Cacophony – a harsh discordance of sound; a meaningless mixture of sounds.
Not a word I use in a sentence very often. I don’t even recall where I first heard it. But I thought it was a neat word, and it stuck in my head. Interestingly, the only time it really pops in my head is when I start to realize that the day-to-day craziness in my life has gotten in the way of my day-to-day connection with my Savior. All that stuff I’m worried about in life has become a cacophony – and I need to get back to the symphony of life God’s way.
It can be a struggle not to let the “stuff” we are doing every day crowd out time spent in the Word or in prayer. After all, much of what we’re setting out to accomplish is good and necessary. Keeping a clean home. Being a hard worker. Raising kids. Exercising. But if we don’t make our relationship with Jesus our number one priority, we won’t even notice it fading away until suddenly we can barely make out the sound of it in the distance being drowned out by all the noise in our life. It becomes harder and harder to hear the melody when you haven’t listened in a while.
If we want to keep making the beautiful music that we can make when we’re living in concert with God, we need to keep our eyes on the conductor. We have to start every day in prayer, praising God for who he is and thanking him for all he’s done in our life. We have to remain in prayer throughout our day, remembering that he is by our side and ready to join us in the concert of our life if we stop trying to be an orchestra of one and allow him to play his part.
And we can be assured that if we remain in the Lord’s orchestra, we will be appearing with Jesus at the final curtain call!
“Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.” John 15:4
Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me. Psalm 51:10
Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. James 4:8
I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Psalm 119:11
Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. Joshua 1:8
It is good to proclaim your unfailing love in the morning, your faithfulness in the evening. Psalm 92:2
It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, anxiously working for food to eat; for God gives rest to his loved ones. Psalm 127:2
Let me hear of your unfailing love each morning for I am trusting you. Show me where to walk for I give myself to you. Psalm 143:8