Psalm 95:1-7 NIV
Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD;
Let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come before him with thanksgiving
And extol him with music and song.

For the LORD is the great God,
The great King above all gods.
In his hand are the depths of the earth,
And the mountain peaks belong to him.
The sea is his for he made it,
And his hands formed the dry land.

Come, let us bow down in worship,
Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.
For he is our God
And we are the people of his pasture,
The flock under his care.

Music has been a part of the world since it was created. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth and when he created living creatures and human beings, he did so by giving them the capacity to produce sound. And thus, God created the first musical instrument – the voice. We hear music in nature all around us: birds chirp and trill, frogs croak and , dogs howl and bark, and . Creation is filled with the sound of music created by God. Living creatures made up the first orchestra this world ever heard and the sounds of creation will be the greatest music anyone or anything will ever play. Our world is filled with the wonderful cadence of music from sunrise to sunset. Even the land is described as joining in the sounding of heavenly music: “Let the rivers clap their hands, let the mountains sing together for joy;” (Ps 98:8 NIV); “You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.” (Isa 55:12 NIV).

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow once said “Music is the universal language of mankind.” I would argue that it is the universal language of creation. Music is used by living creatures in nature to call young offspring to their parents, to warn against danger and predators, to indicate dispositions, and to attract a mate. In essence, music was designed to be a channel of communication. Music can transmit powerful messages as nature has proved. When verbal words are added to music the message becomes even more powerful.

We use music as a way to express emotions, tell a story, or inspire the soul. The artist combines sounds and words in a specific way so as to generate a meaningful picture for the listener to see and experience. There is an ineffable beauty to music that cannot be articulated. The far-reaching influences of music are beyond calculating. As the French novelist and playright Honore de Balzac in his work Gambara wrote, “Music alone has the power to penetrate into ourselves.” Music can reach into the deepest parts of ourselves and affect the way we think, feel, and perceive the world. The powerful influences of music have long been understood. Napoleon Bonaparte, the infamous French military and political leader of the French Revolution, astutely recognized the power of music and commented that “of all the arts, music has the greatest influence over the emotions and is the art to which leaders should give great attention.”

Music can be used in positive and negative ways. On one hand, a light, fluttering opus can free a burdened soul, and on the other, a dark, solemn dirge can somber anyone’s spirit. Music has been used in worshipping of God since antiquity. Genesis 4:21 indicates that Jubal was noted as the father of musical performance, “His brother’s name was Jubal; he was the father of all who play stringed instruments and pipes” (NIV). Moreover, the Psalter is filled with expressions of musical overture for the Lord and exhortations to bring a joyful melody and songs of praise before him. While we can offer worship and praise to God through music, music changes us to. Socrates once said, “when the soul hears music, it drops its best guard.” Music has a way of inviting itself into ourselves and opening the door of our heart. This is the true power of music—the ability to penetrate and transform the listener’s soul.

Godly music has a way of stirring our souls and moving us in very positive ways. It can minister to us and help us be delivered from fear, or build our confidence, or inspire us to rise to action. When David played the harp for King Saul (1 Sam 16:23), it ministered to Saul and drove away the tormenting spirit that was oppressing Saul. Music can bring untold blessings upon a person’s life and touch people in ways that words cannot. When words fail to comfort, music can still intervene. It has a way of calming and soothing our hearts, distressing our minds, and relaxing our nerves. The great reformer Martin Luther wrote, “Whether you wish to comfort the sad, to terrify the happy, to encourage the despairing, to humble the proud, to calm the passionate, or to pacify those full of hate….what more effective means than music could you find?”

Music that is spiritually nourishing is intended to accomplish these beneficent aspects and much more. Godly music can minister to a person even if they are not expecting it to. The Spirit of God can move in people’s hearts and lives when they listen to a serenade of harmonious sounds and edifying words. Godly music can prepare and instill a heart for worship and adoration of the Lord Almighty. When people embrace Godly music with powerful Christian lyrics and testimonies of Scripture, God uses that avenue to bring a message of deliverance to their soul. He can liberate their trouble spirit, quiet their boisterous minds, and ease their pain and sorrow. The Lord will drive away influence of evil spirits and attack the powers of darkness in a person’s life.

Music is a potent spiritual channel — for both good and bad. Godly music is a channel that enables God to come and change you from the inside out where you can unexpectedly receive good gifts from him. This is not to say that other forms of music are not good as well. But Godly music should have a special place in your life.

Without it, our struggle through life becomes more arduous and deflating. God-centered music can fill us with awe and wonder and replace our worries and fears with joy and delight. We can offer ourselves in worship through music and give a pure offering of our heart to the Lord. It says in Genesis 15:11 that when Abram was offering a sacrifice to the Lord “some vultures swooped down to eat the carcasses [of the sacrifice], but Abram chased them away” (NLT). Godly music can help protect in our hearts what we are offering to the Lord as a sweet smelling sacrifice. It helps us meditate on the Lord and on his majesty and to drive away the vultures of the Enemy when they come. The devil desires to take what we offer the Lord and listening to wholesome Christian music can encourage and deliver you from the Adversary’s clutches and empower you for greater devotion, faithfulness, and service.

I wish every truth-seeker would find themselves longing for God through music as when reading Scripture or in prayer. Godly music has an indistinguishable ability to transform a person’s heart, attitude, and perspective. God uses music that glorifies him to mold and shape the listener and produce fruit in their lives. Godly music may not contain the most intricate melody, complex structure, or impressive rhythms but that is because the music is designed to support the message—a message that is spoken with words of spiritual nourishment.

“Next to the Word of God, music deserves the highest praise. The gift of language combined with the gift of song was given to man that he should proclaim the Word of God through Music.” ~Martin Luther King, Jr.

If you are searching for God or want to grow close to God and into a deeper relationship with him and his son Jesus Christ, I encourage you to give Godly music a try. Listen to it for its message, not its catchy punch-lines or poetic hooks. See if your heart does not feel lighter, your soul happier, and your spirit more alive after 30 days. If you don’t know where to start, I have listed a number of my favorite Christian songs and artists under My Favorite Christian Music and I have written some posts about songs that have personally changed my life forever in Music For the Soul.  ~JW