February 19, 2010

God's Perfect Pitch

I am not particularly auditory. I sang O Be Careful, Little Eyes with preschoolers for years before I realized it was sung to the tune of If You're Happy and You Know It. And I have to confess that I only realized it was the same tune because I saw O Be Careful, Little Eyes in a children's hymn book, and right there at the top of the page it said, "Sung to the tune of If You're Happy and You Know It."

Despite this, God often speaks to me in an audible way, and He often does so through music. It's not like I hear voices, yet I do hear His voice, and often through my own.

One time I got off the phone after a particularly frustrating conversation and was fit to be tied. I remember gathering clothes for laundry, still fuming from the phone call. I threw clothes across the room and slammed the closet door shut - or at least attempted to slam the bifold door - and suddenly realized I was humming.

I stopped dead in my tracks. What was the song? Even though I was humming, I had no idea what I was humming. I had to listen to my own voice for a moment before it came to me.

O, what peace we often forfeit, O, what needless pain we bear.
All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.

That's right, What a Friend We Have in Jesus. With that, He turned my anger into laughter.

Who says God doesn't have a sense of humor?

This morning, I was thinking about friends who need prayer today and began singing Praise to the Lord, the Almighty...then seamlessly - totally without realizing it - went into a children's song, My God is So Great...

My God is so great, so strong and so mighty, 
There's nothing my God cannot do.
My God is so great, so strong and so mighty, 

There's nothing my God cannot do.
The mountains are his, the rivers are his, 

The stars are His handiwork, too.
My God is so great, so strong and so mighty, 

There's nothing my God cannot do, for you!

Is He speaking to you?

4 comments:

  1. that was delightful! so funny that you realized the
    tune, "because it said so right there at the top."

    and really, margaret, what a sweet gift to have
    songs given right into your spirit as you need them.

    blessings,
    lea

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  2. First of all, I did NOT know those two songs had the same tune. I was bewildered when you said that.

    Secondly, I needed to hear that. I am singing a song tomorrow and the words are really words that I think the Lord is trying to remind me. It's interesting how that works out. Thanks for sharing.

    PS. I love the kids songs. Their simplicity and theology is beautiful.

    ~Kathryn

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  3. It took me a long time to realize that "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" and "Baa Baa Black Sheep" and "The ABC Song" were all the same tune!!!

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  4. Omigosh..."Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" and "The ABC Song" are the same tune? I'll be darned! I can see how I missed "Baa Baa Black Sheep" because I've never been a big fan, but I am laughing hysterically over my failure to notice the other two!

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