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 MUSIC AS THERAPY

SCRIPTURE: 1 SAMUEL 16:15-23

David’s music ministry bring relief to King Saul 

REFLECTION

Music as therapy. Therapy is a treatment intended to relieve or heal a disorder. Music has been widely used for entertainment and religious purposes. However, we shall learn that music can relieve or heal emotional and psychological disorders such as stress and depression. The Jews like Africans believe in spirits. The Jews do believe that God has power over all spiritual beings in including harmful or evil spirits. For the Jews, a person’s sin may bring upon him sickness, that is why in John 9:2 Jesus’ disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” The Jews also believed that God in his own will can allow evil spirits or harmful spirits to torment people. Paul in 1 Corinthians 12:7 testifies to this fact when he wrote that “So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited.” We shall also recall that in the Book of Job “the LORD said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand.” So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD. Job 1:12”  It seems King Saul’s condition falls under the just mentioned category where God allows harmful spirit to torment people because, “Saul’s servants said to him, “Behold now, a harmful spirit from God is tormenting you. ¹⁶ Let our lord now command your servants who are before you to seek out a man who is skillful in playing the lyre, and when the harmful spirit from God is upon you, he will play it, and you will be well.” (1 Samuel 16:15-16)

In King Saul’s situation, music was recommended as a therapy to his harmful spirit-inflicted condition. We are to believe that since that which was tormenting him was spiritual then it will take spiritual music to heal or bring him relief hence King Saul’s servant proposed that David who was the minister or servant of spiritual music specialised in the lyre be called upon to deliver his music therapy.  “And whenever the harmful spirit from God was upon Saul, David took the lyre and played it with his hand. So Saul was refreshed and was well, and the harmful spirit departed from him.” (1 Samuel 16:23)

Many people come to church distressed and tormented by harmful spirits and I believe that God can cure them through the power of music during worship services. It is important for those who find themselves in the church music ministry to attach utmost seriousness and passion to their call to serve in the music ministry. The deliverance of people and the propagation of the Gospel through the ministration of Spiritual songs should be our desire. Those who have been called into church music ministry must take rehearsals seriously and must be committed to their calling if they wish to be used as instruments of therapy and transformation as David was used to bring relief to King Saul. Paul appreciates the therapeutic environment music provides to believers when he wrote in Ephesians 5: 18-21  that “… do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart,  giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. It is important to participate in singing when music is being performed in worship service, we may receive healing or relief by singing as an act of faith. As we talk about music as therapy, remember that “About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s bonds were unfastened. (Acts 16:25-26). 

My dear friend it is highly recommended that as a believer when you are tormented, stressed, or depressed take your hymn book and start singing songs of adoration and praise or listen to spiritual songs or Gospel music, God uses spiritual music as therapy to bring us the serenity of mind, spiritual and emotional restoration and the assurance of hope.  It is important to start developing an interest in Gospel and spiritual music than any other genre of music. The difference between spiritual music and other types of music is that spiritual music is therapeutic and glorifies God while all other forms of music is basically for entertainment and as means of communication. Shalom

PRAYER 

ALMIGHTY GOD, MAY WE RECEIVE THERAPY THROUGH THE SINGING AND PERFORMANCE OF YOUR SACRED MUSIC. AMEN.

Jean-Paul Agidi (Rev)