The trumpeters and singers joined together to praise and thank the Lord with one voice. They raised their voices, accompanied by trumpets, cymbals, and musical instruments, in praise to the Lord:
For He is good;
His faithful love endures forever.
The temple, the Lord’s temple, was filled with a cloud. And because of the cloud, the priests were not able to continue ministering, for the glory of the Lord filled God’s temple.
The physically manifest glory of God is truly awesome. I have never seen it as the Israelites did; yet, I have sensed just a tiny spec of it on occasion when praising God in music and song. To praise God musically with the gifts He has given you is to invite His glory to fall. Father God must love to hear and receive musical praise even more than we love to give and experience it for often it ushers in a special encounter with God’s Presence and sometimes even the manifestation of His glory. The sense of His glory that accompanies praise is unlike any other. It often brings tears. It fills worshipers with joy. It is difficult to describe but mutually understood when it occurs. It is sometimes so strong that it shuts even the mouths of preachers and musicians. Sometimes those who are gathered simply cannot continue.
Father God can only reveal so much of a His Presence and His Glory to His creation lest we die. Moses face shone like the sun after encountering God’s glory. The transfigured Jesus displayed a whiteness that His followers could not bear on the mountain. When His glory falls in a special way those who are present are graciously humbled, incredibly blessed and often left speechless. I remember clearly from many years ago an instance while leading with our band. It was a small place with only a few believers gathered. We were playing and singing a very familiar song that we had played many times. At one point in the song, Jesus Messiah, something changed and a lightness and joy that I had rarely experienced came over me and all of the band. As we looked on those who were gathered, we could also see the effect of God’s glorious presence on many of those attending and praising. It was truly awesome for it was the Presence and Glory of God among us. The song went on and on and on because we simply did not want it to stop. The two of us leading and singing were improvising and yet it came together almost perfectly. The blend of our voices and our instruments was beyond us. The band experienced a ‘tightness’ that far exceeded what ‘should have been’ based on our limited practice. God was orchestrating the song and we were simply along for the ride. It was glorious. Tears fell even from those who were normally without visible emotion. It was the sweetness of Heaven.
God is among us always. He has promised that He would never leave us nor forsake us; yet, clearly from Scripture we see that there are times when He shows His glory in a special way and often it is while we are praising Him with music and song. This gift of His glorious presence must change us and go with us that the world might see Him. Thanks be to God for His amazing gift of music!
Ventanas 