MUSIC LEADS TO GOD

                  How Music Leads to God

Music does inexplicable things to us. The hills are alive with the sound of music. Music moves us. It sways us and causes us to tap our fingers or bop our heads as we listen to the rhythm and beat of that Drake’s “In My Feelings” hip-hop hit.  Music has the power to transport our minds and imaginations to another time or place. Music heals us. It helps ease our pain and our hurts. The ancient Greek philosophers believed that music served a therapeutic purpose. Today’s science gives us the evidence that it’s true. Many of us have probably heard of the “Mozart effect.” One study found that Mozart’s Piano Sonata in D Major decreased epileptiform activity in patients even in comatose state. Music therapy has now become a well-known practice in helping not only make us feel good but also in the treatment of different disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, memory loss, traumatic brain injury, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Music shields us from bad, harmful stuff. In ancient Israel, when Saul was being tormented by a harmful spirit, he asked his servants to seek out a man who is skilful in playing the lyre. They brought in David to be at his service. “And when the harmful spirit from God was upon Saul, David took the lyre and played it with his hand. Saul was refreshed and was well, and the harmful spirit departed from him” (1 Samuel 16:23).

Music changes us and transforms us. It changes our mood from sad to happy or even from happy to sad. Music brings us joy and sometimes move us to tears. It lifts up the spirit. As Plato said, “music is an art imbued with the power to penetrate into the very depths of the soul.”

We have always known that music has profound effects on us physically, cognitively, emotionally, and spiritually. Ancient civilizations knew the role of music in our lives. The Ancient Greek philosophers philosophized about it. Many verses in the Old Testament refer to music, singing, and playing the stringed instruments. In battles that date back to the earliest part of human history, music was used to inspire and energize the warriors. During the American Civil War, there are accounts of the use of music to aid in the healing of the wounded soldiers.

Music Touches Body and Soul

We’ve always known that music has the power to impact our daily lives but it’s only in recent decades, through advances in modern science and technology, that we have captured, imaged, and measured the evidence of the complexities of the impact of music on us.

Music touches our lives in fascinating ways. One important window in our lives where music profoundly impacts us is our developmental years, particularly during our teenage years going into our early 20s when we are firming up our sense of identity. Our teenage years going into our early 20s is a period of restless exploration and rapid development and the music that enters our lives during this period gets embedded in those neural wirings, staying in our memory for the rest of our lives.

Musical nostalgia, according to the latest scientific research and findings, is real. Hearing those songs again brings back all kinds of emotional memories, including heartaches, love, exhilaration, individual expression, passion, happiness, anger, hatred, and frustration.

Music is a gift. It’s a wonderful gift. We offer back this gift to our Creator also as a gift by our singing and praising. Music, with our voices singing, our ears listening, and hands creating music, enables us to physically express the spiritual joy of our heart. Music has the power to bring the mind, body, and spirit in unison as we reach out to God.