soul tonic..
Have you ever thought about how music has the ability to provoke strong affections of the soul? The great thinker Jonathon Edwards wrote a whole book on human affections and the worship of God entitled A Treatise Concerning Religious Affections. This writing was not primarily concerning music, but all human affections and how those affections are aroused within the heart of a worshiper. Edwards showed how that true worship of God was bound up in the affections (emotions). At the heart of the matter for Edwards was that it really was impossible to deny that when the human soul is met with the greatness of God revealed in the truth of His word the response is invariably emotional.
Emotions are the viceral reaction to things that happen to us or in us, a sort of response to stimulus, though there is some level of physical control we have none the less the affections are there. Music seems to be by its nature an amazing stimulus of the affections. Even without words music is highly effective at illiciting a kind of primal response. When coupled with words ,especially godly truth, there is little in life that can provoke such a tendency to emotion. Think about how sometimes your listening to the radio and you hear a song from high school, sometimes the sound will bring you back to a particular party or football game or dance. Even years removed from an event the emotions brought from some song or piece of music can be overwhelming prompting tears, joy, sadness, anger, regret..you name it…few things in life can do this like music.
I really enjoy music of many different genre’s. Many Christians sell short the musical ability of those who may not be believers. I tend to enjoy country, rock, classical, christian, even hip hop. The truth is that music in all of its forms speaks to the human soul and should be enjoyed and employed in reaching human souls.
Well, said.