Just Music?

I want to touch briefly, thoughtfully hopefully, on the power of music. Music has the ability, as other forms of art do as well, to move us in ways that reach deep down into our hearts. Reading the lyrics (unless truely poetic in nature) on a page more often than not does not have the same effect upon us as the lyrics matched with the music does, and music, such as classical, has the ability to move us in very powerful ways as well with absolutely no lyrics involved. The simple ways that the moves moves in rhythm and tone and all of the stuff that I don't know anything about can bring our minds and our imaginations soaring to where the music makes it come alive. It can make our hearts feel afraid, joyful, or simply awestruck by that which we have just heard. There is no doubt about. Music is powerful.

It is because music is so powerful that I wanted to touch on this and cause myself and hopefully you who are readers to prayerfully consider the music that we listen too. No, this is not another one of those secular/Christian debates about whether or not Christians should or should not listen to secular music. Simply it is an opportunity, and a desire of mine to come before the Lord and ask Him what He thinks about music. Because music does have the power to move us in such beautiful, winsome, and certainly wonderful; Godly ways I think that it is necessary that we acknowledge that it has the power to do the opposite as well in the fallen world we are in. It has the power to invoke lust, fear, as mentioned before, anger, depression, and an attitude of "It's all about me, it's all about me, it's all about me." Artists use it to portray godlessness or Godliness; there really is no middle ground. Don't get me wrong here though. I'm not saying all secular music is bad. I do listen to it, maybe some that I shouldn't. In fact I know there is some that I should not, but sometimes when a song comes on that I know is complete trash I find it difficult to say no and turn the station. Why is that? Because we are in a battle and the world, my flesh and the evil one are all looking for opportunities to take me out and a main way to do that is to infiltrate my mind. If my mind can be drawn to the things not of God then often my heart will often give up the fight and the end result will then be death. Death to what? Death to my heart. Death to the intimacy I could be having with God or another person in that moment. Death to what I ought or not ought to be doing. Death. It surrounds us and the enemy loves when we feast upon and enter into it, for it cuts us off from the life we ought to be living with God in that moment.

Philippians 4:8-9 says, "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me-practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you." (ESV) Things that are honorable, just, true, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, or worthy of praise can be, and are found, in music that is secular by title; yet maybe not by nature, but let us be wary about that which we allow to enter into our minds for it is not simply "just music."