Lord,
We are thankful that You created us to worship You;
That we are fearfully and wonderfully made for just this purpose;
That our bodies are musical instruments in and of themselves.
That the breath You breathed into us is returned to You
Through voices raised in adoration or
Through trumpets blown in splendor.
We are amazed that You empowered men’s imaginations
To fashion drums and horns and stringed instruments.
We are thankful for these inventions--
How humbling that You would work through our hands!
For the piano and the organ
For the guitar and the bass
For the drum and the cymbal…for the loud, clashing cymbal!
We are grateful for every instrument created and played for Your glory.
But You require more than instruments…
You desire singers and musicians who will worship You in Spirit and Truth.
So You gave humanity the gift of music.
Music—the language of the Spirit:
Melodies that resonate deep within our hearts and
Lyrics that change our destinies.
You call us to sing, to play, to make music…
Music not of our flesh, but empowered and transformed by Your Spirit.
And how would we learn unless we were taught?
So You gave some to be teachers, and we are grateful for them.
For every music teacher guiding a student
For every student alone in her room practicing
For every director waiving a baton
For every parent enduring thankless years of cajoling their child to practice.
All of this is Your doing! This gift is irresistible!
For the alto and soprano and bass and tenor (and even the baritone)
whose voices are raised in unison and in harmony…
For the lyricist You inspire to turn a phrase…
For the accompanist who must play it again…and again…and again…
For the technicians who oversee the sound…
For the arranger who sets each voice and instrument in its place…
For the publisher who distributes these songs across the earth…
For everyday people who invest their time in rehearsing and performing…
For the way You bring just the right song to our choir and congregation…
We are thankful.
Humble.
Joyful.
Grateful.
And most of all, Heavenly Father…
We are grateful that Your Son has redeemed us
So that we might be adopted as Your children. . .
Children whose Father loves nothing more
Than hearing the praises of His thankful sons and daughters.
Thank You.