If My People

We will be focusing on prayer in our August worship services. Jimmy Owens’ song, If My People Will Pray, came to mind. The song is based on text from 2 Chronicles 7:14, if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. There is a lot of richness in the passage.

But my attention was also caught by the message of the entire chapter that talks about the dedication of the temple that Solomon had built. The dedication began with prayer after which “the glory of the Lord filled the temple.” Then everyone worshiped and gave thanks to the Lord. Next came sacrifices; then the music started.

There’s a whole sermon in this passage (maybe for another day) but I was struck by music’s role in the dedication service. Verse 6 says, “The priests took their positions, as did the Levites with the LORD's musical instruments, which King David had made for praising the LORD and which were used when he gave thanks, saying, ‘His love endures forever.’ Opposite the Levites, the priests blew their trumpets, and all the Israelites were standing.”

When we pray in a manner that we are truly communicating with God (where we not only speak to God but we are also open to hear His response), our souls become overwhelmed. Just as the Israelites were awestruck by the presence of the Lord in the temple, we too can become awestruck as the Holy Spirit is welcomed into the presence of our temple. Sometimes that temple is our church; other times it is the temple of our body. So how do we express this awesomeness that we feel? Many times words are not enough. But music is.

Imagine what happened in the temple that day when those instruments began to play and the trumpets began to blow. The scripture say that ALL the Israelites were standing. And though it does not specifically say it, I imagine that they were also swaying with hands lifted up. How could they not be when in the presence of God?

As church musicians, our responsibility is to provide music that will allow our worshippers to express the awesomeness they feel as they experience God’s presence. This is difficult because everyone feels something different, at different times, in different ways. So we are attempting to bring the church a blend of music that the Holy Spirit can use in his way and in his time. But we can’t forget to circle back to the beginning – to pray and humble ourselves and seek His face so that God will hear us from heaven and heal us and our land.

More on The Servant Song

I found this information on the American Bible Society website. Wow! When I began this project, I didn't know fully where it was leading me. Ask for direction and the Lord will provide. It will be an interesting journey...

http://www.americanbible.org/brcpages/servantsongsinisaiah

"Four passages in Isaiah are often identified as "the Servant Songs" because they focus on the call and work of "the Lord's servant" (or "God's servant"): 42:1-4; 49:1-6; 50:4-9; and 52:13—53:12. These songs (or poems) describe the servant as the one God chose to "bring justice to the nations" (42:1) and "to lead back the people of Israel" to God (49:5). But the servant will also be "a light" so that other nations will recognize God's "saving power" (49:6). Unlike others in the Jewish Scriptures who are called the Lord's servant (for example, Abraham, Jacob, and Moses), the servant in Isaiah suffers physical pain and humiliation (50:6; 52:14; 53:3-5,7) in the work the Lord called him to do. The last of these songs, however, recognizes that the suffering of the servant will help accomplish the work he was called to do. In other words, his own suffering will ultimately take away the sins and guilt of others (53:4,5,10,11), and the Lord will reward the servant for sacrificing his life for others (53:12).

As the early followers of Jesus read the Servant Songs, they clearly connected "the servant" with Jesus the Messiah (Christ). For example, Matthew states that the predictions of Isaiah 42:1-4 were fulfilled in the life and work of Jesus (see Matt 12:18-21). Similarly, the early church leader Philip explained to an Ethiopian official that the words of Isaiah 53:7,8 referred to Jesus (Acts 8:26-35). Jesus identifies himself as the servant who will "give his life to rescue many people" (Mark 10:45) and offers his work as a model of servanthood for his followers to imitate."