Listen to Good Music. It Might Help.
“Behold, a harmful spirit is tormenting you. …Seek out a man who is skillful in playing the lyre, and when the harmful spirit is upon you, he will play it, and you will be well.” (King Saul’s advisers, 1Samuel 16:14)
Loving the LORD with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, means to turn those parts of ourselves toward the LORD.
To turn toward Him means, first, to receive His gifts which He has given for blessing and strengthening those distinct parts of our selves. Second, it means to let His Spirit work in us through them. And, third, it means to receive those gifts with gratitude.
It is to receive them, to receive the work He would do, and to return a measure of gratitude, from our hearts, souls, minds, and with our strength.
What this means, in part, is that God does not only work through those of His “religious” gifts. God doesn’t only work through Scripture, prayer, church, fellowship, etc. He works through all that He has made, which He has given, for which He deserves grateful praise.
God absolutely does work through those more "religious" things and they are in fact necessary to grow in our enjoyment of His works and of God Himself.
But they’re not the only things. God also works—for those with ears to hear, eyes to see, and hearts to receive—through others gifts.
Like music. Or, humor, art, good food, play.
King Saul—who was not, we should note, a good king—was in a bad spot. Frankly, he was suffering because God was no longer with him. God had set Saul up as king, but when Saul didn’t honor the Lord, the Lord went seeking “a man after His own heart.” The "harmful spirit" tormenting Saul was the direct consequence of his own rebellion against God.
So while the recipe for “soothing” that Saul’s counselors give him is not necessarily God’s Prophetic Word of Blessing Upon His Anointed One, nonetheless we can detect in it a bit of good sense. We can hear a measure of homely wisdom that actually taps into some deep and abiding truth.
Music is something from God, discovered by people. It is a gift that can have a soothing effect on us. We have all experienced this and appreciated it. But so what? Well, so we should put it to work as a gift from God, for soothing us in our distress, for God’s glory.
When we feel “tormented,” like King Saul, and a kind of “harmful spirit” seems to be agitating us, what should we do?
We should absolutely pray. We should absolutely review God’s promises and declare His Word. We should absolutely reach out to a friend for prayer or encouragement.
But maybe it’d also be good to put on some up-lifting music. Maybe it’d be good to eat an orange. Maybe it’d be good to go for a walk, or play catch with the dog, or draw a picture of someone playing catch with their dog.
“For all things given by God are good… if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the Word of God and prayer.” (1Tim 4:4-5)
Maybe take a break from podcasts, doom-scrolling, binge-watching, and to-dos doing. Maybe take a break and “seek out someone who is skillful at playing music.” Ask the LORD to help you, and perhaps He will work, by music, “and you will be well.”
It’s good to enjoy good things, from God, for His glory. And therefore, I guess, it can even be “medicinal” too—for often healing, comfort, or calm is the good we need from God.
Prayer
Father, I thank You for all things, and for Your vast and deep wisdom, with which You love me through all things. Bring Your love and kindness into my life now through the gifts which You have given. Grant me comfort, peace, and all that You know I need, through these Your gifts. In Jesus’ Name.
P.S. Tips for Finding Good Music From Which May Come To You God's Soul-Restoring Grace:
You can't go wrong with "Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs." (Col 3:16, Eph 5:19; cf. Acts 16:25) The Psalms are Scripture; Hymns are time-tested gifts from our older brothers and sisters in the faith; Spiritual Songs have qualities of both Psalms and Hymns, but are neither, for being newer, more situational, or perhaps less "demanding."
Soul-Restoring songs will have many of the following traits: true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent and worthy of praise. (Phil 4:8)
This does not demand that the artist be a practicing Christian, but it suggests a measure of careful attention if they are not.
Suggestion: save our church bulletins and build for yourself a playlist of the songs we sing on Sundays. I have done precisely that and it is one of my most accessed playlists, and to good effect.
Suggestion: the Gospel Coalition has several excellent playlists on various music platforms, in which you may discover excellent songs, and also excellent artists.
Photo by Caleb George on Unsplash