In January, I told how God spoke to me through others' devotionals. I've recently realized that He's speaking to me in a different way — through hymns that pop into my mind in random moments. At first, I thought that my brain was just dredging up all the songs that I've been playing at church services for more than fifty years. I've heard congregations sing the lyrics of all the great hymns of the faith so many times that they're embedded in my memory bank. But one morning, I realized that these interruptions had a purpose.

1 Thessalonians 5:14b-15 – Be patient with everyone. See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to all people. (NLT)

I just finished reading that Scripture when this song started playing in my mind:

Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me,
All His wonderful passion and purity,
O thou Spirit divine, all my nature refine,
Till the beauty of Jesus be seen in me.
       – Albert W. T. Orsborn

It was too appropriate to be coincidental! Could God be placing these songs in my mind to comfort me, confront me, or give me peace when I need it?

I think that He also has another purpose for those songs. I've been asking Him to help me to remove negative thought patterns. Is it another coincidence that these songs have started filling my mind? I don't think so! When a song invades my mind, I focus on it instead of on worries or fears. "Music soothes the soul" is more than a famous saying. Music is a recognized form of therapy that can lower blood pressure and heart rate. It certainly lowers mine.

Psalm 40:3a – He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God. (NLT)

It is a great blessing when we discover the different ways that God speaks personally to us, using the particular ways that each of our minds and brains work. He uses our gifts and personalities to speak to us in various ways. What works for one person may make no sense to another. What's important is that we must recognize that He does speak to each of us. Let us be alert to how and when this happens. Pray with me:

Prayer: Father, I truly want to let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me. May all His wonderful passion and purity refine my nature, until, by the power of His Holy Spirit, others can see the beauty of Jesus in me. Amen.

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About the author:

Sharon Cook <craftercook@gmail.com>
Apache Junction, Arizona, USA
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