“Do you know what music is? It’s that little sign from God that all of this we see around us isn’t all there is.” This is (approximately) what the Robin Williams character “Wizard” says to the child genius for whom the film August Rush is named. August is an orphan who hears the music of the universe—the music behind all of life (according to the movie)—that we could hear if we would just stop and listen. By listening to the music, he is eventually able to find his parents.

Music may be the most mysterious of the arts God has given us. It touches our deepest thoughts and feelings in ways other art forms don’t seem to. More than books and often more than movies, music can make us cry. And, of course, music is central to praise.

More than any other art form, God calls for music in the life of his people. There are Old Testament examples of other art forms, but these hardly appear in comparison to music references. In the New Testament, music is an important part of life in the church (Colossians 3:16). Paul even says to make “melody with your hearts” (Ephesians 5:19, New King James Version) suggesting our thoughts should be musically inclined on a regular basis.

Medieval Christians believed in a concept called “The Music of the Spheres.” According to C. S. Lewis, it “is the only sound which has never for one split second ceased in any part of the universe . . . . The music which is too familiar to be heard enfolds us day and night and in all ages.” This vision of a universe filled with a music in tune with spiritual realities is the vision behind August Rush. I think there may be some truth to it.

Music has a profound effect on us. Recall how only David’s music could soothe the soul of King Saul (I Samuel 16:23). Consider how the book of Psalms is the largest book of the Bible and most (if not all) of the Psalms are actually songs. I once met with a mentor to ask for guidance in my first youth ministry. His advice took me by surprise. He said, “You’ll never be able to do anything with them until you can get them to sing.” There’s something about music—something deep, something spiritual.

I don’t know if there is a music behind all things. I find it interesting that in their great works of fantasy, both C. S. Lewis (Narnia) and J. R. R. Tolkien (Middle Earth) describe creation as occurring through the singing of a song. When I consider such Bible passages as “the stones will cry out” (Luke 19:40) and the “heavens declare the glory of the Lord” (Psalm 19:1), I think that surely nature wouldn’t just be shouting these things, but rather singing them. What these verses do tell us is this: God is showing himself and his truth in the universe. Good things in nature are a testament to God: beautiful sunsets and flowers, sweet smells and soft touches, and the sounds of bird songs.

If you haven’t seen August Rush, it’s worth your time. It echoes the truth that God is speaking to us in creation, and it hints that he may do so through our arts, like stories and music. Maybe there is a song behind all songs. Maybe that’s why we know it when a great composer gives us music that we can’t help but love. Maybe we are orphans and the music is drawing us home to find our Father.

August Rush listened to the music from birth and found his way to his parents. And though the idea seems far fetched, a scene early in the film stood out to me as a testimony that the story might not be so far from real events. As a newborn, August reached up to the music playing in the hospital nursery.

It reminded me of standing at a window in another hospital, looking at all the newborn babies. They all either slept or cried—all of them except one. He lay on his stomach staring out at the world with the kind of piercing blue eyes some newborns have. Some people a few windows down noticed him and one said, “Look at that baby—his eyes are wide open and watching. I wonder whose baby that is?” I answered with a father’s pride: “He’s mine.” It is no wonder to me at all that, like August with his music, my son Bryan has continued to see amazing things. He made his first movie when he was 10, bought his first camera with his own money when he was 12. And by the time he was 16 he was putting images together in his movies that I could never have imagined myself. I hope that film is calling him to his Father in Heaven. I hope that all of the beautiful things God gives us in life call us to him.

I tend to think, though, that music may be the place where that happens most. And that’s a strong argument for us to carefully cultivate what we listen to. |L

OTHER COLUMNS:
November 8, 2009 - Why I believe in God
October 25, 2009 - Commuting in days of evil
October 11, 2009 - Poets and don’t know it
September 27, 2009 - How Hollywood proves abortion is wrong
September 13, 2009 - Significance
August 30, 2009 - Dance alternatives
August 16, 2009 - Gluttons for gossip
August 2, 2009 - Truth from Twilight
July 19, 2009 - Visitor-friendly churches
July 5, 2009 - The Shack
June 21, 2009 - When forgiveness fails
June 7, 2009 - Re-imagining Education (Part Six)
May 24, 2009 - We are not alone
May 3, 2009 - Re-imagining education (part five)
April 26, 2009 - Conviction
April 12, 2009 - Re-imagining education (part four)
March 29, 2009 - An evangelistic proposal
March 15, 2009 - Re-imagining education (part three)
March 1, 2009 - He makes me sick
February 15, 2009 - Re-imagining education (Part Two)
February 1, 2009 - Spiritual insecurity
January 18, 2009 - Re-imagining education (part one)
January 4, 2009 - Church and politics
December 7, 2008 - The church and marriage
November 23, 2008 - God and the president
November 9, 2008 - A time for courage
October 26, 2008 - Likes and dislikes: the Prince Caspian movie
October 12, 2008 - What’s that noise?
September 28, 2008 - Modesty matters (part two)
September 14, 2008 - All it takes is some TLC
August 31, 2008 - Modesty matters (part one)
August 17, 2008 - What would you fight for?
August 3, 2008 - Staying through the credits
July 20, 2008 - Honor to whom honor
July 6, 2008 - Tyler Perry and the movies you’re missing
June 22, 2008 - The peaceable kingdom
May 25, 2008 - Another generation grew up
May 25, 2008 - Technology and the Bible (part two)
May 11, 2008 - Technology and the Bible (part one)
April 27, 2008 - What is truth?
April 13, 2008 - And the geek shall inherit the earth
March 30, 2008 - A charactered God
March 16, 2008 - The college choice (part two)
March 2, 2008 - Good news can be hard to hear
February 17, 2008 - The college choice (part one)
February 5, 2008 - Ten suggestions for a godly standard of living
January 20, 2008 - Expelled: that “Bueller” guy’s pro-God movie
January 6, 2008 - Choosing a lifestyle
December 23, 2007 - Teachable TV?
December 9, 2007 - Owners or stewards?
November 25, 2007 - Christians teaching Christians to change TV and film
November 11, 2007 - My money is God’s business
October 28, 2007 - Navigating under the radar
October 14, 2007 - The things God values
September 30, 2007 - Movie moments
September 16, 2007 - God’s economics
September 2, 2007 - The best books to read
August 19, 2007 - There’s a rat in ‘separate’
August 5, 2007 - The art of reading
July 22, 2007 - Atheist chic
July 8, 2007 - Why books matter: the sequel
June 10, 2007 - Books: why they matter
June 3, 2007 - The non-impact of “The Lost Tomb of Jesus”
May 27, 2007 - The universal gospel
May 13, 2007 - Loving Muslims through culture
April 29, 2007 - Hope
April 15, 2007 - God in the dark
April 1, 2007 - The gospel goes to the movies
March 18, 2007 - What the Bible movies can teach us
March 4, 2007 - What will you hurt for?
February 18, 2007 - Why Heroes . . .
February 4, 2007 - Give peace a chance
January 21, 2007 - When fairy tales are true
January 7, 2007 - WYSIWYG lives
December 31, 2006 - What’s coming next?
December 17, 2006 - Mercy, mercy
December 3, 2006 - Proof of evolution!
November 19, 2006 - Hungering for God
November 5, 2006 - Violence and government, war and peace
October 22, 2006 - The mighty meek
October 8, 2006 - The Battlestar and the Bible
September 24, 2006 - Soap for the soul
September 10, 2006 - Right vs. cool
August 27, 2006 - The painful truth
August 13, 2006 - More Lies Hollywood Tells
July 30, 2006 - Christian counter culture
July 16, 2006 - The lies Hollywood tells