The Sound of Home

What sounds do you hear as you fall asleep at night? Rustling wind? Scratching branches? A restless, family pet? Perhaps the endless tick of a wellknown clock? How amazing it is that the unique sounds of our own houses can settle and reassure us. As we drift off to sleep, our minds and hearts are relaxed by the comforting sound of home. The common adage: ‘home is where the heart is’, comes alive. Indeed, when we feel at home, our hearts are at ease and we feel a sense of belonging.

In this month’s ‘On That Note’ we will consider the unique sound of the Lord’s house. It is a song that resides in the hearts of all those who fellowship with the Lord’s family – the Church. It is a song that is both unique for each Christian, yet unified by a common spirit or note. It is a song of our heartland, testifying to the Lord’s redemption of His people. It also testifies to the strength, freedom and belonging which is available to those living in the house of the Lord.

In colloquial terms we could say that the song of the Lord resounds within us as the soundtrack to our Christian journey. ‘What is this song?’ ‘How do we get this song in us?’ And: ‘How does the song sound out perpetually?’ The enslaved Israelites said of the Babylonians, ‘…our captors demanded of us songs… saying, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion.” How can we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land?’ Ps 137:3,4. We can see that the Lord’s song (singular) is expressed as the songs (plural) of Zion. Zion, prophetically speaking, is the homeland of Christendom – the ‘New Jerusalem’ that all Christians earnestly hope for. Interestingly, the Lord’s unique song is revealed in many ‘songs of Zion’. This multiplicity describes our capacity as individuals, to express His song according to our distinct lives and gifts. Fellowship is the key. Unless we heed the word of the Lord and begin to understand our home in Him, our soundtrack in life will be a dark and gloomy foreign land.

The apostle Paul wrote, ‘Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you… singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.’ Col 3:16. The apostle John tells us that the Word is Christ and that the word of Christ can ‘dwell’ within us. He lives within us, once we live in fellowship in Him. What an amazing progression! We hear the call of God’s kingdom, and through hearing a word of about our life, we have faith to live and abide with Christ. As Christ the Word dwells within us, strengthening and guiding our walk, our hearts sing, and the song of the Lord resounds. ‘The LORD is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation.’ Ps 118:14.

The prophet Isaiah wrote, ‘Listen! Your watchmen lift up their voices… for they will see with their own eyes when the Lord restores Zion. Break forth, shout [sing] joyfully together… for the Lord has comforted His people, He has redeemed Jerusalem.’ Is 52:8,9. Do you believe that the Lord has comforted His people? That He has redeemed His people? The restoration of Zion is not a distant dream. Rather, it is a living reality – here and now. The Lord is restoring Zion today. He is comforting His people. Our hearts can sing the song of the Lord perpetually, and we find the peace and rest abundantly in His house. We can experience a homecoming and know the sound of home.

Our expression of the Lord’s unique song is not restricted to Church services. Nor do we seek to perform the Lord’s song with our own mixed ideas; endeavouring to reach the heights of spirituality through a jaded culture of Christian lyrics and attention-seeking music. There is a true ‘note’ of the Lord’s song. It is a pure song expressing the full spectrum of musical styles, yet guarded by the unique spirit of the song of the Lord. ‘For then I will give a clear [pure] lip to the people’. Zep 3:9. This verse refers to the culture of the song of the Lord that He is seeking to enlighten within us.

As we endure through life, confessing our homeland in the body of Christ – His Church, everything we do in His name becomes a song. Your life becomes a song – the song of you! We ‘sing’ through our very actions and relationships, if we abide in the house of the Lord and understand the sound of home. ‘Speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ…’ Eph 5:19,20.

Lachlan Perrin

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Feature Articles
March 2008

Reckoning Faith

The Sound of Home

The Duties of Wealth

The Mystery of Lack

A Good Shepherd

The Overstated Metaphor