Faith and Fingerpicking

Faith and Fingerpicking

           

           What is your assignment?  For several weeks now, our pastor has asked his congregation this question.  What is your God-dream, he asks us.

            Let’s open by talking a little about music.  Whether you play guitar or not, we can probably all say that we’ve at least seen someone else play guitar before.  While you can both strum or fingerpick on an acoustic guitar and on an electric guitar, if you’re like me, you usually think of strumming a song on an acoustic guitar and picking it on an electric.  As most of you probably know by now, I play basic acoustic guitar.  But I don’t know how to play electric, nor can I pick on my acoustic guitar.  Naturally when I think of playing a song on a guitar then, my conception of the music is in strum-patterns, not picking.

            In my post Symphony Sonnet from June 2012, I described our lives as being a symphony of praise to the Lord, and at the end of every post here, I explain why I chose the name “Heart-chords” for this blog.  I chose to name it “Heart-chords” because the Lord reminded that our lives are instruments on which a song- hopefully a song of praise to Him- is being played.  We can all get our arms around that ideology, right?  I had.  But God continually changes and expounds my insight as He teaches me day after day, and this is one such concept He gave me a second music lesson on. 

            Because I can’t fingerpick, when I play a song on my guitar, I use strum-patterns.  Long up and down strokes.  That’s how I’ve come to think of the melody of my life as well.  Oftentimes, our minds get wrapped around the idea that our lives will unfold all at once, the song of our lives will be played in big strokes.  We expect the pieces of our futures to all fall into place at once, to see the big picture revealed in high definition color on a big LED flat-screen.  And when it doesn’t happen like that, we get discouraged.

            But sometimes, God doesn’t play our heart-instruments as acoustic guitars, but rather, as electric guitars.  He doesn’t always show us the big picture; He doesn’t always reveal to us His entire plan for the future.  Sometimes we’re only shown the list of materials needed, not the blueprints for the construction of the house.  Sometimes He plays our lives’ melodies piece by piece in a series of very intentional, rhythmic plucking of the strings, rather than in long, even up-and-down strums.

If you play a musical instrument though, you know that it isn’t easy to play a song when you’re only given one note at a time.  Neither is it easy to patiently listen to the Lord play our life-songs by picking string by string.  But, as my best friend reminds me, “patience is a virtue.”  Still, patience isn’t easy.  When nothing seems to make sense, when we feel like we’re lost wandering aimlessly in a fog, when life doesn’t seem fair and leaves us asking “Why?” we want answers, don’t we?  We want to see the big picture.  We want to know the whole song.  We want it to unfold in big strums, in broad glimpses that make sense to our narrow understanding.  But if the Lord always revealed to us the greater picture, there wouldn’t be a need for faith, would there?  For “faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” (Heb 11:1)    

            Sometimes we also get a mindset that the Lord’s plan for our life is going to be like a big production.  Like it’s going to be a Mozart or Beethoven sonnet with all the bells and whistles and works.  We expect it to be big and to be a show-stopper.  Something that brings a “whoa.”  We want to do something “great” like be a missionary to a foreign country or an evangelist with an auditorium packed wherever he travels to preach.  There’s absolutely nothing wrong with any of these, and if the Lord has called you to a big assignment like that, then my best wishes and prayers go to you in the task you’ve been called to.  But for most of us, our assignments aren’t what we call “big”; they don’t bring a “whoa.”  For some of us, no one will even recognize the work we do.  But God still has a song for each of our lives, an assignment He wants us to fulfill.  It won’t always be a concert that elicits a big applause and draws a big crowd though.  Sometimes it’ll just be like a song fingerpicked on a guitar in a quiet bedroom.  It doesn’t get a lot of attention, it isn’t a big musical composition, but it’s still a song being played that others can hear if they listen.  The Lord doesn’t require that we bring out all the orchestra instruments or have the flashing colored lights and the disco ball when we play the song of our lives.  He only requires of us that we play the song He’s written for us, whether it unfolds in clear strums or in little plucks of fingerpicking.  Whether we’re given a sheet of music to play or only a few chords at a time.  To wait patiently and to trust in His bigger plan and greater understanding.  “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understand; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” (Pr 3:5&6)

            So I ask you not “What is your assignment?” but “What is your assignment right now?”  What are the guitar chords the Lord has given you to play in this season of your life?  Life assignments aren’t always one big composition.  Oftentimes, they’re composed of little assignments instead, a song played piece by piece on your heart-chords and on your life as your heart-instrument.  It doesn’t have to be big.  Remember, a house is built nail by nail, and the world is changed heart by heart.  Maybe your life-song doesn’t make sense right now, and that’s okay.  Trust and have faith, because remember, every song is played note by note, chord by chord, strum by strum, or sometimes… by just a little picking here and there.

 

 
“I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope.” Psalm 130:5

 

 

*Two of my favorite songs about waiting on the Lord to reveal the greater picture to us and about trusting His plans over our own understanding are Waiting Room by Jonny Diaz and While I’m Waiting by John Waller (which happens to be on the Fireproof Motion Picture Soundtrack, one of my top favorite movies).  Good stuff!  Additionally, you can find beginner guitar chords for Waiting Room on my post Jonny Diaz Song Chords on The Avid Author (www.theavidauthor.blogspot.com).

 

**Live near Dacula, Georgia, and are looking for a home church?  I welcome you to come visit my home church Cornerstone Fellowship, Assemblies of God denomination.  For service times, directions, and more information about our various classes and ministries, visit our website at mycornerstonefellowship.org.

 

Photo courtesy: www.123rf.com

 

~We’ve all heard of the phrase “pulling on her/ his heartstrings,” but heart-chords?  I was struggling to decide what to name my blog.  I wanted it to be a name that was both creative and meaningful.  As I pondered, my gaze fell upon my acoustic guitar where it stands in my bedroom, and the Lord reminded me that our hearts- our lives- are instruments.  They are constantly in song, but what melody our heart plays is each of our own decisions.  They can play a melody for praise or for entertainment.  A musician selects his songs according to his audience.  So do we.  Whether our audience is the world or the Lord, our song will be different.  This blog is designed to first, increase my awareness in finding God and His guidance in my every day and second, to share the music lessons He teaches me in tuning my heart to learn the chords of praise He longs to play on my heart-instrument.  Music is a powerful tool.  Use it for His glory.  “He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.  Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord.” Psalm 40:3