Thursday, September 20, 2007

giving voice


Psalm 40:3
He put a new song in my mouth,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord.


I guess if my blog has a banner, this is it. My desire is to share the God-prints in my life, and together with you magnify His goodness as we press into the heart of God.

This verse causes me to reflect on the many ways a voice is given to what lacks language. For example, I was a pianist prior to going into business with Jake...loosing my thumb joints etc. Music gives voice to rapturous joy, brooding laments, deep yearnings - this language is not spoken with words - but instead the language of melody, harmony, rhythm and tempo. But in the hands of a musician, these combine to speak the language of music, that can be understood by the heart.

The tiller of a sailboat speaks a language too. It conveys, through is resistance and tension the language of the seas as the power of wind and current are harnessed by the keel and sails of the boat. This language is understood by the hands of the helmsman, and contributes to effective control of the boat.

But... hymns, songs... what is God truly looking for from me as a way to give voice to the song He has placed in my mouth? Did people just burst into a song of in the days of the Old Testament -- and did this impact people differently that it would today? I use to participate in an outreach on the streets of Detroit that necessitated driving a van up and down Woodward Ave. and Michigan Ave. in the wee hours of the morning. One morning, about 2:30 or 3:00 am, we stopped at the best donut shop on earth IMHO... Dutch Girl (or was it Dutch Boy??) on Woodward near 7 mile- for an unbelievably fresh donut and some fresh-ground coffee. On my way back to the van, I was serenaded by a man with a lovely operatic voice - singing a wonderful tenor aria to me - full volume. I stood there sipping my coffee, wondering how much danger I was actually in ... curious as to what the few cars that drove past were thinking... as well as wondering how many sleeping people were suddenly dreaming opera. But it just felt weird - and his voice was actually fabulous. We don't look at song as a conventional mode of street or office language. Did they really sing to each other back then?

God used creation to give voice to the inexpressible in Psalm 19:1-4


The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of His hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they display knowledge.
There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard.
Their voice goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.


This language of the inexpressible points to the inexplicable, and we have nothing left to say but "GOD". Hallelujah!

So, what languages declare the glory of God? Please add to the list! I want to expand my vocabulary.

1.) the language of a smile; universal, open, welcoming...
2.) the language of deference; little understood these days, but when someone lets you go ahead of them, and you are on your last nerve... it can speak volumes
3.) the language of kindness; I watched as my husband offered to hold the door for a man on crutches as we entered the surgical waiting area for my hand surgery. You could read in the man's gratitude how many doors were slammed in his face by able-bodied people.
4.) ....

2 comments:

Elder's Wife said...

The language of color...royal blue, regal purple, glorious gold, blood red, pure white...the entire spectrum found in light. And God is light!
Kat

Dinah said...

Ohhhh! I LIKE it!!