I’ve always loved music.
I took piano for ten years. Can’t play anything anymore. (Sorry, Mrs. Tyler. It’s not your fault.) Played guitar off and on. Mostly off. (Sorry, Steve. Not your fault either.) But while my proficiency for playing music has faded to nothing, my love for LISTENING to it is stronger than ever.
I’m an auditory learner and absorb things best when I hear them. I can memorize songs quickly, and I do. Tons of them. And songs I’ve heard a zillion times before can hit me at just the right moment and bring me to tears.
I really love key changes. You know, when a song has been rocking on: verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, chorus, chorus. It’s usually between the bridge and that second-to-last chorus. Oh man. Makes my heart pound.
I’ll never forget the first time I heard Tim McGraw’s Live Like You Were Dying. It’s a heavy song and I was sucked in right from the beginning, hanging on every word. The bridge started to build, then there was this huge drumbeat and the chorus blasted out again in a higher key. I actually gasped out loud and tears sprang to my eyes. Just took my breath away.
I used to run the words on the screen during worship services at First Baptist in Ocala. I would attend Tuesday night band rehearsals to familiarize myself with the songs, make a note of when they would repeat a chorus, etc. I was always intrigued by the band members’ conversations and how they would decide to play the songs.
One thing I remember hearing fairly often was, “Why don’t we play it in a higher key? That would add some energy.” And they were right. It always did.
A year or so ago, my life needed a key change. Not a whole new song. Just a different key. You know, to add some energy. Totally God’s idea. And it worked. (His ideas usually do.)
One of the side effects of my key change was I started to really get serious about my purpose in life. God had (has) a plan and I became desperate to do it. I began to see my time here on earth as precious, something to pour myself into, instead of something to just grind through and survive. Key change. Added energy.
Does your marriage suck right now? Are the toddlers or teenagers in your life threatening your sanity? Is that habit you started to ‘take the edge off’ leading you off the edge? Are you drowning in loneliness? Paralyzed by purposelessness?
It may be time for a key change to add energy. You may have to ask for help (horror of horrors!) from parents, siblings, counselors, friends, God. Your life just might need a little more life in it. Take responsibility for your part of your struggling marriage and fix it. Read some books about kids and try a new strategy. Commit to do whatever it takes to kick the addiction and start it immediately. Embrace opportunities to connect with others when you usually hide. Keep the song. Change the key.
But there are a few of us who need more than a new key; we need a whole new song.
As a music lover, I have been known to get hooked on ‘my jam,’ my current favorite song, and just wear my family out with it.
I was enjoying one such song on repeat one day as Caroline and I went about our afternoon errands. We had just driven through Chick-fil-A and I was lost in my jam, with a fountain Diet Coke to boot. Life was good.
But Caroline just couldn’t take it anymore. And desperate times call for desperate measures.
“Hey, Mom. If I give you one of my chicken nuggets, will you change the song?”
Hmph. Fine. Food bribery is a trump card for both of us, but we only use it in absolute emergencies. She was right. It was time for a new song.
I’m not big on change. Even when the worship leader at church says he’s going to teach us a new song, I inwardly groan. Come on, man. Sing something I know. Then half the time I walk out with a new favorite and have it downloaded before we even make it to the car.
Is God asking you to sing a new song?
[By the way, if you’re looking for a way out of the life God has put you in, this is not an excuse to bail on responsibilities you’ve become bored with. I don’t believe God ever calls you to abandon your spouse and/or children to go do what makes you ‘feel alive.’ Grow up. Figure out a way to feel alive where you are and take care of your business.]
But some of you have gotten stuck: in a job, in a relationship, in a place. It may have been something God called you to for a season and that season is over. Or it may be something He never wanted for you in the first place.
Either way, God may be asking you for a whole new song.
This is news to some of you. You may be thinking, Oh, THAT’S what it is! I knew something was starting to feel off, like I was supposed to be doing something else or be somewhere else. I’m gonna chase this one down in prayer and start putting some feelers out. Time for a new song.
Others of you have known this for a while, but have been unwilling to make a move. Life is a little boring, feeling kinda pointless. But at least it’s familiar. And it worked so well for so long. Maybe if I just push through this slump, it’ll start working again.
Maybe it will. Or maybe God’s going to let it not work for as long as it takes to get you to sing Him a new song.
Is your job sucking the life out of you and no amount of personal zeal will change the landscape? Has that friendship become completely one-sided? Is there a new city, state, country on your mind that you can’t stop thinking about?
Is God humming a strange melody you’ve never heard before but at the same time feels like home?
It may be time for a whole new song. A job change to re-engage your passion and purpose. A relationship ended to create room for healthy ones. A change of scenery with new people and new possibilities.
Sound scary? I’ve got good news: God isn’t asking you to WRITE a new song. He’s already done that. He just wants you to sing along. Those of us who are most afraid of change are usually the ones who need it the most.
And be prepared for pushback from those around you. Whether you’re healthy or not, they’re used to you. They’ve got you figured out. They know what to expect from you. And if you start whistling a new tune, you might make them nervous. They may discourage you from dreaming, shame you for discontentment, pressure you to stay the way you are. More for their benefit than your own.
But those who really love you and want what’s best for you will honor the stirrings in your heart. Ask for their biblical discernment and wisdom in what is needed: a key change or a whole new song. And if it’s something God is calling you to, they will support you and cheer you on, even if it means a change in their own lives.
And don’t expect Satan to stay quiet in this discussion either. If he smells someone who has previously been under his radar for lack of effectiveness suddenly stepping into the life God has for them, he’s not going to let it be easy. Your new key or new song may be hard won. Don’t give up when you meet resistance. It may be a sign that you’re on the right track.
Your life is an ongoing act of worship to your King. Are you surrendered? Humble? Available? Aware? Listening? If so, you are right where you need to be. God will not keep His desires for your life a secret. He WANTS you to know His purpose for you. For His greater glory, our richer joy and the salvation of the nations.
So you’re restless. Are you singing the right song? If so, find a new key. Add some energy. And then throw your head back and sing it loud and proud to anyone who will listen. Make that joyful noise (Psalm 100 KJV).
If not, gather some courage and ask God what needs to change. Let Him put a new song in your mouth (Psalm 40).
Almost five years ago now, I had to learn a whole new song. My location changed, my family situation changed, my job changed, my entire life changed. It was scary. And the learning curve was painful.
But a couple years after that, I changed the key. And the things I do each day aren’t all that different than they were before. Dry tears, go to work, run errands, fold clothes, feed people, put out some fires, try to keep others going, etc. But there’s more energy. My heart is running on all eight cylinders. I feel it. And I love it.
God has written your song. Ask Him to teach it to you as He rejoices over you with singing (Zephaniah 3:17).
And after you’ve heard it a couple times, blend your voice with His and witness the creation of a masterpiece.
