The Mystery of Music

          Music may be the most mysterious of all the arts God has given us. It touches our deepest thoughts and feelings in ways other art forms don’t seem to. More than books and often more than movies, music can make us cry. And, of course, music is central to praise.

            More than any other art form, God calls for music in the life of His people. There are Old Testament examples of other art forms, but these hardly appear in comparison to music references. In the New Testament, music is an important part of life in the Church (Colossians 3:16). Paul even says to make “melody with your hearts” (Ephesians 5:19) suggesting our thoughts should be musically inclined on a regular basis.

           Medieval Christians believed in a concept called “The Music of the Spheres.” According to C. S. Lewis, it “is the only sound which has never for one split second ceased in any part of the universe…. The music which is too familiar to be heard enfolds us day and night and in all ages.”¹ This vision of a universe filled with a music in tune with spiritual realities is the vision behind August Rush. I think there may be some truth to it.

            We know that music has a profound affect on us. Recall how only David’s music could soothe the soul of King Saul (I Samuel 16:23). Consider how the book of Psalms is the largest book of the Bible and most (if not all) of the psalms are actually songs. I once met with a mentor to ask for guidance in my first youth ministry. His advice took me by surprise. He said, “You’ll never be able to do anything with them until you can get them to sing.” There’s something about music—something deep, something spiritual.

            I don’t know if there is a music behind all things. I find it interesting that in their great works of fantasy, both C. S. Lewis (Narnia) and J. R. R. Tolkien (Middle Earth) describe creation as occurring through the singing of a song. When I consider such Bible passages as “the stones will cry out” (Luke 19:40) and the “heavens declare the glory of the Lord” (Psalm 19:1), I think that surely nature wouldn’t just be shouting these things—it’d be singing them. What these verses do tell us is this: God is showing Himself and His truth in the universe. All things in Nature are a testament to God: beautiful sunsets and flowers, sweet smells and soft touches, and the sounds of bird songs.

God is Calling

            If you haven’t seen August Rush, it’s worth your time. It echoes the truth that God is speaking to us in Creation, and it hints that He may do so through our arts, like stories and music. Maybe there is a song behind all songs. Maybe that’s why we know it when a great composer gives us music that we can’t help but love. Maybe we are orphans and the music is drawing us home to find our Father.

            August Rush listened to the music from birth and found his way to his parents. And though the idea seems far fetched, a scene early in the film stood out to me as a testimony that the story might not be so far from real events. As a newborn, August reached up to the music playing in the hospital nursery. It reminded me of standing at a window in another hospital, looking at all the newborn babies. They all either slept or cried—all of them except one. He lay on his stomach staring out at the world with the kind of piercing blue eyes some newborns have. Some people a few windows down noticed him and one said, “Look at that baby there—his eyes are wide open and watching. I wonder whose baby that is?” I answered with a father’s pride: “He’s mine.” It is no wonder to me at all that, like August with his music, my son Bryan has continued to see amazing things and so wants to be a filmmaker. He made his first movie when he was ten, bought his first camera with his own money when he was twelve. And by the time he was sixteen he was putting images together in his movies that I could have never imagined myself. I hope that film is calling him to his Father in heaven. I hope that all of the beautiful things God gives us in life call us to Him. I tend to think, though, that music may be the place where that happens most. And that’s a strong argument for us to carefully cultivate what we listen to.