We see this portrayed in movies many times. The heavy metal that blasts through the walls of the distraught teenager’s room because his parents are “ruining his life”. The depressing piano that plays during a rainy funeral scene. The intense, screechy violin in every thriller and horror movie. The stirring orchestra that plays as Queen Elsa runs through the mountains, finally free to express her true desires. Rewatch these scenes without the music, and the dramatic build up is completely lost.

But why is music such an essential part of life, and why does it have the power to evoke so much emotion? I think one reason is because music has the ability to express what words often cannot. It pulls on that deep ache of longing in your soul. Music just gets you. However, even music falls short when it comes to perfectly expressing the longing we feel. Our souls often reach this dilemma of feeling something so deeply, yet failing to fully grasp what it means. There is this feeling of something bigger, something too vast to wrap our minds around, something more.

Music is essentially the shadow of the greatest song. One that existed before time, one that flows throughout history and into eternity. One that trees, mountains, angels, and the very cosmos sings. It is a song of creation, death, love, sacrifice, loss, salvation, and glory. This song culminates and explodes in an awesome moment as people from all nations surround the throne of the glorious Jesus. Shouts of “Worthy, worthy, worthy!” echo throughout the very halls of Heaven, as all people proclaim the power, majesty and glory of this God-Man. In this moment, the soul is finally able to express it’s deepest longing as it gazes into the face of Christ; This is the song our hearts beat to. This is the song our souls long to sing.

“He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.”

Ecclesiastes 3:11