We’re so excited about the new Looking for Lovely Bible study by Annie F. Downs! You may have seen and even read the book by the same name. The Bible study dives deeper into the biblical response to the issues Annie writes about in the book. You’ll learn to look for the loveliness of God, no matter the situation. When we learn to see the beauty around us, we also learn to persevere through the difficult seasons in our lives. In the Bible study, Annie looks at four different careers from biblical times and how those people found lovely in their everyday. Below is an excerpt from the session on musicians.
Because Annie is an expert playlist maker and writes a lot about music, we also asked her to curate a playlist for us to go with the Bible study and this session. You’ll find it embedded below the excerpt. To see more about the study and purchase a copy, click here.
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I listen to music as I get ready every morning. My friend Christen taught me how to make playlists on my iTunes® (which makes me feel like an old woman to need tech help like that), and so I listen to my “get thee ready” list as I pry my eyes open and get my day moving.
Those songs, as my day goes by, always pop back into my head. I still sing them throughout my day. But the one by Housefires called “Good Good Father” comes back almost daily. I sing along to it in my mind (or out loud if there are no humans around).
Based on what’s going on with my day, or in my heart, I take their melody and some of their words and add my own. Because sometimes I like to worship God through a song that’s my own and sometimes getting through a hard day or a hard moment is only possible when I bring my own lovely truth into it.
Do you ever do that?
And Mary said:
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
47 and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior,
48 because He has looked with favor
on the humble condition of His slave.
Surely, from now on all generations
will call me blessed,
49 because the Mighty One
has done great things for me,
and His name is holy.
50 His mercy is from generation to generation
on those who fear Him.
51 He has done a mighty deed with His arm;
He has scattered the proud
because of the thoughts of their hearts;
52 He has toppled the mighty from their thrones
and exalted the lowly.
53 He has satisfied the hungry with good things
and sent the rich away empty.
54 He has helped His servant Israel,
mindful of His mercy,
55 just as He spoke to our ancestors,
to Abraham and his descendants forever.Luke 1:46-55
In this passage, Mary visited her relative, Elizabeth. We know from earlier in the chapter that Elizabeth was also miraculously pregnant with John the Baptist.
Think about the situation Mary was in. She was young, unmarried, and pregnant.
She had heard from an angel that she would give birth to God’s Son. Can you imagine? She sings this song in the middle of being unsure of her future.
It’s always hard for me to sing from the middle. Sing at the start? I can do that. Because at the start I’m so full of hope and excitement and WOOHOO! Sing at the end? Yes, please. We made it, the race is over; I knew we’d be fine—let’s celebrate! But in the middle? When things seem hard and unsure and you don’t totally know where it’s going? You gotta sing from there. You have to persevere there, let your worship build character in you.
I see that in me. Whether it’s because I’m sad, lonely, or afraid, I see in me times when I don’t want to sing the songs that are on the screen at church. It takes me mustering up some courage to say some of the lyrics that feel hard to believe. And every time I sing them, I believe a little more. It grows my character and causes just a little muscle growth in my soul. Even if I’m smack in the middle, if I’ll sing true things to God about God, it helps me hang on.
What’s a situation where you’re right in the middle, like Miriam and Mary?
I’m going to ask you to do a little something crazy. Pick your favorite worship song and let it start playing in the background. Maybe it’s something new and modern or maybe it’s an old hymn, but just start playing it.