An orchestra must work together to produce beautiful music. Each member must be willing to lay aside his own agenda, his personal distractions and preferences and give his full attention to the conductor. When the conductor steps up to the podium all eyes are on him. As he steps up, each member comes to attention. As he raises his baton the musicians lift their instrument into place. They are literally on the edge of their seats in anticipation of the conductor’s next move.
It isn’t difficult to see the parallels between this picture and our walk with the Lord. We are to be as tuned into God’s next move as the musicians.
To carry this word picture a bit further…
It isn’t enough to just have the music in front of you. You could know each note, each rest and each musical instruction on the page and still not be able to properly play the selection. What if you had your music on your music stand but turned your chair and no longer faced the conductor? While you might play every note correctly, you would still lack something very important. The conductor sets the tempo; He is in control of the timing. Just playing the notes doesn’t make you a part of what’s going on around you.
Now suppose you have the music memorized. You take your seat, prepare your instrument and sit quietly while the house lights go out. The conductor steps up to the podium but you don’t know it because the room is in complete darkness. The musicians begin to turn on the lights on their music stands and finally the conductor does the same. Now in the dim light you can see him. As your eyes adjust you can easily see his baton lift and you are ready when he signals the beginning of the piece. If suddenly your light didn’t work, you might still be able to perfectly execute the piece because it is in your memory. The music is in your heart. All you need is the confident leading of the Master Musician and the rest is…beautiful music.