The Power of a Song
/by Nadine Fetherston
You have likely heard the famous quote by St. Augustine, “He who sings prays twice.” Most people will agree that music can be powerful in prayer and can also speak to the heart in a way that spoken words cannot. Anyone who has ever sung or even listened to a song that fills their heart and soul with intense emotion, joy or sorrow, knows the power that a song has to move us, to impact us and to change us.
But, does a song have the power to change a life? Or more importantly, to save a life? Can music spark fruitful conversations allowing God to strike a chord of hope within the hearts of those we encounter?
There are a few times in life that God allows us to be touched so deeply by music that we feel compelled to action or even to question our previous convictions. Storytelling is a powerful way to share one’s life, but when put to music, the storytelling can touch the heart even deeper. We may be compelled to know more about the story behind the song and we search to find meaning behind the words and to imagine the story.
There is a beautiful pro-life song – Untold – written by Matthew West. In the song, which is written from the unborn child’s perspective, it is difficult not to imagine the story from the child’s point of view.
The chorus is:
“Every life is sacred. Every life is a gift.
And every life deserves the chance to live.
I know you’re scared,
I know you’re scared,
I know you’re scared right now.
But when you hear my first cry,
When you look in my eyes,
You’ll understand why,
You’ll understand why,
Why You brought me to life.”
This is the power of good story telling; helping us see things from another’s perspective, allowing us to enter into their experience.
Christian rapper, Manafest, says, “I’m not trying to change laws with my songs, I’m trying to change hearts.” After being impacted by watching the movies, Hush and Unplanned, he decided to write his new song, Plan for me. “I remember writing the initial verses out front of London’s school crying and praying to God how can I write this song and fill it with hope and inspiration." His daughter even did a cameo appearance within the song as she sang, You are My Sunshine. Manafest says, “I hope her gentle voice reminds people that it is a real child in that womb and that God has a purpose and plan for him or her."
The words in Plan for me, really evoke emotion and longing to the listener. What is relatable even if we do not share an experience with the song writer, is that we have all been in a place where we wish with every fibre of our being that we could make a different decision and face a new outcome.
Some of the lyrics from his song:
“But we just weren't ready, regrets, there's been many
Heavy on my shoulders, you'd be five this October
But it just gets colder every year I don't know ya
We picked out names but we were so afraid
My heart still aches, I'd do whatever it takes
If I could go back in time and make a change, I would
If I could bring ya back to life, erase the pain, I would
If I could pray ya back tonight with no delay, I would
I'll meet ya up in Heaven, back together for good.”
Well written songs can also empower us to move from indifference to passion, from apathy to action. It is remarkable to think that listening to a short song sung with emotion and feeling has the potential to impact us in a way that a monologue or a book on the subject may not. Hearing the chorus of a song, such as, Not forgotten by Phil King, may impart the listener with empathy and awareness, motivating them to respond with action.
“You are not forgotten
We are fighting for you
We've answered your silent cry to be your voice
Your life was not for nothing
We celebrate your heartbeat
The price that you paid is a fire that'll change this world”
So, does a song have the power to save a life or to change our world for the better? If through the power of the Holy Spirit, a song in fact does move us from apathy to passion and into action, this, then, becomes the perfect medley for changing our world one song and one heart at a time.
