Daily Devotionals
may 10, 2021
For the Lord comforts Zion; he comforts all her waste places and makes her wilderness like Eden, her desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the voice of song.
Isaiah 51:3
You have songs that “belong” to you. One could be the song you danced to at your wedding. Another could be your mother’s favorite hymn. Or it could be that one special song you hear at a concert that moves you either to join in singing or just sit back as you let it wash over you. Those melodies become your “My Songs” or “Our Songs.” Not only do they give you comfort but they also become part of your story.
About twenty years ago, I had a dry cleaner who was curious about the regular formalwear I brought to her. “What exactly do you DO?” she wondered. After a brief conversation, she asked if I would teach her private voice lessons. I was intrigued and agreed. When we met for the first time, I asked her what songs she’d like to sing. She said, “’O Holy Night,’ but I will sing it in Korean.” I was a little concerned because that song is a lot to handle for an amateur, and I would be unable to correct her diction in Korean. But I asked her to sing it for me at that first lesson—and an outstanding voice came forth!
Why was “O Holy Night” so important to her? She came to America in December of 1992 and immediately joined a Korean Presbyterian Church in Gwinnett County. On that Christmas Eve, a soloist sang “O Holy Night,” a song she had never heard before. She thought to herself, “That’s my music.” The song came into her and wouldn’t let go until she had sung it herself. That song told her about belonging to a community of faith and to a God who came into the world for her.
Let your songs surround you this day and remember with joy that you belong to a God who surrounds you with His love.
For Reflection
What are some of your favorite songs? What do those songs tell you?
When you come to worship at Peachtree, what songs do you love to sing in community?
Prayer
Gracious God, I thank You for loving us, for surrounding us with the presence of Your Spirit. Thank You for invigorating us as a community and for putting songs into our hearts that speak of You. In the weeks and months ahead, continue to heal our world so that we can freely gather, freely sing as Your people, and share our joy with each other. In the mighty name of Your son, Jesus Christ, Amen.
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