7 Sing to the Lord with grateful praise;
make music to our God on the harp. Psalm 147:7

If you think this verse is about harps, you’re missing a major point. A harp is but one instrument designed to make something beautiful out of nothing but strings and wood. It’s the passions and desires of the instrumentalist that can transform the cold, lifeless instrument into musical beauty.

If you have a voice, use it. If you plan an instrument, use it. If you can’t sing a tune “in a barrel,” sing anyhow. It’s the heart that matters.

I was singing in a combined choral and orchestra performance one time, and during rehearsal at the end of a clarinetist’s shaky solo, the director noted that she had better not make those kinds of mistakes during the concert.

Say what?

The perfectionist director was missing the point of the musical event completely. Could this clarinetist bring glory and honor to God with her nervous solo? Absolutely. Could the director bring dishonor to God by his words toward this girl in front of 100 of her peers? Absolutely.

It’s the heart that matters. It’s always about the heart.