Look Up-A Music Devotional

“Look to the Lord and His strength; seek His face always.” Psalm 105:4

For my Freshman year All-District band, our director was a professor from the University of Kentucky and he was a brilliant musician. We were rehearsing one of the pieces when he stopped us with a flip of his hand. “Alright, everyone, look at measure 42. Can anyone tell me what they should do when they see that marking in your music?”

I could feel the hesitancy on the rehearsal stage. I peered at the little Latin phrase and racked my brain. It was familiar, like an itch at the back of my mind. I remembered what it meant just as a low brass player across the stage blurted out the answer.

But the director shook his head. “When you see a marking like this in your music, do the exact same thing every time.”

I cocked my head. Where was he going with this?

The director continued. “You. Look. Up.”

Oh. That clicked in my brain. I didn’t need to know all of the Latin phrases or understand what all the markings meant. All I had to do was follow my conductor and I’d be okay.

You know, the same principle applies in our own lives.

When we don’t know what to do, what choice to make, or what actions to take, all we have to do is look up. All we have to do is pray and listen, and follow the lead of the conductor of our life.

Just like learning that all I have to do is follow the conductor when my music gets difficult, all we have to do is look to God when life gets difficult.

So next time you reach a point in your life when you just don’t know what to do, look up.