Recuperating from surgery, I lay bedfast, half-hearing the radio. Suddenly I realized that the instrumental number being played was the very old and beautiful hymn, Near To The Heart of God<\/em>, and that I was brought into a worshipful attitude as I listened. The shocking aspect of this, to a non-instrumentalist like me, was the realization that pure instrumental music could have such power upon my subconscious mind.<\/p>\n Then, I became aware that I was repeating, to myself, the words of that fine song. “There is a place of quiet rest, Near to the heart of God.” It was the words of the song that conveyed the message – that brought me such peace. I knew them well, and they flowed without effort at each beat of the familiar music.<\/p>\n As I mused on these things the first song was finished, and with proper transitional chords, the orchestra moved into their second number. It was equally beautiful, well-balanced, and appropriately played. I was thrilled at the artistry of the music and its execution, but the warmth of my worshipful attitude chilled and vanished. The reason was obvious – I did not know the words of this song – it was sterile, unproductive.<\/p>\n “Speaking to yourselves.” “Teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,” and “sing with the understanding” – (i.e., so as to edify – understandable). This is the kind of music by which Christians worship God. Worshipful music makes melody in the heart – and this plucking or twanging has to do with intelligible giving and receiving of meaningful messages (Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16; I Corinthians 14: 5-15).<\/p>\n The music continued, but it contributed nothing to God-directed worship. This is not to say I did not feel and appreciate its power. It spoke (?) to me aesthetically. As the musicians interpreted each composition (none of which called words to my mind) I reveled in this rare beauty. I was pleased, my spirit entertained, but God was not glorified. In the luxury of the experience I relaxed, and my whirling thoughts quietened.<\/p>\n And then, it was there again. Deep inside me, I was praying, “I need thee every hour, most gracious Lord; no tender voice like Thine, can peace afford.” No, it wasn’t the mechanical excellence of the orchestra that had again awakened my thoughts to God and things spiritual. This music was no more worshipful than previous numbers in the program. But once again familiar strains recalled words to my mind. The worship was not in the melody but in my heart. The worship was not introduced by the music, per se, but by words – an intelligible message – which the melody served to recall. I carefully considered these things, and I challenge your consideration.<\/p>\n Even singing may degenerate into a musical exercise – pleasing men, but far removed from being worshipful. Authority to sing when saints assemble embraces far more than man-ward, man-pleasing music making. We must choose words and melody in keeping with a God-ward, God-serving attitude, to have worshipful music.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by Robert F. Turner Plain Talk, July 1969 Recuperating from surgery, I lay bedfast, half-hearing the radio. Suddenly I realized that the instrumental number being played was the very old and beautiful hymn, Near To The Heart of God, and that I was brought into a worshipful attitude as I listened. The shocking aspect of…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[27],"tags":[520,84],"class_list":["post-64818","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-music","tag-worship"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":14318,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-it-okay-to-listen-to-instrumental-christian-music-outside-of-worship\/","url_meta":{"origin":64818,"position":0},"title":"Is it okay to listen to instrumental “Christian” music outside of worship?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 11, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Someone asked me this question and I would like your opinion. I looked on your great web site but didn't see it addressed. A young lady asked me if it is okay to listen to \"Christian rock\" or instrumental (\"Christian\") songs outside of worship. I would appreciate your opinion.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":23026,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/theres-a-lesson-in-that\/","url_meta":{"origin":64818,"position":1},"title":"There’s a Lesson in That …","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 29, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"by Patrick Andrews Two weeks ago, at the request of a friend, I wrote a poem about Beulah Land. Someone commented on that poem recently and after I finished reading the comment, I listened again to the song that I had copied to my post. This song was written over\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/piano-300x169.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":15152,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/have-i-been-worshiping-in-vain-all-these-years-by-using-instrumental-music-in-worship\/","url_meta":{"origin":64818,"position":2},"title":"Have I been worshiping in vain all these years by using instrumental music in worship?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 23, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I have enjoyed your questions and answers on your web site. Thank you for your time in addressing matters that concern people. Now I would like to ask you, as many others have asked, about the restriction that your church has placed upon \"instrumental music\" in the worship of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":32040,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-it-ok-to-play-hymns-at-home-without-singing\/","url_meta":{"origin":64818,"position":3},"title":"Is it OK to play hymns at home without singing?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 4, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: My question is regarding instrumental music.\u00a0Is it okay to\u00a0play hymns on the piano at home, without singing, for fun? Also, how do I answer someone who says that instrumental music predates the Mosaic\u00a0law and, therefore, is okay in worship today? Thank you so much for your time! Answer: God\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":52762,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/analyzing-arguments-in-favor-of-instrumental-music\/","url_meta":{"origin":64818,"position":4},"title":"Analyzing Arguments in Favor of Instrumental Music","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 10, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"by Mark Mayberry via\u00a0Guardian of Truth, January 18, 1990 Christianity is a religion of faith. To walk by faith means that we live in harmony with God's Word. This has special application to our expression of worship: It must be according to God's will! Our faith, practice, and worship must\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":35677,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-church-started-meeting-in-the-temple-and-the-temple-had-instrumental-music\/","url_meta":{"origin":64818,"position":5},"title":"The church started meeting in the Temple and the Temple had instrumental music","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 14, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Ephesians 5:19 and Colossians 3:16 are used out of context. Neither verse is dealing with worship services. The context of Ephesians 5:19 goes back to Ephesians 4:1. It's about your life as a believer. The same with Colossians 3. When the Israelites were baptized in Acts 2, they went\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64818","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=64818"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64818\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=64818"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=64818"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=64818"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}