“Better Music”

by Angie Thomas

I was really encouraged and challenged by Laurie’s teaching this week.  I can totally relate to hearing the song of the Siren and being lured by it.  It is my flesh, my default.  Even though I knew Jesus at a fairly young age I really had no clue how to walk out my faith for the first twenty to twenty-five year of my life.  My early years of being a believer revolved around me thinking that because I emotionally loved Jesus I was following Him.  In reality, most of the time I was following the Sirens’ Song of the World.

Then Jesus pulled me out of that mess and I really desired to follow Him, but the Song of the Sirens just started sounding different. A bit more subtle but still so alluring. Perfectionism, performance-based faith, and self-righteousness became the new songs I danced to.  Oh, and don’t forget to add in image worship and a love for clothes.  After all, I needed to dress up that cool Christian facade I was masquerading behind.

Now as a wife and mother I still struggle to listen to the lure of materialism, but also the Songs of discouragement, anger, and feeling overwhelmed.  It is interesting.  One might think as we grow closer to the Lord the Siren’s Songs would fade, but while at times the intensity diminishes at other times it seems the devil tries all the harder to ramp up the volume of the Songs.  The Bible says he is a crafty deceiver and he certainly knows how to change the Songs to match our current season of life.

But there is hope!  Great hope!  Of course our Perfect, Loving Lord always provides the antidote to the enemy’s lies!  How appropriate that He dedicated an entire book of the Bible to His Songs!  Songs of Truth and Life!  It is no accident that the book of Psalms contains 150 chapters of these precious Songs and that they sit smack dab in the middle of our Bibles!  Laurie encouraged us in the Seeds of Spring lecture to find two or three of these Psalms to make our own, Scriptures that speak to and whisper the truths of God to our hearts, especially when the songs of the Sirens start to sound like reality.

Here are a few of my very favorites!  May they encourage your heart today and may the Lord lead you to discover your own precious antidotes.  I love this promise in 2 Corinthians 10:3-5, “For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ…”  May His Psalms help you to destroy those strongholds.  It’s all about listening to better music!*

Psalm 16:5-8
The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup;
you hold my lot.
The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.
I bless the Lord who gives me counsel;
in the night also my heart instructs me.
I have set the Lord always before me;
because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.

Psalm 40:1-3
I waited patiently for the Lord;
he inclined to me and heard my cry.
He drew me up from the pit of destruction,
out of the miry bog,
and set my feet upon a rock,
making my steps secure.
He put a new song in my mouth,
a song of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear,
and put their trust in the Lord. 

Psalm 138:7-8
Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
you preserve my life;
you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies,
and your right hand delivers me.
The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me;
your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever.
Do not forsake the work of your hands.

May the Lord lead you to your “better music”!

Footnote:

*The distinction between the Siren’s song and the “better music” in the Seeds of Spring lecture was based on a sermon point by pastor Mark Janke at Grace Church, Louisville.