The Surrounding of Music

Christian theologian, Dietrich Bonhoeffer once said, “Music will help dissolve your perplexities and purify your character and sensibilities, and in time of care and sorrow, will keep a fountain of joy alive in you.” David likely said it best when he wrote in Psalm 32:

You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah (Ps.32:7)

David was seeking a hiding place, protection from trouble, and deliverance. David needed protection and deliverance not only from enemies to his kingdom and enemies within his kingdom, but also from himself.

David wrote this song after his sin with Bathsheba. You may recall that David had an adulterous affair with the wife of one of his soldiers, got her pregnant, and then set up the husband to be killed in battle as part of a cover up. In this Psalm David admits that he can’t handle all the pressures, problems, trials and temptations of life without help.

Does that sound familiar? Can we identify with David? How often have we wanted to find a place to hide from the world and maybe ourselves? Who among us couldn’t use protection from trouble? In short, who doesn’t need deliverance from something or someone (including ourselves)?

But how? How can listening to a song help? One thing to which David turned for help was music…songs of deliverance to be precise. These songs of deliverance helped David find the strength of body, heart, mind and spirit to face his failures and begin anew. These are songs that fortified and armed David to embrace life’s joys and victories as well as to face life’s trials and troubles. Indeed, he surrounded himself with songs of deliverance. (See WORD WISDOM for a deeper study of listening)

If we’re to find deliverance in our lives as David did in his life, wouldn’t it help to know what these songs of deliverance are to which David refers? The Book of Psalms in the Bible is a book of songs. David wrote many of the songs that appear in the Book of Psalms. Who can forget the lovely and comforting words of Psalm 23 that speaks of the Lord as our shepherd? Could it be that David wrote songs like this one and others to remind himself of what is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, good, excellent, and worthy of praise (Phil.4:8)? Might he have written and then sung his own songs to remind him to be right with God, right with creation, right with others and right with self?

We should never underestimate the power of letting others minister to us through music and song, both live and recorded. We do ourselves a favor when we fill our lives with music, and we kick that favor up even more when we attend live concerts. David gave many concerts…some public, some private…but all were powerful.

And so it was, whenever the spirit from God was upon Saul, that David would take a harp and play it with his hand. Then Saul would become refreshed and well, and the distressing spirit would depart from him. (1 Sam.16:23)

Oh, what songs we may miss because we do not silence ourselves enough to listen for what others do not hear, or because we don’t have the courage or faith to be real with God. I think it’s time we surrounded ourselves more consciously and deliberately with these songs of deliverance What have we to lose by letting these songs of deliverance work their power on us?

But before ending this, allow me to mention one more and, in my opinion, the greatest explanation for the source of David’s songs of deliverance. I’m referring to God Himself singing over us.

The Lord your God in your midst, the Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing. (Zeph.3:17)

Here again is the idea of surrounding us, of God surrounding us with His song. And of course, wherever God’s song is then surely God Himself must be present as well. He is in the business of deliverance…deliverance from trouble, pain, sadness, enemies and all kinds of things.  Does it seem strange that deliverance should come in the form of a song rather than a sword?

As we remain in our Hiding Place at a time of sorrow, He will softly begin to sing…and our mournful melodies are slowly but powerfully transformed. Today I choose to take Him up today on this amazing invitation…to hide, to be protected, to be sung to and to be delivered.  He is always available with surround sound for those who enter His Hiding Place….His song is a beautiful fight song.

The Lord will command His lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night His song shall be with me – A prayer to the God of my life. (Ps.42:8)

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