last week, my best friend and i went to an orchestra concert. i went with the expectation of being blown away by the beauty of the music i would hear, but i didn't quite expect what God actually had in mind to unfold to me during that two hour concert. i've decided to write a few posts to try and sum up what i saw and heard, both because articulating it helps me to process it and learn His lessons more thoroughly, and because it might prompt someone who reads these thoughts to slow down and open their eyes to the Beautiful Reality that is all around us.the first thing i saw was the conductor. honestly, i've always wondered what the precise role of the conductor is. after all, the musicians in the orchestra are all well-trained, extremely talented and accomplished musicians, and they are all reading the same music. why do they need the conductor? my first clue came as one of the lead violinists of the louisville orchestra spoke before the start of the symphony. he made a comment about a long-time conductor of the orchestra who once led them in a piece with extremely complicated rhythm and constantly changing time signatures. he said that "every time you lose your place in the music and can't find the beat, you look up and see him [the conductor] and he had it right there." so, even this experienced violinist needed a director, a guide, one who could feel the beat when he had lost it, one who knew the music even better than he did.
once the symphony got underway - it was rachmaninoff's symphony no. 2 op. 27 - i found myself drawn to watching the conductor's face every time it showed up on the screen. his back was to the audience, of course, but at times the image on the screen would pan to his face. every time, i was amazed - the expression on his face and his body language seemed to perfectly match what i was hearing the musicians play. i saw so many emotions on his face - intensity, expectancy, delight, serenity, and above all, sheer joy. it was almost like watching someone eat a delectable meal - sometimes he would even lick his fingers after a particularly pleasing note (reminds me of the psalmist's urging to "taste and see that the Lord is good").
my favorite part was how he would "cue" certain instruments or particular musicians. he used everything in him - everything except words - to draw out a particular quality of sound from a part of the orchestra. it was almost as if he was coaxing it out of them. and the look on his face when he heard the sound he was calling for was pure joy. he loved what he was hearing. it seemed to satisfy some deep place in his soul.
in one breathtaking moment, it dawned on me that the reason this struck such a chord with me [by the way, does anyone realize how many of our idioms are based on music??] is that GOD is the ultimate Conductor. the reason the conductor was doing what he was doing, and the reason it captivated me, is because it's an echo of God.
do you see it? God asks for a certain quality of life - of beauty - from His children. sometimes it may be the sweet melody of brotherly affection. sometimes it may be the crescendo of boldly, prophetically proclaiming truth. sometimes it may be the diminuendo of meekly taking the lower place. sometimes it may be the triumphant notes of rejoicing with those who rejoice. sometimes it may be the minor key of weeping with those who weep. He, as the Conductor, gives the cues for each quality as the time comes for it to take precedence. "for everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven" (ecclesiastes 3:1).
and i have to believe that when He sees these qualities emerge in us, as a product of His grace alone and as a reflection of His ultimate beauty, it brings unspeakable joy and delight to His heart. just as it brings satisfaction to ours to catch glimpses of the beautiful sound He miraculously draws out of our lives [by the way, to any john piper fans: this is christian hedonism, isn't it?].
watching the conductor direct his orchestra made me love the Sovereign Conductor of my symphony all the more. with Him giving us our cues, why wouldn't we give Him what He is asking for, to both His delight and ours?
"...we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God" (colossians 1:9-10).
"God is delighted with our obedience when it is the fruit of our delight in Him. our obedience is God's pleasure when it proves that God is our treasure" (john piper).
"one of the main motivations for obedience is the pleasure of God" (kevin deyoung).
on the final day i die
i want to hold my head up high
i want to tell You that i tried
to live it like a song
~switchfoot, "where i belong"
watch the entire symphony here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvuitFzDxDg
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