia in Ukrainian. Our visit was short, but I remember falling in love with Ponnei Vera, especially her repeated wishes for, “Good health, good health, good health, and God’s grace” over each of us. Her daughter, Ponnei Nadia, seemed a bit more reserved, although she warmed up a bit as she shared stories of her family with us.
When we returned to their small apartment this past weekend, I felt God’s Spirit move as soon as Ponnei Nadia opened the door to welcome us in. While Lindsay spoke with Ponnei Vera on her bed, I looked at her daughter, Ponnei Nadia, and knew God wanted me to sing specifically over her. I told Lindsay about the Lord’s stirring in my heart, and before I knew it, I was singing, “It Is Well” once again. I could feel the Lord’s presence in the room and wanted to get lost in it, but as I continued to sing I felt the Lord urge me to look at Ponnei Nadia’s eyes. I was startled to see big tears welling up in them. I could tell that the Lord had been ministering to her heart while I sang. I told her God had asked me to sing over her, and that He loved her and was proud of her.
I discovered later that Ponnei Nadia was a well-respected geneticist, whose strong scientific background has often made it difficult for her to accept faith over fact. However, her recent interactions with Lindsay and the other members of the feeding ministry have challenged her to reconcile those differences, especially when God’s love for her and her mother has seemed to defy all logical explanations. I believe that when God’s presence filled her home as I sang, Ponnei Nadia once again faced the realization that God’s love defies logic, and that His love for her cannot be contained within the limitations of scientific explanation. I knew she had felt God’s presence touch the depths of her soul, and I have to believe that He is doing a work in her that will continue to defy logic as He shows her more of His great love.
I do not fully understand how sound and songs influence the atmosphere, but I do know that they do. I know God has caught each one of Ponnei Nadia’s tears and stored them in a bottle close to His heart. I know that just as the songs God tells me to sing change the atmosphere, the songs He sings over us in return change hearts. His song resonates deep into the hearts of His beloved children.
The LORD your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing. ~ Zephaniah 3:17
Can you hear Him singing over you?
