Insider Info

God's Serenade : The wind, the sea, the earth, the moon, the stars, you and me... we're all a part of a beautiful song of life, a song of creation. We're all a part of God's Serenade and we get to witness the beauty every day, although we need to be quiet in ourselves to truly hear the song around us and in us.

There are a couple of origin stories for my song, "God's Serenade." First, I was doing some bible reading and chuckled when I came upon Job 13:5 (NIV) which says, "If only you would be altogether silent! For you, that would be wisdom." Bwa ha ha! The next time our daughter, Tess, was talking too much, I planned to point at her and say, "Job 13:5, look it up!"

It wasn't Tess who talked too much, though, it was me and I had to point at myself. I still think "Job 13:5" is a great way to ask for silence, though.

Meanwhile, I was spending a month as a guest guitarist/singer for a tiny church while their regular worship leader was away in Montana. Towards the end of my stay, the pastor kindly asked if I would stay on when the other musician returned. I could play there every Sunday, every other Sunday, once a month... whatever I wanted. I didn't really think I wanted to do that, but I didn't want to say no right then so I just said "I'll pray on it" thinking it to be a very Christian thing to say.

I did pray on it, but two or three weeks went by and I still had no answer from God. Should I say yes or no? I was beginning to feel guilty about leaving the pastor in limbo. What should I tell him? I really didn't think I wanted to do it. That church was too small. I was going to up really late on Saturday nights and didn't want to get up early on Sunday mornings. Bla, bla, bla, etc.

Why did I promise to pray on it? Why didn't I just say no?

I called my good friend, "Brother Bob" (a retired pastor) and asked him, "When you ask a yes or no question of God, how do you hear the answer?" Bob said, "Well, if it were me, I'd go to my quiet place. It might be on a mountaintop under the stars, it might be on a surfboard out past the waves, it might be in the bathroom with the door closed, but go to your quiet place. Get very calm and very quiet, then meditate on your question. Send it to God in prayer. If you feel the slightest bit of nervousness or jitters, it's a no. Otherwise, if you're still calm, take it as a yes."

Hmmm... okay, I'll give that a try. I went to my quiet place, meditated on my prayer and... Oh NO! I not only felt calm, I felt my lips curl into a smile. No! No! No! I didn't want the answer to be yes! Harumph! Well, the answer was yes, so I called the pastor and told him I'd do it every Sunday.

Three and a half years later and I was still there on the worship team every Sunday and, for the last year and a half of that time, writing a brand new original song each week to be sung each following Sunday.

Best. Church. Ever.

Best time of growth for me ever. I'm so glad the answer was yes. Guess what? It turns out that it pays to listen to God.

In 1 Kings 19:12, God is heard as a "still, small voice." Listen to that voice.

The Recording: I've always played this as a really, really quiet song, with an a cappella intro, so I quite surprised myself when I ended up recording this with an ukulele, bass, drums, electric guitar, etc. I played my G&L Fiorana electric guitar behind the intro, because I wanted it to be simple yet full and "chimy" to contrast with the coming silence. Out of the silence, I played a little theme on "Angel," my Larrivee C10-E, and, as I pictured the stars forming a symphony and the moon adding harmony, I wanted the music to get busier, yet interconnected and contrapuntal. My Fender P-Bass makes an appearance as God's footsteps and my Kala ukulele appears in the role of "spreading stardust." :o)

I wanted the arrangement to get busier and busier until it reminds us to get quiet again to hear the still, small voice. We need to remember not to get so busy enjoying God's creation that we fail to hear God's voice. I need to get quiet.

Job 13:5! Look it up!

---

God's Serenade

Words & Music by Ron Hall - All Rights Reserved Worldwide

There's a still, small voice deep inside of me
It's something I feel more than something I hear
But that still, small voice that's inside of me roars like thunder
While in less than a whisper, proclaims my God is here
It says, Lord, You are here

Oh, to be perfectly silent
To be lost in this moment with You
Oh, to be perfectly silent
Sweet solitude

The stars shine so willingly, Your symphony
While the moon beams the harmonies, brilliantly
Oh it's times like these I feel You filling me
In the silence, I hear Your voice

Oh to be perfectly peaceful
At one with the wonders You've made
In the still, in the calm, in the quiet
A witness to God's Serenade

The waves wash the shoreline endlessly
As I stare in awe across Your endless seas
Oh it's times like these I feel You made just for me
A witness to God's Serenade

In the still, I feel You speaking
In the calm, I hear Your song
In the quiet, I'll lie at your feet Lord
I will rise unafraid, part of Your serenade

In the still, I feel You speaking
In the calm, I hear Your song
In the quiet, I'll lie at your feet Lord (unafraid)
I will rise unafraid (unafraid) part of Your serenade (serenade)

In the still, I feel You speaking
In the calm, I hear Your song
In the quiet, I'll lie at your feet Lord (unafraid)
I will rise unafraid (unafraid) part of Your serenade (serenade)

In the still, I feel You speaking
In the calm, I hear Your song
In the quiet, I'll lie at your feet Lord
I will rise unafraid, part of Your serenade

I will be unafraid, in Your Grace
Oh, to be perfectly silent