Awake, My Soul, and Sing!
“Hello darkness, my old friend
Paul Simon, “The Sound of Silence”
I’ve come to talk with you again
Because a vision softly creeping
Left its seeds while I was sleeping
And the vision that was planted in my brain
Still remains
Within the sound of silence
In restless dreams I walked alone . . .”
“I dreamed a dream, a silent dream,
Of a land not far away.
Where no birds sang, no steeples rang,
And teardrops fell like rain.
I dreamed a dream, a silent dream,
Of a land so filled with pride
That ev’ry song, both weak and strong,
Withered and died.
I dreamed a dream.
No alleluia, not one hosanna,
No song of love, no lullaby.
And no choir sang to change the world.
No pipers played; no dancers twirled.
I dreamed a dream, a silent dream.
Silent. Silent. . . .”
Joseph Martin, “The Awakening”
Imagine a world into which Christ had not yet come. Last week, we sat in the quiet space between the Old and New Testaments. For four hundred years, God was silent as Israel waited for Him to fulfill His promise of a Messiah. No alleluia. Not one hosanna. Just a long, excruciating silence.
Four hundred years was a long time to wait. But, when the time was right, God woke the silent, slumbering world and began to sing once again . . .
“More than two thousand years have passed since God made the promise to Abraham, more than a thousand years since he promised David that the solution to overturn Adam’s fateful curse would come from his family. Every story of Israel has pointed to this day.”
Randy Frazee, The Heart of the Story
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
John 1:1-5 NIV
In the opening verses of John’s Gospel, we read that Jesus was the Word of God made flesh. He was not only present with God from the beginning of all things, but He was the instrument of creation. In Genesis 1, we read that God spoke the universe into existence: “And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light” (Genesis 1:3 NIV). But there is another interpretation that I find fascinating:
“The famed composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein believed that ‘the best translation of the Hebrew in Genesis 1 was not ‘and God said’ but ‘and God sang.’ . . . Creation is three-part harmony: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And just as the Trinity sang every atom into existence, every atom echoes its unique not back to God. Creation is call and response. When Scripture speaks of mountains singing and trees clapping, it’s not just metaphorical. If our range of hearing were a little better, we would hear the voice of God in every drop of water, every blade of grass, every grain of sand.”
Mark Batterson, Whipser
I love this imagery! The voice of God is singing all around us. And since Jesus is God’s Word made flesh, we can think of Christ as a Song that God sent down to us. I think that’s why we are so often commanded to sing in Scripture. In fact, that’s exactly what Mary did in response to the news of the Little One she carried: Luke 1:46-55 is known as “The Magnificat” or “Mary’s Song of Praise.” And how did the shepherds learn of the news of Jesus’ birth in Luke chapter 2? By an army of angels singing praise to God! The shepherds soon joined in the praise. And we are also called to join in the song.
“In the darkness something was happening at last. A voice had begun to sing. . . . Its lower notes were deep enough to be the voice of the earth herself. There were no words. There was hardly even a tune. But it was, beyond comparison, the most beautiful noise he had ever heard.”
C. S. Lewis, The Chronicles of Narnia
“Awake! Awake! Awake! Awake!
Soli Deo Gloria! Awake! Awake!
Awake! Awake, my soul, and sing!
The time for praise has come.
The silence of the night has passed;
A new day has begun.
Let music never die in me!
Forever let my spirit sing!
Wherever emptiness is found,
Let there be joy and glorious sound.
Let music never die in me!
Forever let my spirit sing!
Let all our voices join as one
To praise the Giver of the song!
Awake! Awake!
Let music live!”
Joseph Martin, “The Awakening”
This week’s Scripture passages celebrate the fulfillment of God’s promises to His people at long last — God sent His own Son to be the Savior of the world. The silence is over, and a new Song has begun. Let all our voices join as one to praise the Giver of the Song!
“Oh, how my soul praises the Lord.
“The Magnificat: Mary’s Song of Praise” (Luke 1:46-47 NLT)
How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!”
References:
- “The Awakening” by Joseph Martin.” YouTube, uploaded by Sam Adams, 4 May 2014, https://youtu.be/N14WHtLhnhU?si=maVEFY_tbilTRq3W.
- Batterson, Mark. Whisper: How to Hear the Voice of God. Multnomah, 2017.
- Frazee, Randy. The Heart of the Story: Discover Your Life Within the Grand Epic of God’s Story. Zondervan, 2017.
- Lewis, C. S. “The Magician’s Nephew.” The Chronicles of Narnia, Harper Entertainment, 2005, pp. 7-106.
- The Story: Read the Bible as One Seamless Story from Beginning to End. Rev. ed., Zondervan, 2008.
Images:
- Aurora featured image by AdelinaZw from Pixabay
- Starry Sky image by PayPal.me/FelixMittermeier from Pixabay
- Planet and Sun image by LoganArt from Pixabay
- Mountain Sunrise image by Kanenori from Pixabay
- Sun image by Jonathan Borba on Unsplash
About The Author
Christa
My vision for Wondertakings was to create a devotional blog for "nerdy" Christians like me. I do believe, as Socrates said, that wisdom begins in wonder. So I love to read or watch anything that inspires wonder and figure out what I can learn from it. I view it all through a Christian lens. I believe that God can and does speak through many sources in many ways, even if those speaking are not aware of it. I am not an expert in theology or religious studies. My goal with this blog is simply to share what I've learned as a fellow student and sinner in the Christian walk. My hope and my prayer is that by doing so I may be able to help someone else. In Deuteronomy 5:33 (NLT), we are told: "Stay on the path that the Lord your God has commanded you to follow. Then you will live long and prosperous lives. . . ." So in the words of Moses (and Spock), live long and prosper, my friends!