By Doug Creamer
The Power of Music
When I stumble out of bed I follow a routine. I look outside for a weather check and then amble into the kitchen to get my breakfast. I have some quiet time in His word and in prayer. I get myself ready to meet the world. I take care of any last minute things and then I am out the door. The routine is similar on days that I work and days that I am off.
Since the fall of last year, there have been quite a few things going on in our family. The cares and concerns have muddied my prayers and filled my mind with fog. Most of the things are beyond my control. I try to handle the things to the best of my ability that are within the scope of my responsibilities. The rest are left for me to ponder. There are too many things to ponder and my thoughts have been muddled.
I generally like the house to be quiet when I get up in the morning. Some of the mornings over the Christmas break I found myself listening to some instrumental music while I went about my morning routine. I liked how the music ministered to me. Since the holidays I have found myself gravitating towards other instrumental music. It has a way of soothing me.
Music has the power to touch our minds, hearts, and spirits. I was reading recently that King David had music playing in his palace. Sometimes we use music to sooth babies. Moms will sing sweet lullabies to their crying babies to quiet them down. Music can calm us down but it can also pep us up. I can’t imagine a party without some music.
When I was a youth, I didn’t start my car without turning on the music. I find it interesting that if I hear the music from my teens I can still remember all the words. Music has the power to impact our moods and emotions. It can stimulate our memories, helping us remember days gone by. Music has the power to help us find our way through the challenges of life by encouraging and lifting us up.
Our pastor gives our congregation a word for each year. We focus on it for January and revisit it throughout the year. Sometimes the Lord will also give our pastor a theme song to go along with the word of the year. This year we have John Reddick’s song, “Don’t Fight Alone.” The words are powerful. The song reminds us that no matter what it looks like in the natural, we are not fighting the battles of life alone.
This song has really ministered to me as I realize that I am not fighting my battles alone. We are all going through our own things and it is comforting to know that we are not going through them alone. We are blessed to have our church families standing with us in prayer.
When people come up front for prayer at our church, the pastor and elders stand with the person in need. We assure them that they are not fighting their battle alone. We are standing and fighting with them. We believe our Father loves us and cares deeply about the things that are on our hearts. We also believe that He is working and intervening in situations. Sometimes He is working behind the scenes, but we believe that God is always working things out for our best.
When we praise and worship God through music it helps to remind us and assure us that God loves and cares about our situation. The worship can help our eyes focus on a great big God who will help us take care of the problems we face. God is fighting for us just like our brothers and sisters in Christ. We never fight alone! No matter how dark it looks, God’s light can and will dispel the darkness. We have to remind ourselves to take courage because we don’t fight alone.
I want to encourage you to remind yourself that you are not fighting your battles alone. Your family is with you. Your friends are with you. Your church family is with you. The angels are with you. There is a great cloud of witnesses in heaven, including the heroes of the faith, who are with you. Jesus, God the Father, and the Holy Spirit are with you. You are not in your fight alone! Reach out and gather others around you. I believe your battle is going to be won…because I believe you are not alone… you will overcome.
Contact Doug Creamer at PO Box 777, Faith, NC 28041or doug@dougcreamer.com
