Singing A Capella

“There he went into a cave and spent the night…The Lord said, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain…for the Lord is about to pass by.’ Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks…but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his clock over his face, and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave” 1 Kings 19:9, 11-13.

This passage has always been one of my favorite passages in the Bible. I am confident that no one reading this writing has escaped feeling all alone at some point. This life is full of earthquakes that crumble our faith…powerful winds that threaten our bearings…and fiery trials that burn up our confidence. We surround ourselves with walls of isolation…self-made caves of seclusion until these things pass by.

When we walk through circumstances where the symphonic rhythm of life can’t be heard, we are forced into a life of singing a capella. Such times of loneliness are highlighted by the absent orderly music that normally marks our life. The silence of our hearts is highlighted by the raging circumstances of our situation. The important element to remember while cave dwelling is that as life storms by, the Lord never leaves us. He allows these experiences into our lives but makes it clear we don’t have to go it alone. He whispers beautiful songs into our hearts so we can hold on for one more day…one more week…one more song. His whisper speaks more loudly than any accompanying sound the world could provide.

Singing a capella means continuing to praise Him when things seem bleak. Singing a capella shows those around us that we can still have hope when hope is deferred. Singing a capella is an act of worship to God when we are feeling all alone. ‘Trials separate us from others. We feel alone, singled out, cut off, and abandoned. But, as the Scripture reminds us, those can be times of special intimacy with Jesus, for He knows firsthand what we are going through’ When Life Gets Hard, p. 57. When we have lifted our voice without the music in our hearts the Lord will provide the music who is never off tune.

‘The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing’ Zephaniah 3:17.