You have put more joy in my heart

than they have when their grain and new wine abound.

I will lie down and sleep in peace,

for you alone, Lord,

make me live in safety

Psalm 4: 7-8

It's labeled as a Night Prayer. It's hard to imagine what night would be in David's time. No traffic humming on the highway, no electric lights shining through the windows, no steady glow of the alarm clock counting the hours 'til morning.

OK, so far it sounds wonderful. Imagine the incredible glory of the stars alone, shining without the constant dimming of the city lights.

But there's another side too. There was no quick flipping of a switch to identify the strange noise in the night, no reaching for the phone to call for help, no dashing to the car to quickly leave an environment suddenly unsafe.

Did David ever stop having enemies? Could he ever feel really secure?

And yet he did.

Filled with the joy of the Lord, that went far beyond grains and wine, he rested in the hands of God and slept in peace.

...his delight is in the Lord's instruction,

and he meditates on it day and night.

He is like a tree planted beside streams of water

that bears its fruit in season

and whose leaf does not wither

Psalm 1:2-3

The daily news scrolls along top of my screen as I read these verses. Teenagers with drugs, fights recorded on websites, violence and destruction across the country.

Where is our stream? What are we taking for nourishment?

The fruit is borne of the tree steeped in the fresh, flowing water. Water that soaks the banks and deposits life-giving minerals. Even in the winter, when the tree looks dead and helpless, it stores the life in it's core that will burst forth in brilliant color with the first warm touch of spring.

Where is my stream?

Am I resting in the mockers, the advise of the angry, the voices of revenge;

or am I soaking myself in the instruction of the Lord to produce His fruit in season?

The Levites:

Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel,

Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah

he and his relatives -

were in charge of the praise songs.

Nehemiah 12:8

Music was the backdrop of my life for as long as I can remember. Records on the stereo, singing in the kitchen, someone's stumbling practice on piano, saxaphone, or violin. When my children were small, it was the boom box perched on the top of the refrigerator, the brand new Christian radio station the constant joy of our days.

The stations changed, favorite tapes were discovered, then slowly gave way to CDs, but always the music was there. Then somewhere, in the midst of one more move, after school sports, the meetings and appointments of high school, it faded away. There was always still something on in the car, but I just never turned it on in the house anymore. Sometimes the kid's music would blast through the walls. Sometimes, I even liked it. But usually, even they listened primarily through individual earbuds.

And then they left. My house descended into silence.

I love that in the midst of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, repopulating the city, and recommitting their nation to God, they took time to set a group of men in charge of the praise songs.

It's time to bring back the music.