“The heart wants what the heart wants”. No amount of thinking, logic, or will power can stop it. The desire wins. The Christian life is a battlefield of desires, and the call of discipleship is to cultivate a desire for the things of God.

Pastor Josh, our Connections pastor, keyed in on the word Zamar, which means, “to sing, to sing praises, to make music, to play instruments to worship God and proclaim His excellence.” Music is an essential part to loving God!

Psalm 57 is a song written by David in a cave while hiding from King Saul. David had just killed Goliath, and the people were praising him more than Saul, which created a great deal of jealousy from Saul. Saul wanted David dead, so David fled and pulled in a group of discontents. This Psalm is David’s turn to praising God with music in a dark time. We can see that music is connected to our love and affection.

1. Music reveals the desires of our heart. (verse 7)

It is important to note that the heart, in Jewish thought, is the central organ of our personal life. It connects EVERYTHING together. It is not just the “warm fuzzy” part of our emotion.

2. Music awakens our desire. (verse 8)

David wants his whole being (soul) to come alive. Awake=soul. He does this with music as he plays the harp and the lyre. He cannot muster up will power to get through his situation. Music has an impact on him (and us) as it engages the mind and the body. Music reflects the nature of God and has the ability to move our affection.

Affections is the desire that drives you. It is very different from emotions. Awakening desire is not instantaneous. It takes time and has to be developed.

3. Music can demonstrate our desires. (verse 9)

Music shouldn’t be a private experience because we should do it together. The ultimate purpose of music is to make God’s glory known. We need to sing the song of God to the people around us. Piper said, “Where felling for God is dead, worship is dead.”

ZAMAR is essential because being a Christian is a whole person faith, not an intellectual faith. This affection for God is initiated as a reflection of God’s affection for us.