background music ...

when heading out on a run the other morning, i was frustrated to discover that my headphones had ceased functioning properly. all of the music was still coming through, but not the main vocals. i decided to wear them anyway, figuring that the music would still keep me going, which it did. between the background vocals and knowing all the songs that came on, i could still fill in most of the lyrics in my head. but not all of them. and sometimes the background vocals threw me off. it just wasn’t the same. i imagined that if i listened to the songs without the vocals for long enough, i would soon forget most of the words entirely, and the songs would certainly lose their power.

it’s like trying to do religion instead of relationship.

the background music - going to church, reading your bible, doing and saying the right things - will certainly keep you going for a while. between hearing it from other people, and what you’ve learned from being at church, you can still come up with a ‘sunday school answer’ for most questions. but not all of them. sometimes what you hear from other people will throw you off. it’s just not the same as hearing God’s voice first-hand. if you keep trying to make it through life on just the background music, coming up with the right answers will become much more difficult. you’ll start to forget what God has said, and His power will no longer have as much of an impact in your life.

it’s not enough to just know about God. God desires that we actually know Him. He desires a personal, intimate relationship with each and every one of us. zephaniah 3:17 tells us that “He will rejoice over you with singing.” but so often we get so caught up in the rules - in having the right answer - that God’s voice gets cut out of our lives. we’re running to the beat, but missing the melody. it‘s not that the background music isn’t important - we need the fellowship of other believers, to be connected to God’s Word, and to be walking in obedience. it just can’t be the only thing. the background music is what brings fulness to the melody line, not the other way around.

what are you listening to? WHO are you listening to? don’t let going through the motions, anything, or anyone keep you from hearing or make you forget God’s voice in your life. for in that voice is the promise of power, security, and eternal life.

my sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. no one can snatch them away from me, for my Father has given them to me, and He is more powerful than anyone else. no one can snatch them from the Father’s hand. (john 10:27-29)