Music is the language of the spirit

Music is the language of the Spirit. It opens the secret of life; bringing peace, abolishing strife.

Kahil Gibran


This quote from Kahil Gibran says a lot about music in very few words. Music is a language. It is the language of our souls, and it is the expression of the soul. For some Christians, music is the language of the Holy Spirit.

Music is also a peacemaker and a unifier. Many people in divisive situations can be brought together just by singing or playing an instrument together. Many people affected by tragic events, such as 9/11, tsunamis, and earthquakes come together in song and worship to make sense of the suffering and pray for comfort. The Taize song, "Stay with me, Remain Here with Me, Watch and Pray," was one meditative song that was sung at my seminary soon after the 9/11 bombings, and it is a song that has etched an indeliable mark in my heart. 

As Victor Hugo said, "Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent." Sometimes what we feel emotionally or spiritually cannot be put into words, but only through our voices and our instruments. Sometimes music is the only way one can express oneself when words don't suffice.