Whole Rest

Hello friends,

It is but a couple of days before my spring break and I have been patiently anticipating that most blessed respite from my daily grind. Whether or not spring break is in the works for you, I bet the idea of rest is one that is always welcome. I believe that desire for rest is one that has been placed within us by our good Creator to help us remember who He is and who we are. Out of the dust He made us, but He made us in His likeness. Therefore, just as He rested after His work of creating, we also need to rest at regular intervals.

Yet, not all of us like the idea of rest, whether in life or in music. I find that the younger or the more inexperienced the performer, the more uncomfortable he/she is with silence. Even more experienced musicians have to remind themselves that it is okay to observe the rests indicated in the music. It is as if there is this magnetic pull inside of us toward more and more sound. This tendency in us has but conditioned us and our audiences to grow uncomfortable with silence, which partly explains the decline in recital attendance. A loud rock band is more likely to attract huge crowds than the most accomplished classical guitarist because of the sheer volume of sound generated.

In music, rests are signs that indicate a time of silence or a brief interruption in the continuum of a musical execution. They exist to frame specific sections of music and to heighten our aural readiness for what is to come. Whole rests are even more effective in that they require more attentiveness for a whole measure. I recall hearing in a sight-singing class this seemingly innocent question,

"why do we have to have these stupid rests?"

And yes, for those of you who are theory teachers, the question came [unfortunately] from a singer. The wise professor calmly answered,

"...because music would cease to exist without the blessing of silence... there would simply be this unending cacophony...and you'd be out of a job since you must breathe in order to sing."

Ouch! Humorous or hurtful though it was, the previous exchange poignantly made me aware of the fact that without silence, there can be no music. Without music, there can be no heartbeat. And without a heartbeat, there can be no life.

This connection between silence, music, heartbeat, and life points me directly to God's word. Psalm 4:4 says,

"...when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent."

Silence affords us the opportunity to place our hearts before the mirror of Christ so the hidden desires of our hearts can be exposed to us and cleansed by the Master refiner. When that occurs, silence ushers us into a place where we can hear the beauteous voice of Christ, which is music to our ears. The word of the Lord, according to Psalm 19, revives the soul and gives joy to the heart, creating the kind of heartbeat that produces and sustains life. Such a life that even the angels pale in comparison.

Christ offers us the only rest that we truly need but we seem to go in all kinds of directions looking for cheap, unfulfilling, depleting rest. We are a plugged-in culture making continuous noise the source of choise for "rest." We have grown incredibly restless, contentious, and haggard in our pursuit for more relaxation. Whole industries are based on vacation, entertainment, leisure, and pleasure such as resorts, movie theaters, tours, etc... How often do we jokingly say to each other, "I need a vacation from my vacation?" After a long day of work or school, do you find yourself longing to park yourself in front of the TV or mindlessly surfing site after site on the internet? With spring break coming or any other break for that matter, do your plans include a time of restoration with God or do you simply plan activity after activity with an occasional fastfood prayer? Often, these leisure plans require a great deal of money and time, the two "lords" of our era. Are you allowing your time and money to dethrone Jesus with your vacation plans?

It is staggering to think that Jesus is doing something entirely different with His vacation. Ever since He ascended to heaven, the scriptures tell us that He is sitting (resting, vacationing) at the right hand of God. Doing what? He is preparing a place for you and me, watching over us, grieving when we disobey, rejoicing when we honor Him, providing for our needs, working tirelessly to bring His kingdom to completion, orchestrating the events leading to His union with His beloved church. In His vacation, He is hard at work preparing for eternal intimacy with His bride. What are WE doing for our gloriously handsome groom? Are we resting in Him or are we running from Him?

My prayer is that we will cherish His words found in Matthew 11:28-29,

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."

Jesus, the Music of all ages, the Heartbeat of every believer, the Hound of heaven, beckons us to enter His rest, true rest. Won't we heed His call?