I wish I could write music.
Some songwriters can express profound thoughts in gripping poetry and musical arrangements. I’ve tried, but it doesn’t come easily.
I wish I could play music.
I’d love to sit down at a piano and let my fingers dance. (Actually, I can do that, but the din that arises sounds like…well, just that—a din. Rhymes with tin and sounds similar.) I wish the keys I hit could transform to colorful, fluttery ribbons of melodies and chords. I wish I could let my hands run along a harp, chasing each other like butterflies. I wish I could pick up any instrument and play anything with skill and freedom.
If I could write or play music, maybe I could release my emotions and thoughts better than through writing. Music is more powerful than prose. Maybe it could touch more hearts. Probably I just don’t want to use the effort it takes to write or play music well. But I love to sing. So I do that, learning new songs others have arranged. And I listen to other talented people play music.
Have you ever considered what music really is? Man did not invent music. He may have learned how to use it and creatively arrange it, but it did not originate from anyone else than the Creator. Why did God create music? Why did He give humans the curiosity and ability to discover it? Why did He give humans minds and voices unlike any other creature?
The answer I dare to give is this: God wants us as mankind to worship Him out of our own choice. And since He is a God of beauty and order, He designed music as one of the ways we can do that. All of nature worships God simply by doing what He created them to do. Birds sing. Grass grows. Sheep bleat. Fish swim. Rocks sit. They have no other choice. They do what God intended for them to do. But God wanted someone to choose Him. Someone who would offer the sacrifice of praise and recognize Him as who He is. This choice is what would further glorify Him. It wouldn’t be forced worship like other creatures could give Him. It would be a willing offering.
But the devil also jumped for his chance. Here was one part of creation that could worship him, if only he could distort their minds enough. He has been working hard to twist truth, pollute purity, and spoil beauty ever since Adam and Eve were placed in the Garden of Eden. Music is no exception. The power of music has dragged countless ignorant souls into the devil’s clutches. We cannot forget God’s plan for this precious gift of music. We cannot misuse it! It is given to us for His glory!
One day, every eye will be opened and every mind will understand Truth. The devil and all those who chose him will quake and cry in vain for rocks to cover them from the wrath of God. At that day, every heart will know who is God and who deserves to be worshipped. The devil knew all along, but that day he won’t be able to lie anymore. Very soon, everyone will bow the knee, whether they chose God in life or not.
The song, Come Now is the Time to Worship, by Brian Doerksen sums these thoughts up well. You can listen to Praise & Harmony singing it here.
Won’t that be wonderful when evil has been done away with forever? Music and worship will escalate to ultimate expression. Finally we will forever be able to express our deepest love and worship without lacking words, growing tired, or hitting the wrong keys. I can hardly wait to join the choir of thousands before our Redeemer’s throne!
Come, now is the time! Do we choose to already worship Him now?
I have tried writing some songs in my lifetime. One came about in this way:
Day after day, I washed dishes in the evening while my younger sister played at the keyboard. She is a self-taught music composer wholly by ear. One of her pieces especially caught my attention as she played it again and again. This melody deserves words. It’s actually kind of nice, I thought. Some lines already started running through my head. So I asked her if she had words to it. She told me the piece was called Rose Petals, but had no words. Well, I could fix that! I immediately knew it must be a joyful song and a song about heaven would be perfect. We had no sheet music to work off of and I didn’t even have a structure for my poem’s rhythm other than her music. But we worked on it until we could sing and play it together. Here it is for what it is.
Such Joy
As the day of the Lord draws nigh, I think about my home
And the place that God’s preparing for me.
I can only imagine the joy that shall be mine
As I leave this world’s complexities behind!
All the joy this world can offer is forgotten when compared
To the splendor and tranquility up there;
Of the gates of pearl, the streets of gold, the fruitful tree of life,
Where forever we’ll be freed from all our strife.
As the saints from every corner of the earth shall gather round,
All the angels in amazement will look on;
They can only be a witness of a joy that can’t be theirs
As the songs of those redeemed will fill the air.
Will you be at that reunion where all tears are wiped away?
No more heartache, fear, or trials can be found?
Disappointments and temptations, every evil will be gone.
Will you join me in that place where we belong?
Chorus: I’ll cast my crown before Him, in reverence I will worship
My Saviour who in pity ransomed me.
Such rapture is unheard of, such majesty untold of
Till my Redeemer’s face I see!
Words by: Rynelle Penner Music by: Kaylene Penner
(Check out this link for the melody. Unfortunately there is no sheet music or keyboard here either. Three of us sisters sang it for a live-streamed church service some years ago. Song begins at 2:32. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tkqNdF-cf3E&feature=youtu.be)
Inspired to Inspire 
Thanks so much for sharing this, Rynelle! I love music too, and I love the descriptive way you wrote about it, and the insights you shared. That song Come, Now Is the Time to Worship has been a blessing to me too, especially one Sunday a month ago or so when I came to church feeling very broken and that was the first song we sang.
Thanks for sharing your and your sister’s song as well! I like it!
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