The Role of the Musician - Tony Guerrero
Looking to the PastDuring the 1989 Christmas season, American military troops surrounded the headquarters of Panama's General Manuel Noriega. The Americans were in a position of power at this point and could have easily taken the building by force and arrested their target, but they didn't. Instead, they camped outside the headquarters with loudspeakers attached to the roofs of their vehicles and proceeded to play rock and roll music, loudly and incessantly. They kept this up for so long that, finally, Noriega simply couldn't take it anymore and gave himself up. The American forces utilized this same military strategy again in 1991 during the Gulf War.
Joshua Six Where did America's military leaders come up with such a brilliant strategy? Well, it's possible they took their lead from the book of Joshua. In the book of Joshua, chapter six, we read about Joshua at the battle of Jericho. God had already told Joshua, who was leading Israel's army, that He would give them the city (6:2). This meant that they should have been able to just fearlessly walk through the city gates and take the city (after all, when God is on your side, and He guarantees your victory, what is there to fear?), but God had other plans. Instead, He instructed Joshua to have his army march around the city walls once a day for six days, then seven times on the seventh day (6:3-4), carrying the ark of the covenant. He also ordered that seven priests were to be marching in front of the ark blowing trumpets (6:4). Finally, he instructed Joshua to make sure no one raised their voices or gave any war cry (6:10). The only sound was to be that of the loud trumpets.
Now, I'm not one to second-guess God's intentions, but I can imagine the effect this must have had on the people living within the city gates. Imagine realizing that you were basically trapped within the walls of Jericho, knowing full well that Israel's army had surrounded you, and day after day you are hearing the loud trumpet calls encircling you. After a while, the sound of those incessant horns must have begun to rattle the nerves of these people.
Answering the Call How then, does this story affect our perception of the role of the musician in church? There is little argument that we, the church, are deep in the throes of a spiritual battle. We are, essentially, at war with the enemy, and Satan's army is large and strong. But we also know, as Joshua did, that in the end God's army will win. Victory is ours, but for now, the battles rage on. If we imagine the church as God's army, then the musicians in the church are like those trumpet players at Jericho. Our job is to sound the call, boldly, confidently, and loudly!
The fact is, when you put your instrument to your lips, or your bow to the string, or your hand on the keys, and when you make a sound on your instrument in the name of God, it rattles the nerves of the enemy! The enemy knows his fate, but his war rages on. He fights to take as many people with him as possible. When he hears the sound of God's music, not only are we rattling his nerves, but we are sounding the battle cry for God's army, and, in this musician's opinion, there are few greater honors.
When I approach the worship stage, I try and remind myself of several things: 1) this is not a "performance"; 2) this is not about me; 3) I need to focus on God; 4) I'm not just "playing my horn" - God has put me in a very specific and important role, and it is an honor to be there. And I fully intend to rattle the nerves of the enemy.
