Daniel, a Holy Sound & Dunamis Power
God creates. It’s one of the first things we learn about Him. One look at creation shows just how extravagantly, intelligently, and imaginatively creative God is.
What’s fascinating is, some of God’s creativity doesn’t even have a logical function other than for our enjoyment.
- Water quenches our thirst
- Oxygen keeps us alive
- Food sustains us
…all logical. But the different colours of the flowers? They only serve to put a smile on our face.
Why does this matter?
When I speak of consecrated creativity it can seem as if I’m speaking of restrictions. Many think restriction and art don’t go well together, and that the best approach to creativity is to be completely unrestricted and unrestrained.
So, why consecrated creativity?
The word consecrate means ‘to set apart.’ It’s to be set apart from certain things for specific purposes. It’s not simply about restriction; it’s for the sake of greater effectiveness. It’s pruning for growth as Jesus speaks of in John 15:2. So, consecration is both “no” and “yes.”
Daniel’s “no” brought greater authority and effectiveness to his “yes.” Because he said “no” to eating food sacrificed to idols God gave him favour. Daniel 1:20 says he ended up “ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom.” His restriction made him more effective.
As we connect with and trust God as Creator, we need to believe that we can walk in a level of effectiveness that has the potential to be ten times better than what the world has to offer. But it can often mean we need to restrict ourselves from certain things. When we do this with our creativity, it sets our creativity apart to God for Him to use greatly.
It doesn’t necessarily guarantee success in the world’s eyes, but it pleases God. It’s preferring a pure sound that pleases God to a mixed sound that’s ineffective in releasing the power and Presence of God. It’s not an unhealthy form of striving for perfection that leads to burnout but rather a holy desire to please God in everything.
None of us are perfect, but that’s not an excuse to lower the bar either. It’s a reminder for us to lean on Jesus as He refines, purifies and leads into holiness.
I’ve been motivated by this question, “what if God has a unique sound for us but we’re too busy mixing it with the world’s influence?”
In Daniel, we see music being used to accompany idol worship. In the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who were told to bow to an idol and compromise their faith, we see music used in the process of calling people to worship. There’s a clear list of the variety of musical instruments being used.
Why does this matter?
Well, Jackie Hill Perry says, “the sound weakens discernment.”
We often nod our heads to things we would normally completely disagree with, because the beat can make us loosen our convictions. The sound accompanying the idol worship was intended to lull the three Hebrew boys into bowing to something they never intended to.
Creativity opens our hearts, but we have to be careful it’s not opening us up to idols and in turn compromising our sound.
The young Hebrew boys said “no.” Even at the risk of their own lives. Consecration costs. Conviction costs. But so does compromise.
In Acts, the Apostles gathered to pray and the power of God fell. They spilled out onto the streets, preached the gospel and thousands were saved. But what gathered the crowd to listen to the gospel? It was actually a sound. Acts 2:5 says, “when they heard this sound, a crowd came together.”
Jesus told the disciples they would receive Dunamis (dynamite) power when the Holy Spirit comes. This miraculous power caused three thousand to get saved in a day. But it comes from the Holy Spirit, so the sound that came was holy. The power that fell was holy. The God who sent it is Holy. He wants His people holy. The song of Heaven is holy. So should ours be.
I was stunned to recently discover that this kind of conviction has been in British heritage before. My Mum spoke about it in our book Way Maker that we wrote together. This inscription is in the entrance hall of BBC headquarters in Portland House, London:
"To Almighty God, this shrine of the arts, music and literature is dedicated by the first Governors in the year of our Lord 1931, John Reith being Director General. It is their prayer that good seed sown will produce a good harvest, that everything offensive to decency and hostile to peace will be expelled, and that the nation will incline its ear to those things which are lovely, pure and of good report and thus pursue that path of wisdom and virtue."
It's time to reawaken this same desire to release creativity into the world that reflects the purity of our God. If we want a sound that has true power to make a kingdom impact, we must be ready to receive a holy sound.
Why am I sharing all this?
At Gen Zeal we’ve been working hard on a creative project to reach young people with consecrated creativity. A sound that expresses our desire to see a generation rise up who are “all-in” following Jesus.
It’s called Zeal Records and we’re launching on 21st November with our first release, “Your Way Yahweh.” Our heart is to release a sound that says something different to a generation searching and longing for truth.
If you’re an artist or musician, we want to hear from you as we begin this creative project to see the next generation rise up with a holy sound. Together, we can bring consecrated creativity to a world crying out for something different.
We’re contending for revival in the next generation through holy passion, fervent prayer, and bold proclamation, are you in?
Pre-save Your Way Yahweh on Spotify here: https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/genzeal/your-way-yahweh-feat-josh-green-otc--twelve24
