Without thinking twice, answer this question: what is your favorite song?
I’m sure nearly everyone reading this will have a different answer to this question. After all, there are millions and millions of songs out there in today’s media to choose from. And besides that, there are hundreds of genres and subgenres that each song belongs to.
But one thing I can tell you that every answer will have in common is one word: resonance.
At some point, the song that first came to your mind when I asked you the question clicked with you. It might’ve been a catchy tune, a beat that seemed to catch your heart’s attention, or lyrics that lingered within you for more than a moment.
That’s why music is so powerful – it has the capability to connect with us on a deeper, subconscious level. It has the power to influence our thoughts, and therefore our actions and beliefs.
Music draws us into itself time and time again. You can never seem to get enough of it. After all, who doesn’t love listening to a catchy melody or beat, or being overwhelmed by the power of the words combined with it?
If we’re being honest, all of us at one time or another have experienced the power of music resonance. Music is one of pop culture’s most powerful influences, to be used for good or evil. Entire generations have been swayed into believing a certain ideology or culture adgenda. Don’t believe me? Try studying the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s. What’s one of the biggest things that people will recall to memory from that timeframe? You guessed it – the music.
Take it from a musician and songwriter – the most soulful and powerful songs I play and write come from the heart. It’s the music from that aching longing and wonder within that stirs the heart and soul the most.
As a musician, I have felt physical waves of energy pulsing in to my body as I poured my all into playing a song written by a master. I have felt wells of emotion pouring out of me just from singing inwardly to a powerful praise or worship song that I’ve played on the piano.
As a songwriter, I know that every time I write a song, it must come from my heart in order to be truly honest and touching. Over time, I realized that the songs that resonate most with people come from the most raw and vulnerable parts of the human heart.
So, why do I say all of that? I say it to first emphasize the point, music does have physical, as well as spiritual power, and the kind of music you listen to can affect how you think, act, believe and see the world around you.
Think about some of the songs that have moved you the most or have made you feel something deeply, whether that be of fear, courage, hope, anger, or freedom. You know where those feelings came from? They came from deep within the heart of the songwriter, who then poured his or her emotions out into words and music. And in that form, those emotions have the power to translate to you. And that can be powerful. But also dangerous.
Even if you listen to instrumentals, the same principle applies. And personally, I think that instrumentals can actually be more powerful and dangerous than songs with words to them. The way I look at it, is after I write a song’s lyrics, I take it to the piano or guitar to come up with a melody to fit the lyrics. The emotion coming from the music conforms to the words.
However, I believe that when an artist writes instrumentals, it’s usually pure emotion. I pour out what I’m visualizing in my head and feeling in my heart into a wild and free melody, unbridled by the boundaries of words.
But when the soul and heart of the songwriter is not ruled by the Lord, dark emotions can be conveyed through that melody.
And though the same thing can happen with lyrical songs, I believe that it’s even more powerful in its pure instrumental form — because the melody is not ‘limited’ by words per se.
If music can have this kind of power over us, then friend, we must be aware.
This doesn’t mean that we have to strictly listen to praise or worship music all the time. But the Bible makes it clear that the purpose of music is to edify and admonish one another, and to praise and worship the Lord of Hosts. (Ephesians 5:19, Psalm 33:2, and Psalm 147:7 to name a few verses)
So what are some applicable questions to ask when examining what kind of music I’m listening to, you might ask? Well, from experience and from listening to the wisdom of others, I’d ask and look for:
1: does this glorify the Lord, even if indirectly? (I mean ‘indirectly’ as not specially mentioning His name, but still invoking feelings of gratitude, hope, love, faith, positivity, etc. because all those ultimately lead us to Him)
2: Does it lift me up and edify me, or leave me feeling worse off than before?
3: What are the lyrics saying? What does the subtext suggest? Even if you’re just listening to music for the melody and don’t care much for the lyrics, technically, whatever message the lyrics is conveying, it is playing in your subconscious.
4: the old, WWJD. Glance over your playlist. If Jesus were looking over your shoulder right now, would He call the media you listen to ‘true’, ‘good’, and ‘pure’? (Philippians 4:8)
There are certianly many more questions a Christian could ask when deciding whether what kind of music they’re listening to is worthwhile, but overall, I’d suggest pray. The Holy Spirit within you, if you are saved, will prompt and guide you away from things that may be not God-glorifying, good, or worthy.
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