It came even to pass, as the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the Lord; and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of musick, and praised the Lord, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: that then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the Lord. – 2 Chronicles 5:13
As a band director, I have quite a bit of experience in choosing instruments to purchase. There are certain aspects of importance, such as tone, valve speed, metal quality, and other factors which affect sound and durability. You want an instrument that will last a long time and produce a warm tone.
Once when I was looking to buy an instrument for myself, I was especially attentive to the intonation, because my instrument has a reputation for pitch inconsistencies. As I was playing and comparing several models, there was one with a note so bad that nothing I did could get it in tune. All the other notes were fine, but that one note was awful—I felt like I might break the reed in half trying to get the pitch up! I knew it would sound horrible if that note came out in a performance, so I did not purchase that instrument. It had a lot of good notes, but I could not buy it because of the one bad note.
As Christians, the Bible tells us that we are to be “instruments of righteousness” (Romans 6:13). Instead of the old life full of sin, we are to produce righteousness in every part of our lives. However, if we choose to hold something back from God—maybe a consecration or restitution He has asked of us—we become like instruments with a bad note. If God knows we will not perform well in the roles He has for us, He must pass on us until we yield that area to Him. That one “note” could be the reason we are not receiving a deeper experience or the answer to prayer that we are seeking.
We want to be willing instruments for God. We do not want to hinder His work in any way. Are we holding on to something that God has asked of us? Is there one thing standing between us and receiving from Him? When we give our lives to God, we want to give Him everything. Then, as today’s focus verse describes, we can participate in His work “as one” with our fellow Christians. When we are all in tune, praising and thanking Him with no “bad notes,” His Presence will inhabit our praises.