Time With The Lord

This evening my daughter had a meeting at our church. I drove her there and was left with nothing to really do: that is except one of my favorite things in the world- play the church piano. Now understand that I am not a pianist. I am a guitarist. I love to go into the sanctuary when no one else is around and keep the lights off. There is a stained glass skylight above our baptistery and it give off this amazing glow sometimes. It is airy in there and the echo causes the room to seem vast. The large wedge shaped room is perfect for these types on intimate times with me in the Lord. It is so quiet except for the occasional traffic that passes by. Other than that you can actually hear yourself breathe.

We have a cherry colored baby grand piano. It is very pretty. It needs a tuning but it works just fine for my purposes. I open the top cover to the soundboard and I expose the keys. I adjust the bench and then I sit very still for a moment just taking in the elegance of the instrument. Very carefully I select the positions at which my fingers will make the initial sounds and press down the foot pedal. Down go the thumb and forth finger on my left hand while my right hand press down the three notes I have selected. The sound launches from the soundboard and into the space of the vast room and the notes seem to be racing to be in all places at once. The sound is full and majestic. Just like the God for which this instrument serves. Gently and slowly with great care I select the next series of notes and send them chasing after the other notes still echoing off the walls. Wow! I pour out that which is in my heart the best I can and it feels like the Lord is actually listening.

Holding down the foot pedal as I finish the little piece I let the final notes ring into infinity. When I can no longer hear the faintest of sounds I quietly, as if ceremonially gently, bring the cover down over the keys and slide off of the bench and with the tenderness of a surgeons hands I lower the cover over the soundboard. All is quiet once again. In those quiet moments I tell the Lord I love Him. That I thank Him for the gift of music. I can't help but remember what God says about praises, that He inhabits the praises of His people. I wonder, as I listen to those notes dancing all around like children on a playground, is God there? Is He there in the music as well?