Song of the King

When doing my morning devotions, I read a line in Sarah Young's Jesus Calling book. The book speaks from the perspective of Jesus, taking Biblical truths and putting them into a conversation from Jesus to us. Today it said, "Tune out other voices so that you can hear Me more clearly." I thought about the number of voices that come at me in a day. Some are loud and demanding, some softer but still present. Not all are voices from others but many are demands pressing on me and expectations I feel that need to be met for various reasons. It could be as simple as a voice saying, "I need to do the laundry today. It is stacking up." The more busy my life is, the more crowded the voices get. I long to hear the still, small voice of my Savior--the voice of peace, the only voice that takes me above all the chaos and negativity swirling around me. His voice takes me to a beautiful place where I see the hope of glory, a day where I will spend eternity with my Jesus. He reminds me that I'm never alone. He shows me what is most important. He gently takes my hand and opens my clenched fist, allowing many things of lesser importance to be loosened and to fall away. In this comes a sense of peace, a sense of knowing that I am on the right path. The strength I need to do the most important tasks is given.

This all brought to mind a book that a friend gave me a number of years ago. It is a children's book by Max Lucado, entitled "The Song of the King." In it, three knights are competing for the hand of the King's daughter in marriage. The one who could navigate their way through the dangerous Hemlock forest and reach the other side would win her hand. There were many trials and distractions in the forest. Three times a day the King would play a song on his flute. The knights were to follow the sound of the flute back to the castle where they would find the Princess. Within the forest there were many competing voices and imitating flutes. It was easy to hear the wrong flute and get turned around. One knight successfully makes his way through the forest. All the town's people want to know what his secret was. He reveals that when given the option to choose one companion to accompany him on his journey, he chose the King's own son, the only other to have the same flute as his father and who knew how to play his father's song. The knight simply stayed close to the son and listened to the song again and again. He learned the "Song of the King" and was therefore not swayed by the imitators. In the end, he made his way safely through the treacherous forest and was the victor.

This story is a great reminder for me to intentionally choose a wise companion on this earth. I want to fill my head and heart with the Song of the King alone. All else can fall away and will not be missed. If it is not from the King, I am happy to let it fall away. As Mary sat at Jesus' feet listening, Jesus said, "Mary has found the most important thing. I will not take that away from her." She knew the song of the King.