Martin Luther's Reformation faced severe opposition. During those days, Luther often meditated on Psalm 46:1, "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." Out of this knowledge of God as his refuge, he wrote, "Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott," or in English, "A mighty fortress is our God." It was the song of the common man of the Reformation and inspiration to the martyrs for Christ.

John Newton almost lost his life in a terrible storm off the coast of northwest Ireland. He cried to God for mercy, and God saved him. He came to know God as the God of grace and mercy. He wrote, "Amazing grace! How sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me! I once was lost, but now am found, was blind, but now I see."

And Bishop Reginald Heber, an Anglican clergyman, was awakened to the absolute purity of God and wrote, "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty! Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee; Holy, Holy, Holy! Merciful and Mighty! God in three Persons, blessed Trinity!"

But music is far more than a response to a revelation of God's attributes. It's also an expression of worship and thanksgiving for the transformed life that an encounter with God produces. It's a means of testimony to the works of God in the heart of man. The miraculous birth, perfect life, cruel death, and glorious resurrection of Jesus applied to the suffering sinner produces wonderful music.

"Joy to the world" will become joy in his heart. He will not be able to stop the flow of music in his heart as he sings, "He lives, He lives! You ask me how I know He lives. He lives within my heart!"

The supernatural grace of God within the heart of the sinner will always produce a wonderful song on the lips of the saint.

The third characteristic of the music of worship is that it's an instrument by which we acknowledge the ways of God. God's character is often discovered in the drama of human sorrow and pain. The ways of God lie far beyond the realm of man. However, his ways are often learned through the hurts of life. Worship becomes miraculous as misery is transformed into music in the theater of human experience.

When she was only six weeks old, Fanny Crosby caught the cold that resulted in her blindness. What seemed to be human tragedy became divine triumph. God gave Fanny Crosby spiritual eyes to behold the glory of God. She wrote more than eight thousand sacred songs and hymns. One of the most popular of her hymns, "Blessed Assurance," expresses the triumph of God amidst the tragedy of a blind lady. She wrote, "Blessed Assurance, Jesus is mine! Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine! Heir of salvation, purchase of God, born of His Spirit, washed in His blood. This is my story, this is my song, praising my Savior all the day long." Fanny Crosby learned of the ways of God. Her music became an instrument to worship God in the midst of His sometimes mysterious but always marvelous ways.