Bring me a musician!
2 Kings 3:15

Author’s Note:  The story I refer to below is found in 2 Kings 3.

Elisha was grumpy.  He didn’t want to be there and he really didn’t want to be talking with the three foolish kings who had come to ask him to seek Yahweh on their behalf.  Yet here he was, having joined the marching armies of Israel because God’s Spirit had moved him to follow them.  Yet, one of those kings, Jehoshaphat of Judea, was actually a righteous man of faith, standing uprightly before God.  Foolish in getting himself into this predicament, yes, but still a man of faith who served Yahweh with a whole heart.  Because of Jehoshaphat, Elisha consented to seek God’s word concerning these kings and the war to which they were marching.  Elisha may have been feeling grumpy, but, even in his displeasure, he was aware that the Spirit of God had brought him to this place and time so that he could speak God’s words to these three men.  Still, he was in a lousy mood and more likely to speak from his own cranky spirit than from the Spirit of God.  So, he called for a musician.

Every Christian church incorporates music into its worship service.  Why?  Well, that’s an easy question to answer, if you think about it.  Do this:  start singing a worship song you are familiar with.  Maybe a favorite hymn or worship chorus.  What just happened to your soul as you began to sing?  Well, I know exactly what happened.  Your soul began to worship its Creator.  Maybe your heart only opened up a little bit, but, as soon as you started singing, something changed inside you and God was able to make Himself known to you.  You felt His presence, even if only in a small way.  You see, there is a door in the heart of every human being that opens into the presence of God.  Music opens that door.  

We need to worship!  We need to step into His presence and feel the warmth of His light shining on our shoulders.  When I was just a boy in elementary school, there was a sheltered spot on the playground, a bench sheltered by some concrete steps, where I would, during recess, sit to read my book.  It was especially pleasant in the springtime.  The air would be crisp and the sun on my shoulders would just feel so very good.  It calmed my spirit and brought pleasure to my soul.  That’s what it is like to open that door and enter into worship.  God Himself shines on us, calms our spirits, and soothes our souls.  It is in that place that we can hear from God and find the peace we so desperately need.  The more time we spend in worship, whether in corporate fashion with the church or by ourselves on a special, sheltered bench, the deeper we will find ourselves going in our relationship with Him.

Which explains why Elisha asked for a musician.  His mind and soul was troubled and he was feeling anything but godly.  Yet, he had been asked to seek God on behalf of three foolish kings.  Somehow he had to get himself in contact with his Lord.  Music was the key.  As he entered into worship while the musician played, the door into the Spirit opened and God was able to speak to him.

We can do the same.

God bless!