God and Musicians

[SOMM]

I just logged on here thinking about what God desires from musicians... As a musician I often find myself struggling with pride, suppiority, inferiority, fear, etc. What does God have to say we should be like as musicians? I know we shouldn't be proud and should find security in God... those are "christian" answers, but why and how?

 

[Dave-W]

I have been struggling with proud, superiority attitude christian musicians for 40 years. They have to lead. They have to be seen by everyone. Theirs is the only musical sensibility that matters. rubbish.

We are called to be servants. While it may be hard for people with artistic temperaments to do that, it is what we are called to do. Use our talents to serve God and serve (be a blessing) one another. NOT our selves or our agendas. That is only serving self which is the opposite of christianity.


There is a line in traditional Jewish liturgy which many Messianic congregations keep. It is at the beginning of the Torah service (reading from the books of Moses) and it says:

Anakhnu avadim d'kudisha [b'richu]
We are servants of the Holy One. [blessed be He]

It is good to remind our selves of that fact OFTEN.

 

[iluvatar5150]

Feelings of inferiority are part and parcel of being an artist and someone who's self-aware enough to be constantly improving. Most of the rest of those feelings are also typical of someone who's trying to be good at something.

 

[brightlikeme]

Like Music there are there is other form of art, like painting , singing in which the performer losses his reality world and performs or creates art in the name of inner peace .

 

[SwordmanJr]

I like what Dave said in #2. Audiences seem to be a real ego booster, so I walked away from live performances. The struggle to "be somebody" who is praised and sought by crowds became such a ferocious battle that I finally had to decide that I was going to only record in seclusion, and give freely to others the beauty of God's music rather than to monetize it.
https://soundcloud.com/https%3A%2F%2Fsoundcloud.com%2Ffourwindsangels%2Fhe-is-victorious

 

[SOMM]

Thanks for the feedback/advice. How do I know that the above is God's desire for musicians (an honest question, not out of frustration, anger, pride, etc.)? This question does not pertain to DaveW's post, but a question for that response: how do we do that as musicians? What does it look like?

How do we be Christian musicians as God wants us to be? What does that look like?

 

[SwordmanJr]

Hmm. Those are very broad, open-ended questions. How does God work in music and the lives of musicians? Well, we have to keep in mind that we're talking about a Lord who is vastly dynamic. To see what some of us are doing outside the lime light, go to soundcloud and hear some. Here's one I finished today. Granted.....it's an existing tune from a group I don't like much, but the tune itself had some fantastic possibilities for all manner of my own creativity; especially without their strange lyrics. The Lord simply did not have it set up for many of us to be in the lime light, so we give freely as a blessing to others.
https://soundcloud.com/https%3A%2F%2Fsoundcloud.com%2Ffourwindsangels%2Fshow-must-go-on

 

[CARadke]

I grew up as a trumpet. Scratch that--a lead trumpet. No lack of ego. Fortunately there were people who endured me. One who even married me. Praise the Lord, there was One who saved me. I knew about the Lord from my childhood. I have come to know the Lord much, much later (and am still learning). I remember sitting in the sanctuary listening to a sermon from Micah 6:8, "What does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." Before that I imposed justice (my version!) and I expected mercy (for me). Humility? Not me! The journey since then has been fuller, richer, happier, and it has spread to those around me. God expects the same things from musicians that He expects from everyone else. Act justly so that others are not hurt. Love mercy for those in need. Walk humbly. With God. That's all.