Music is Medicine by Dr. Lisa Burkhardt Worley
This week, I attended the symphony at the Meyerson Symphony Center in downtown Dallas. It was a very special performance of Defiant Requiem: Verdi at Terizín. During the Holocaust at the Theresienstadt Concentration Camp, prisoner Rafael Schäcter, a graduate of the Prague Conservatory, using a smuggled score and a single piano, organized a 150-person Jewish choir to perform Verdi’s Requiem 16 times between 1943 and 1944. Singing the words to the Nazis gave the prisoners the courage to persevere and to defy Nazi brutality. Schächter told choir members, “We will sing to the Nazis what we cannot say to them.” Most of the choir members were deported to Auschwitz and murdered in the gas chambers. Schächter perished a month before liberation, but despite the lack of food and horrific living conditions, the music provided temporary joy during imprisonment.
Why do I share this story? It’s because God created music, and it can get us through the most difficult of times.
My great-great paternal grandmother used to take her children to the hospital and sing for those who were ill.
In the Bible, when King Saul was tormented by evil spirits, he was soothed when David played his lyre.
Whenever the spirit from God came on Saul, David would take up his lyre and play. Then relief would come to Saul; he would feel better, and the evil spirit would leave him (1 Samuel 16:23).
And music still has its medicinal qualities today. While I did not take after several family members, including my mother, who were talented musicians, I still appreciate music, and it is an important aspect of my life. I start my day with worship. I often flood my home with music, and I love corporate worship of the LORD. When I went through a difficult move from South Texas to North Texas, music is what guided me through situational depression.
If you are feeling low, turn on some spirit-led music. The enemy of your soul cannot survive when it is playing!
The Bible has many references to the importance of music. Psalm 104:33 says that music is a lifetime gift: I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being. Music opens the doors to the presence of God. Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs (Psalm 100:1-2). And music is the way we show our great appreciation for the LORD and for the life He has given us. My lips will shout for joy, when I sing praises to you; my soul also, which you have redeemed (Psalm 71:23).
How has music impacted your life?
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Our Level-Up Women’s Conference is coming up a week from today. Have you bought your ticket? This is going to be a powerful event and we will have plenty of music provided by singer/songwriter, Renee Rollins. This year, our guest speaker is Purpose Author and Coach, Beth Townsend, as we Level-Up Purpose, Level-Up Pampering, and Level-Down Pain. Will you join us on Saturday at Venture X in Lewisville from 10:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m. We know you will love the fellowship! Here’s a link to sign up: https://2025LevelUp.eventbrite.com.