Listening to God’s voice saying, “Use your music,” and then acting on it helped pull me out of the depths. Debussy’s “The Sunken Cathedral” was included on a program I felt called to create in 2007. At that time my life seemed to mirror the cathedral surrounded by thick fog. The depth of this piece naturally pairs with Monet’s evocative painting of the Rouen Cathedral.
O God, you are my God, I seek you, My soul thirsts for you; My flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. ~Psalm 63:1-2
Debussy, referred to as a “painter of dreams”, musically paints the opening with the description, “Profoundly calm; in a fog.” Once the fog lifts the music seems to paint a picture of the power, glory and fullness of God. The conclusion of the piece echoes previous phrases with the muted sound of cathedral bells.
Each piece of music was included on the program for a reason. I didn’t see it at the time, but the fog was slowly lifting. Preparation required me to work hard, “strengthening my inner being”, and each note I practiced brought me closer to the fullness of God.
I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name. I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being grounded in love. I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. ~Ephesians 3:14-21
Bread for the Journey 