Music's Divine Connection

Have you ever stopped to think about how powerful music is in our lives? There is such a variety of musical tastes and yet when we connect with a particular style of music it’s a truly beautiful thing.

Pete Townshend of The Who spoke some time ago about the nature of musical performances.

Standing on stage and waving your arms about is wearing a bit thin, I think. There’s going to have to be a way of listening to music which doesn’t mean that you’re going to have to face in a particular direction, there’s going to have to be a way of listening to music that doesn’t mean that you have to go out to a concert hall between eight and ten in the evening.

I’ve seen moments in Who concerts where the vibrations were becoming so pure that I thought the world was just going to stop, the whole thing was just becoming so unified. But you could never reach that state because in the back of their minds everybody knew that the group was going to have to stop soon, or they’d got to get home or catch the last bus or something – it’s a ridiculous situation.

I’ve felt that at many of the dozens of concerts I’ve been to. That unity, that sense that the world is at one. I’ve sat or stood there totally absorbed by the experience. Suddenly a certain chord or lyric will reach out and grab me in a way that I can’t possibly explain.

I believe that us humans have been wired to appreciate music; in fact more than just appreciate it. There’s something about music, and especially live music, that resonates with us at a very deep level. Their are certain sounds and chords that can connect with us in a way that very little else can.

Is worship all about the music?

With that in mind, it concerns me that some people base their closeness to God on such experiences during ‘worship’ times. I don’t deny that God can be very close during those times but in the natural you’ve already got the setting for something amazing to happen. You get a band together, play some catchy songs with lyrics focussing on something you feel strongly about, surround yourself with other like-minded people and you have the recipe for some very strong emotional experiences. That doesn’t mean that it’s not God; it just means that it’s not the only option.

While some may find it a bit embarassing, I will admit here that I started weeping when Neil Diamond took to the stage in Perth a few years back. I had been wanting to see him perform for so many years and finally the moment had arrived. The music started building, the audience was hyped, then out walks the man himself. The build up, the expectation, the massive crowd, the magnitude of the whole thing touched me to the core.

I have felt so ‘at one with the universe’ during a variety of concerts. I love good music. I love music that moves me musically and lyrically. I’ve enjoyed some amazing emotional experiences at many concerts and it wasn’t about a deeper connection with God, it was about the way God has wired us all to connect so very powerfully with music.

To tell the truth, I very rarely feel that kind of emotion during a Sunday morning ‘worship’ time. It’s not that I don’t want to experience a connection with God, it’s more that the kind of music used at such times doesn’t challenge me or touch me musically or lyrically. Does that make me ‘less spiritual’ than those who get lost in the music? I don’t believe so. I find far deeper connections to the Creator through things that I do throughout the week. My interactions with others, my personal time with God, my actions, time with my family, my failures, my successes, my service to others, every area of my life is a journey that is hopefully drawing me closer to God.

So what’s the lesson in all this?

I suppose we need to be aware that our feelings during ‘worship’ are not necessarily the greatest indicator of our closeness to God. If that feeling isn’t present throughout the rest of the week or if we need to throw on a ‘worship CD’ to connect with the Creator, we’ve got to ask ourselves if it’s God or the music we’re experiencing.

To me, worship is a lot less about a half hour sing along on a Sunday morning and a lot more about the way we live our journey through the rest of the week.

What’s your experience of the place of music in your life? How do you discern the difference between the effects of good music played well and a closer connection with God?

Posted by Rodney Olsen

Technorati Tags: Music – Worship – Spirituality

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