1 Samuel 16:23
“Whenever the spirit from God came upon Saul, David would take his harp and play.  Then relief would come to Saul; he would feel better, and the evil spirit would leave him.”

Mark 14:26-27
“When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.  ‘You will all fall away,’ Jesus told them, ‘for it is written: ‘I will strike the shepherd and the sheep will be scattered.’’”

1 John 3:16a, 19-20a
“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us…This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence whenever our hearts condemn us.”

Lord God, you compose melodies of salvation in heaven that reverberate to the earth below.

When we were plagued by a sense of our own unworthiness, you sent a Shepherd who took the curse for us.  He began the night of his great battle by singing a hymn with friends.

In despair, help us to remember that his song has been sung over us.  Soothe our anxieties in the knowledge that our imperfect spirits can now find harmony with your perfect Spirit, and let us rejoice with rested hearts.

This we ask in the name of the Good Shepherd, Jesus, who was stricken in body for the redemption of our conscience-stricken souls.

Listen to ‘You Restore My Soul’ by Rob and Rachel Badman