In Unison

 

May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

—James 15:5-6

Harmony—voices on two or more blending pitches—can thrill us with its beauty. What does it take to sing in harmony well? Each person must have enough confidence in his or her own ability to commit to notes that others around may not be singing. Attention to each other makes harmony singing possible. Listening, in order to blend the sounds, takes much practice. It is interesting to note that singing rounds in elementary school introduced many of us to harmony singing.

In contrast, singing in unison has a power that singing in harmony does not. Just as unison speech seems more powerful to us and even gives us the ability to hear the words more plainly, to truly sound like one voice, people have significant power when they sing in unison. While singing in unison, the weak and under-confident vocalists get a boost from the group and become encouraged to sing out. Those listening to unison singing can clearly hear the notes and text coming toward them in a strong manner.

I like the story found in 2 Chronicles 5, where the ark was brought into the newly built temple on the dedication day. What a day of rejoicing this was. The Scripture passage from verses 12-14 reveals what happened. Just imagine this:

All the Levites who were musicians—Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun and their sons and relatives—stood on the east side of the altar, dressed in fine linen and playing cymbals, harps and lyres. They were accompanied by 120 priests sounding trumpets. The trumpeters and singers joined in unison, as with one voice, to give praise and thanks to the Lord. Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals, and other instruments, they raised their voices in praise to the Lord and sang: “He is good; his love endures forever.” Then the temple of the Lord was filled with a cloud, and the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the temple of God.

What power that music must have had in uniting the people of God. Likewise, the singing in our churches should sound out that strongly, whether we sing in harmony or in unison. Others, who hear our singing, should clearly be moved by the power of the Holy Spirit. And, God should unmistakably hear the glory given to Him through the singing.

Our pastor likes to say—and I agree—that when we gather as a congregation of God to worship, the Holy Spirit is “thickest”—that’s the power of unison singing. Our singing, our prayers, and our careful attention to preaching all pierce their way into our ears, minds, and hearts. No one should leave church the same way he or she came into the church. The more we live and worship in unison, the stronger our witness will be to the world!

 

 

We're Too Smart

 

It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes.

—Psalm 118:8-9

You’ve heard them—the talking heads on television telling about the scientific breakthroughs and solid progress that they see streaming forth and conquering COVID-19. We hear how the “greatest nation in the world” with the “greatest scientific minds” will have a cure in no time at all. I don’t disagree that we live in the greatest nation and have the best minds, but, the boasting and reliance on these assessments causes me concern.

After discussing with some people the fact that, in early 1918, a great uncle of mine died during Army basic training in World War I, they queried if he had the H1N1 virus pandemic known as the “Spanish Flu.” The family has always asserted, and even his death certificate stated, that he died of pneumonia. I wonder though?

In a podcast from “Defense One Radio,”¹ I heard this information:

Social distancing, Quarantines, Improvised masks. These are not just the facts of American life today. They were also common for American soldiers in 1918. 675,000 Americans died, including 45,000 Army soldiers. More American soldiers died from the flu in 1918 than died in combat in World War I and more Americans died from that 1918 flu pandemic than died from all the wars in the last century. The Navy Surgeon General at the outset of the war boasted, “Infectious diseases that formerly carried off their thousands, such as yellow fever, typhus, cholera and typhoid have all yielded to our modern knowledge of their causes and our consequent logical measures taken for their prevention.”

In fact, these 1918 “modern” researchers were looking through their microscopes for germs—that is, for bacteria. Viruses were not even discovered and seen under a microscope until 1933. The idea that modern science could conquer anything, could keep the country safe, could stop a “war” of this kind, proved that this so-called Spanish Flu would not “yield” to a human’s expertise.

I certainly pray that our 21st century researchers and doctors will find a vaccine in record time for this present COVID-19 pandemic. However, as a Christian, I know that human wisdom has a limit. What haven’t we discovered yet? Humans only know as much as our Sovereign God reveals to them. Again and again in Scripture, we read that God is a jealous God. He will have no other god before Him—including the “god” of human knowledge.

Every time I hear that our leaders have stopped for prayer, or asked for the nation to pray, my heart thrills. Bowing in prayer symbolizes our neediness before a powerful God. I continue to pray that these same leaders will actually rely on the living God and not on the keenness of humans’ minds to bring an answer to this deadly disease.

We need to heed the advice of the writer of Proverbs 3:5-6, when he wrote about God and urged us to:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

Then, when this COVID-19 pandemic no longer poses the threat it now does, we can quote the Non Nobis, Domine from Psalm 115:1:

Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness.

______________________

1 Podcast—“Defense One Radio”: The 1918 Flu and the U.S. Military. Episode 66, April 11, 2020.

 

 

Our Ezer

 

“There is no one like the God of Jeshurun [Israel], who rides on the heavens to help you and on the clouds in his majesty.”

—Deuteronomy 33:26

Do you remember the Carole King hit song from the late 1960s, “You’ve Got a Friend”? If you do, you may also remember the refrain:

You just call out my name
And you know wherever I am
I’ll come running, to see you again
Winter, spring, summer or fall
All you have to do is call
And I’ll be there
You’ve got a friend.

That song always reminds me of Psalm 18:6, when David retold that:

“In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help.”

Following that statement. David tells how God literally dropped everything, shook the earth, parted the heavens and came down, thundered, scattered enemies, and reached down to him. Now, that’s a Friend!

In studying the story of Eve,¹ I learned the Hebrew word, Ezer, which means “help.” This broad term refers to military strength, too. And, it carries the qualities of “protection” and “defense.” In Genesis 2:18, we read:

The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”

Those of us who grew up with the King James Version of the Bible remember the word “help meet” used in place of the phrase “helper suitable for him.” For centuries, the word seemed restricted to the marriage relationship. It seemed to suggest that a women’s place strictly belonged with home and family, and away from other stronger, more capable missions, like those missions God had given man to carry out.

In my study, I read that the word Ezer occurs 21 times in the Old Testament and only two of those refer to women. Three times, the word refers to military powers that Israel called upon. The other 16 times, the word refers to our God as Israel’s Helper.

You can even find the word Ezer as part of names in the Old Testament that point to strength. Consider these names: Eben-ezer, Moses’ son Eli-ezer, one of David’s warriors, Abi-ezer. And, during New Testament times, a contemporary of Jesus named, Rabbi Eli-ezer.

Not only does this explanation help our understanding of women’s role as elevated and the other half of a polarity with men, but it gives us an accurate picture of our great God. God is our Ezer.

How wonderful to recall the verse in Psalm 46:1:

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.

We can count on God at all times. As Hebrews 4:16 in the Amplified Bible tells us, at the right time:

Therefore let us [with privilege] approach the throne of grace [that is, the throne of God’s gracious favor] with confidence and without fear, so that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find [His amazing] grace to help in time of need [an appropriate blessing, coming just at the right moment].

God shows us that, as our Ezer, He knows how to come to us at the right time, how to fight for us, how to stand with us, and how to show us the way we can help others with the same strength and purpose that He supplies.

Let’s determine this day, and every day, to be strong in the Lord and serve Him by helping others as He has helped us!

______________________

1 James, Carolyn Custis. Lost Women of the Bible. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing Company, 2005. Pp. 35, 36, 233.

 

 

Distilled

 

“For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver.”

—Malachi 3:2

Definition of “distill”: to purify or refine (a liquid) by vaporizing it, then condensing it by cooling the vapor, and collecting the resulting liquid: to extract the essential meaning or most important aspects of it.

It occurs to me that God is in the distilling business. He looks for a final product that He has boiled down, made sweet, and fashioned as useful. He wants to bring out the essence of His work in and through us. This process, stated in religious language, is called “sanctification.” It begins the moment we acknowledge that God has called us to Himself and redeemed us through Christ’s sacrifice. This process of sanctification only ends when our earthly life ends and we graduate to spend eternity in heaven.

As a teacher, I practiced the distilling process every time I presented a lesson to my students. I certainly never taught my second graders about thirds and fifths, and chord progressions—lessons I learned in college music theory class. I distilled what I knew down to “so-mi” patterns and “so-do” endings for them to use in their reading of simple songs.

Along the pathway of sanctification, God brings us through a rigorous distilling process. He guides us through fiery trials that help us see Him and His will more clearly. Each trial distills us, in order that we may live purer lives, and so that we may discard the foolish things we so long thought were important. The contaminants and impurities have to go, to allow us to become more like our Savior.

When we arrive at old age, God expects that we will pass the knowledge of His goodness and power on to the next generation. Psalm 71, a prayer from the heart of an older person, recalls youth and a lifelong knowledge of God’s ways. This Psalm asks God for His ability to: “declare your power to the next generation, your might to all who are to come.” He recalls the trials: “Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter, you will restore my life again.” The Psalmist promises to “shout for joy” and to: “tell of [God’s] righteous acts all day long.”

When we reach a certain age, we have a lot to distill from the experiences of our lives. Consider daily, the lessons you have learned through God’s distillation process. Take note of what the fire has boiled away and what He has for you to share with others about His goodness to you.

You might find that keeping a journal would help you to recall God’s work in you, the Scripture passages that He has taught you through personal experience, the prayers He has answered and through which He has shown you His love and mercy.

What distilled product has God brought forth from you?