Decades ago a friend asked me to record a song he was going to play in a chapel. I do not recall that there was anything special, about the day, time, or request. It was the kind of thing that friends do for other friends when asked. There are two reasons the moment stayed with me.
The trivial reason is that I had to use two paper clips to connect the tape recorder into the sound system. With a weird, only on television does it work kind of way, it worked. I cannot remember why I did not have the right patch cord, but I do recall the oddball solution.
The primary reason is the echo I still hear from a pure expression of joy and trust. Two young men, friends, hanging out and sharing a moment remains etched in my mind and heart. Using an acoustic guitar, the sounds of his fingers strumming a guitar and singing along in the padded wall room came together as something straight from the heart. The setting, a room of near perfect stillness, was a stage where the audience we were playing to was God.
I remember the words and the melody. Yet I also remember more. The state of my heart was a prayer of love, faith, and trust. In the end I used David’s words to say thank-you; “I sing to God, the Praise-Lofty, and find myself safe and saved.” (Psalm 18.3)
It was an amazing moment. There have been others like this since. I wonder why I do not go back to them more often. It seems as if the busyness of life, the fear of what could happen, is paralyzing my soul. Life is defined by the evil outside rather than the divine connection that touches every part of my being. I know I do not have to remain strapped to my fears. In hearing the echo today, I know God is here. “All my life, in the good and bad of life, whether I win or lose, still I choose to live my life…”
