When we as a staff recently met together, it marked the first time that the five of us were able to meet together since the addition of Jenni & Jessica to the staff, and it also marked the first time we held a Zoom conference call in order to do so due to the current conditions we’re faced with today. This viral situation certainly isn’t what any of us had imagined, and the change from normal to quarantine has seemed almost instant to us, especially to my wife, Samantha, and me. I haven’t had the chance to speak with many of you since the birth of our second son, Levi, on March 10. So I’d like to let everyone know he is doing great, and so is his mother and brother, and thank you for all of your prayers and congratulations. For today’s devotional, I wanted to share some vital information that I have.
I know the cure to COVID-19.
I know the cure to this crazy virus gripping our community, our country and our world right now. I know how to face it. I know how to withstand it. I know how to overcome it. The medicine I have prescribed for myself is taken at least 3 times and sometimes up to 7 or 8 times per day. Some of you may think this is silly or too simple, and no this is not an April Fool’s joke.
The vaccine is music, and it is best taken with prayer.
Music is the alternative to the worries, the stress, the negativity, the doubts, the selfishness and our fear. Music gives us a chance to reset our disposition. Music allows you to slide over to the passenger seat of the car while Jesus drives, so that you can give thanks to God. So you can praise God. So you can be reminded of His grace. So you can set aside your distractions from your daily lives, from the global scale, from the mundane. It is natural for human ears to be tricked into thinking fearfully or with anxiety in times like this. It is Satan’s tongue that tries to take advantage of the situation by creating so many earthly distractions that we lose sight of what’s important. We forget that we, believers of Jesus Christ the Son of God, have been promised salvation for an eternity, and the battle has already been won.
Now, I will say as a disclaimer that music will not physically eradicate the virus, but rather is a metaphor for how to endure the changes in our lives. So often in the Bible does it refer to fear, and how to overcome it.
Psalm 34:4 says “I sought the Lord, and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears.”
Psalm 27:1 says “The Lord is my light and my salvation – whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life – of whom shall I be afraid?”
Matthew 6:34 says “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
And that last verse is very true today. So to counter the worries or fears that we have, use music. Music can be such an important tool in our lives. We can look at the benefits of music physically and spiritually. There have been many studies that have shown the affects of music on one’s physiological self. Music has been found to boost the immune systems of patients after surgeries, lower stress in pregnant women and decrease the blood pressure and heart rate in cardiac patients. Music therapy has also been proven to be more effective than other types of therapies in patients suffering from depression, and it’s been shown to lower levels of anxiety and loneliness in the elderly.
Beyond what has been scientifically proven or suggested, music in the Christian faith is more than just sound waves. It is about worship. Listening to music allows us to take our focus off this virus and the fear that has grounded itself in some of the most faithful foundations, and puts our focus on God. Music is an alternative to a loose train of thought, or excessive social media consumption, or a politician’s daily report. Music is like putting on noise-cancelling headphones so you can focus on your prayer and relationship with God. So that you can reflect on His mighty power with a clear perspective. Like it says in Ephesians:
Address one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 5:19-20
As we worship with music, we reflect on the lyrics that the artist has provided us. There are countless reasons to praise God! The industry of worship music and the history of hymns have proved that there is no shortage of ways to thank God. I encourage you to share what your favorite hymn or song is below. I encourage you to share what genres have brought you closer to the altar. For me, I appreciate so many different genres and styles because they show how dynamic worship can be. Worship doesn’t have to be something or look a certain way. It is a time between you and God that has been rooted in the medium of music, to better focus your heart and your mind on what is important to recall. The battle has been won, and our worship and praise to God will see us through. Through music and worship, we can beat COVID-19.
I would like to share with you another way to stay connected, and that is through Spotify. I have a public Spotify profile connected to my name, my Facebook page and my email: rjensenmusic@gmail.com. On my profile are playlists of five worship songs for each Sunday. I would happily connect with you on Spotify so that you can tune in on Sundays and listen to 15-20 minutes of worship music with me. Please communicate with me if you need assistance figuring out how to access Spotify. You can create an account for free. I’d also love to know more about your background with music and your favorite songs. Let’s all keep our music players going as frequently as we can while we are multitasking with our daily tasks. Stop for 30 seconds during one of the choruses and give thanks to God. Allow music to be in your ears so that worship can come from your heart.
Thank you all for reading, and have a blessed rest of your day.
Ryan
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