Originating in the heavenly court, music has been a huge blessing to humanity. It transcends cultural boundaries, defies linguistic limitations, and speaks to the depths of our souls in ways that words often cannot. Indeed, the allure of music is as timeless as it is universal, captivating hearts and minds across generations and continents. But what is it about music that resonates so deeply within us? Have you ever wondered why we are so attracted to music? What makes us enjoy and love music?
Three Elements of Music
To address our inquiry, let us delve into the three fundamental elements of music. Every musical piece comprises rhythm, harmony, and melody. These components are essential; without them, the essence of music diminishes. Rhythm dictates the temporal structure of sound, guiding its progression. Without rhythm, music cannot proceed beyond the first note. Then, there is the melody, which narrates the musical story. Without melody, it is nothing but ambient noise. Lastly, harmony evokes emotion, imbuing the composition with various moods such as joy, sorrow, clarity, mystery, or discord. Without harmony, music feels hollow, lacking depth and resonance.
Interestingly, this concept mirrors the three facets of our life. Firstly, our life unfolds along a timeline, like a rhythm. Various events and experiences occur at distinct points in time. This leads us to the second element, actions and occurrences, reminiscent of melody. Together, they compose the symphony of our lives. For instance, I was baptized when I was 12, started university at 22, got married when I was 26, etc. Today, I woke up at 6:30 in the morning, took the bus at 6:45, arrived at work at 6:55, and started work at 7:00, etc. Right now, I am writing this article and just typed this sentence. At every moment and time, we have different actions and events in our lives.
However, time and actions do not tell us everything. This is not what our lives are all about. There is one thing missing—feeling. In every moment, we have a feeling. It might be happiness, sadness, peace, emptiness, complexity, or unpleasantness. Even if the feeling is not strong or expressive, it always exists in our hearts. Without feelings, we would be like a robot. In this way, time, actions, and feelings are three elements of our lives.
“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.” Ecclesiastes 3:1–8
Therefore, we can see that music is very similar to our lives, sharing common components. This is why we are attracted to music. Music is a form of art that reflects and expresses our lives. It is the mirror of our lives. It is our story and testimony.
The Purpose of Music
My piano instructor in Japan used to tell me, “The whole point of practicing so hard is to let someone else listen to it.” The purpose of music is sharing. Musicians do not sing or play for themselves but for the audience. Through music, they convey the message, the story, and the feelings. It is the same in our lives. The purpose of life is to share the love of God we experience in our lives.
“A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are My disciples, if ye have love one to another.” “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” John 13:34–35; Acts 1:8
Whether intentional or not, we influence each other. Our life is a constant influence upon someone else, just as the music reaches our ears when we walk down a street in a city. It might be our family, friends, colleagues, church members, or even strangers on the street. Through our actions, words, and even our facial expressions, we influence others. The influence might be small or big. But one sure thing is that our music is constantly delivered to someone else. And unfortunately, without the Holy Spirit, our music is the one that leads to darkness, destruction, and death.
“As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: Their feet are swift to shed blood: Destruction and misery are in their ways: And the way of peace have they not known: There is no fear of God before their eyes.” “Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one.” Romans 3:10–18; Job 14:4
Then, how can our lives be hymns and praises? How can our music be a beautiful scent to God? How can our stories lead others to salvation? How can our influence be “the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14)?
Three Elements of Creation
In the realm of Physics, it is often posited that existence comprises three fundamental elements: time, space, and matter. If any of these is missing, nothing can exist. Even in the presence of space and matter, the absence of time precludes existence. Similarly, even if we have time and matter, if there is no spatial dimension to accommodate them, existence remains unattainable. Furthermore, in the presence of time and space, if there is no matter to fill them, existence remains an impossibility.
This principle is written in the very first verse of the Bible: “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” Genesis 1:1
In the beginning (time), God created the heaven (space) and the earth (matter). And here we see an amazing truth. God is not ruled by any of these physical laws. God created time, space, and matter. God is a supernatural being that exists beyond the principles of physics.
Astoundingly, these three elements of existence beautifully resonate with counterparts found in music and life. Time in physics aligns with rhythm in music and time in life. Space is an outline of existence, ready to be filled. Therefore, it can be referred to as the melody of music and actions/events of life. Then what do we fill it with? Yes, harmony and emotions.
Now, let us think again about how God exists beyond these elements of physics. It is the same as music. Musicians make music. And, of course, musicians do not exist within music. They are not governed by rhythm, melody, and harmony. Instead, the musician exists outside of the music and “creates” rhythm, melody, and harmony.
However, things change when it comes to our lives. We cannot control our time, events/actions, and feelings. We cannot change the past or future. We cannot decide what will happen to our lives tomorrow. So many things happen to us unexpectedly. “Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.” James 4:14; Proverbs 27:1
Furthermore, we cannot control our actions or feelings either. “For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.” “For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.” Romans 7:15; Galatians 5:17
Unlike music or creation, we are governed by the elements. Musicians create music, and God creates the world, but we cannot create our lives. Therefore, we should ask someone who can exist beyond these components to be the composer of our lives.
Yes, the answer is God, the Creator. With the same hands that created time, heaven, and earth, He can choose the rhythm, melody, and harmony of our lives. The One who created music itself can also create the music of our lives. Our God is the God of music.
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.” “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.” 2 Corinthians 5:17; Ezekiel 36:26; Psalm 51:10
Let us entrust our lives to God. Then, He will make them into beautiful pieces of music that lead souls to life. The art of His creation that we see and the beautiful sound of music that we hear are all assurances of His power to compose our lives. May your life be a piece of music that testifies of His power of creation. Amen.
Makoto Matsumoto