John and me–1964 (?)
The third and last home of my childhood, the one we moved to when I was ten, is of course the one I remember best. With no effort at all I can conjure up the kitchen and imagine Mom at the sink, peeling potatoes for dinner, while I cut up veggies or fruit for a salad.
I can see Dad in the basement, working on his current carpentry project, and my younger brother John puttering with the wood scraps.
Surrounding us all–thanks to the speakers Dad had installed in every room–was the sweet and serene instrumental music of a nightly radio program called “Candlelight and Silver”.
Such memories provide clarity for a statement made by author and pastor Alexander Maclaren:
The memories of those evenings at home (as seen through rose-tinted glasses, I admit) help me understand: dwelling in God’s presence doesn’t mean constant awareness of him, any more than my family was constantly aware of the radio music.
We were occupied with other things and conversing with one another, yet influenced nonetheless by the beautiful and soothing melodies in the background.
But it wasn’t just the music that contributed to those peaceful times. It was the atmosphere of love. Mom and Dad were clearly devoted to one another.
And though disagreements certainly occurred, I don’t remember a single quarrel.
Between them they created a stable, supportive environment in which my brother and I could flourish.
(Had the opposite been true, and their relationship contentious, not even sweet melodies coming from the radio could have dispelled the resulting atmosphere of anger and tension.)
Similarly, our Heavenly Father’s presence is like sweet music because of the atmosphere of love he continually provides. After all:
Think of it: the Most High God of the universe is not just near; he is here. In this moment. With you. With me.
And we have the privilege of knowing him.
But wait! There’s more, and it’s even more incredible: This King of kings actually wants to dwell with us. “I have loved you with an everlasting love,” he declares with compassion. “I have drawn you with unfailing kindness”. [1]
So how do we train ourselves to hear that undercurrent of sweet Song?
We can start with daily scripture-reading and prayer, as well as weaving moments of worship and praise into our routines, so there’s never a day we aren’t in contact with God [2].
And what will be the result? Troubles will be made bearable, joys will be brightened, and a peaceful calm will permeate the atmosphere—even in the midst of busyness.
It’s true: “Dwelling [in the sweet music of God’s constant presence] is a little piece of heaven on earth”—Stephanie Bryant [3].
* * * * * * * * * *
O Sovereign God! Thank you for singing over us your song of love, compassion, and faithfulness and gifting us with a little piece of heaven on earth.
Even when nothing else around us is good, the sweet music of your presence in the midst of deep pain is a good gift indeed [4].
And as we live in the undercurrent of your Song, may we learn to tune our hearts, our minds, our lives, to voice your melodies [5].
In the power of your name we pray, AMEN.
[1] Jeremiah 31:3
[2] See the previous blog post, Ten Ways to Keep Mindful of God.
[3] p. 367, A Moment to Breathe, Denise J. Hughes, ed.
[4] Aliza Lotta, Take Heart, p. 162, Grace P. Cho and Anna E. Rendell, ed.
[5] Douglas Kaine McKelvey, Every Moment Holy, p. 250.
Art & photo credits: Nancy Ruegg; wwwpublicdomainpictures.com (Sabine Sauermaul); http://www.canva.com; http://www.heartlight.org; http://www.flickr (Faye Mozingo); http://www.pxhere.com.
From the Inside Out 
Hallelujah and a big AMEN Nancy!! ❤
Thank you Kristi!
I can imagine you and your mom in the kitchen, too! I’m picturing a Formica table and yellow metal kitchen cabinets, and a tile floor. I can hear the music soothing everyone before nighttime rituals ending with prayers. Thank you for the wonderful nostalgic scene of love and praise. Yes, God is here!
The walls may have been yellow, Nancy but the cabinets and table were wood–all made by Dad. The table fit perfectly into a corner, flanked by two benches with storage beneath–banquette style. Can you see it?! 😁
Yes, I can see it and I like it much more than Formica!
A beautiful tribute to your parents!
Thank you, Joyce. As I’ve mentioned before, since you knew my parents, you’re one person who will understand: I’m not exaggerating what wonderful people they were!
Amen and amen 🙏🏽 the presence of God is the sweetest music for our souls
There’s something to be said for kindred spirits enjoying God’s sweet song together, even across the blogosphere!
I can’t begin to tell you how much I needed this assurance today, Nancy. His sweet song permeates our souls, even if and when we don’t recognize His presence in that troubling moment or thought. God will never abandon us; all we need to do is turn up the volume of His voice and listen with rapture.
Sweet memories and photos, my friend!
Blessings!
I’m praising God here for his leading, from the seed of an idea he gave me, through the multiple revisions that he helped me fine-tune. Then he used the post to provide assurance to you, Martha. It’s always a thrill, isn’t it, when our God-prompted words minister to someone else. Hallelujah! Thank you for letting me know.
Amen! So beautiful. Thank you, Nancy!
Thank you, Bridget! Praise God you found beauty here.
Amen and amen and AMEN! Three tornadoes hit our area yesterday. We went almost 20 straight hours with no electricity. It is currently hailing. But God is giving me strength… Yikes that hail sounds Big!
Oh Linda! I pray the hail didn’t damage your property, and that the undercurrent of God’s Song helped to calm your concerns!
Yesterday in my devotions the Lord reminded me that He loves me because of who He is, not because I deserve His love. And here it is again in your blog! And even though my childhood had its trials having Jesus in my heart made it happy anyway. The certainty of being a child of God was a comfort and provided an anchor when things weren’t so perfect.
I think your heart must have been tuned to God’s Song even when you were a child, Cheri. You heard his words of comfort, strength, and reassurance–even in the background. I STILL need to be reminded that God loves me because of who his is and not because of who I am! But I do want to please him, to bring him delight as I continue to grow into the image of Christ. I know you feel the same!
Uhm… baseball sized hail, my phone’s emergency alert says. It is still hailing and it sounds terrible. Like nothing I ever heard before. The Lord is my Shepherd…. Amen
How are things today, my friend?
There doesn’t seem to be any damage to our property, which is amazing. Many buildings in our town have significant damage from the wind and hail. We are currently under another tornado watch, with severe thunderstorms expected to hit our area again in about 2 to 3 hours. I’m feeling a little numb right now!
Praise God you incurred no damage to your property, Linda. I pray the chain of storms has finally subsided and you can breathe normally again!
As it turns out, I was mistaken about there being no damage. The hail did a number on our truck that is parked in our driveway. Thankfully, we have insurance to cover that. My husband is also going to have an expert look at our roof, in case there’s some damage that isn’t apparent from the ground.
We had another thunderstorm last night, but no hail. Today is beautiful weather. Our extreme drought that has plagued this area for years is over, thank the Lord! It just feels a little strange going from countless fire danger warnings, to tornadoes, baseball sized hail, and flash flooding!
Amen, Nancy, I love these words! It made me smile to envision your childhood home and sweet worship music playing in the background of your family life. This is the atmosphere I will always strive to have for my family and grandchildren, that they feel God’s presence in our home and in all the places we are together.
To be honest, the program “Candlelight and Silver” wasn’t worship music, but selections from the likes of Mozart, Mendelssohn, and Schubert, produced by Moody Radio. At other times of day we did hear much Christian music. What a worthy goal you have chosen for your family, Debbie! I pray that my family may experience the same.
🙏❤️🙏❤️
love seeing your old photo and beautiful walk down memory lane with you with a great spiritual lesson too.
Thank you, Jean. I’d planned to use a favorite photo of the four of us from the late 60s, but its place in the scrapbook is empty!! It’s not in the photo files either. There are very few such pics because Dad took movies, not snapshots–and he was always behind the camera. ‘Sure hope that family photo turns up!
Amen and Amen, Nancy. Your upbringing sounds almost identical to mine. I love “Every Moment Holy”…the liturgies are written so beautifully. I read at least one every day.
How delightful we have wonderful memories of childhood in common, Pam! As for “Every Moment Holy,” one of our pastors quoted from it one Sunday in worship, and we were so impressed, we purchased our own copy; so did our son and his family. In fact, they bought multiple copies. Whenever they host guests (which is quite often), they preface the meal with a reading. Such a meaningful practice!
Nancy, we have bought several copies and gifted them. We saw it recommended by Alistair Begg!
You had me in the opening, reminding me of my own parents and younger brother, John! Such gentle words. Beautiful, Nancy.
How about that–not only do we have wonderful childhood memories in common, but we both have brothers named John! I’m so glad you found gentleness and beauty here, Deb. Praise God!
Amen, Nancy. These are such uplifting thoughts! God is in the background , foreground, and all around us—all the time.
Praise God you found uplift here, David. It is indeed glorious that God’s presence–the aura of his magnificent attributes– surrounds us! I do want to honor him with frequent praise for the sweet music he provides.
mmm … this is such a thoughtful invitation, Nancy. what’s the background music of my life, my home, my presence as i interact with those God brings onto my path? i leave tonight with these questions mulling in my heart.
Excellent questions, Linda. Heaven forbid I drown out God’s Song with dirges, the blues, or grunge!
This is rich with so many lessons and truths for each of us. Your childhood home sounds much like mine, even down to the pleasant music in the background. I was also raised with quality music as the backdrop of a stable loving home where God was the center. I am so thankful for that! May my life be heard and seen that way as well, surrounded by God. Have a blessed day, Nancy!
How wonderful we have delightful childhoods in common, Patty. At the time, I had no idea that the music (and other Moody Radio programming) played a role in the atmosphere of peace, uplift, and contentment in our home. I too am eternally grateful, and pray with you that I might voice God’s melodies to others!