My friend Jonathan writes…

I was visiting a house church in Michigan with some friends. We had just received news that we did not get the five-year visa for South Asia that we were hoping for. Instead, we only got a one-year visa. This was difficult news, but we were trusting God that he would make the most out of it.

This matter was on my mind as the time of time of worship started. We, the gathered body of believers, were crowded around the piano in the living room that morning. The worship time was a good time of connecting with Jesus. During the last song, the worship leader hit the wrong note on the piano.

My immediate thought was, “Oh, I like that sour note.” I like classical music and one of my favorite composers uses a lot of dissonance. He crafts pieces that combine dissonant notes on top of each other, and but then uses those notes to create a harmony that crescendos into something incredibly beautiful. When you listen to his work for long enough you start to understand how the dissonant notes form pieces of the whole, and how they become part of the beauty that later emerges.

Immediately after I thought, “Oh, I like that sour note,” I heard the Lord say, “I did that just for you.” I felt God’s presence and joy. He is teaching me to see how he works even the disappointments together into something beautiful.

I find it intriguing to think that even the worship leader—who may have felt embarrassed for hitting the wrong note—was being used by God through what felt like a mistake. Afterward, I told her about what had happened, and she was encouraged because just earlier that day she had been explaining to her son what dissonance and then demonstrating it for him on the piano. God prepared each of us to hear from him an interesting way.

Reflection

Does it feel like something has gone wrong in your life? Do you feel dissonance between the way things are and the way you think things should be? If so, why don’t you stop and have a conversation with the Lord about this? Could it be that what feels like a mistake is actually part of the harmony that God is composing in your life?

Reader Response

I just finished reading What if Listening to God Was Easy? I loved the stories! They both helped me understand the points that were being illustrated, and they made the book so much easier read. But I also found myself needing to pause after every chapter to go spend time in prayer and try to listen to God. Thank you! The book has been a real blessing. —Aaron

Piano photo by Jordan Whitfield on Unsplash. Singing group photo by cottonbro studio from Pexels.