Word of the Week: Hamilton

Earlier this year I found out that Hamilton, an award winning Broadway show, is coming to the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. in 2018. I’ve been listening to the soundtrack heavily ever since (which has made me pretty easy to sneak up on in the office). Its music is lodged deeply in my head and it has rekindled my interest in the history of Revolutionary America enough to spend my free time with my nose in a biography of Alexander Hamilton.

Music has a way of doing that, doesn’t it? It can occupy our thoughts and fill the silence of our mind. It can drive our thoughts, taking our focus off some things and placing it on others. Music is a powerful force and that’s no accident – God made it that way.

The Book of Psalms, a book of songs, is a hefty chunk of the Scriptures. We spend a significant amount of time in service each week singing. There’s a reason God made music so central to Christian worship. Music has a way of orienting our thoughts and we can use this to our advantage as we pursue the life of faith.

In 2 Corinthians 10:5, Paul encourages us to take every thought captive to obey Christ. But have you ever tried to drive out temptation by not thinking about it? It doesn’t work. In fact, it can even make it worse. If you have to work to not think about something…you’re still thinking about it.

So how do we take our thoughts captive? I want to suggest that one method is music. What’s your favorite Christian hymn or worship song? In moments where your faith is tested, sing it! Let’s use the power of music to soak ourselves in the truth of Scripture. Let the music drive your thoughts, taking them off the things that draw you away from Christ and placing them on glorious grace.