when music filled my soul

Today at church a young woman sung a beautiful arrangement of one of my favorite hymns. It was actually the exact arrangement that I played when I was a teenager. I remember practicing this accompaniment over and over, with no one but myself to sing the words. I remember feeling the powerful presence of the Holy Ghost as I played, played notes that penetrated me and filled me full.

He lives! All glory to His name!

He lives, my Savior, still the same.

Oh, sweet the joy this sentence gives:

"I know that my Redeemer lives!"

As the accompanist played the arrangement, I was brought back to moments in my life when I solidified my own knowledge of Jesus Christ as my Savior. Tears welled as I recalled those sacred impressions, and even now I shiver in joy when I hear certain measures from that music. I've said it before in this series, and I'll say it over and over and over, because this is the crux of everything: God is gracious. He loves us. Always.

This post is part of a 31-day series on gracious living. You can find the other posts here.