Religion: A Pastor Ponders

Music is medicine

By Pastor William Jenkins

September 19, 2007

Think about this: We do not have to sing. Sounds rather drastic, but it is true. We do have to breathe, to eat and drink, to rest and sleep. But we do not have to sing in order to exist. Yet, because we exist we sing and make music.

There must be something in the nature of God that requires music. All of creation is involved in a symphony: crickets sing, water sings as it flows through the rocky stream and over the falls, the wind sings in the willows, thunder beats its mighty drum in the midst of a storm, birds greet the morning with a song. Everything that moves or breathes has a musical quality about it.

Music is the language of emotion. Whenever we want to express some inward feeling and words are inadequate by themselves we set the words to music and sing. We sing of love and loneliness, of pride and shame, of hope and heartache, of faith and God.

Music is the lubricant of faith. It has power to carry us through tough times, to lift us up, to inspire courage, to lighten a heavy load and refresh a sagging spirit. Ken had had a bad day. He was a teacher in a large high school, and sometimes the challenge of keeping the attention of seventeen and eighteen year old “almost adults” proved to be next to impossible. As he headed his car towards home, he turned on the radio and began to sing along with the music, “When peace like a river, attendeth my way, when sorrows like sea billows roll – whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say, It is well, it is well with my soul.”

As he sat at a red light he glanced up somewhat sheepishly. He had gotten so caught up in the song that he had forgotten his surroundings and the hassles of the day.

Paul must have known the benefits of music when he encouraged the church at Ephesus to “Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord.” (5:19).

League City United Methodist Church is located at 1411 Main Street (FM 518), one block east of Interstate 45. For information, call the church offices at 281-332-1557 or visit the website at

HYPERLINK - http://www.lcumc.org