One of my sons is a skilled drummer, though the early days of his musical education was a challenge to everyone else in the house (and the neighbors). Over the years, the pitter-patter of fundamental syncopation drills gave way to increasing speed, volume and aggression. He had to wear headphones to hear what he was accompanying, which meant the rest of us were subjected to the exclusive, out-of-context drum part.
Unlike the piano or guitar, which often carries the melody, the drum and its percussive accessories provide a basic (albeit essential) background sound. Regardless of how proficiently he drummed or how integral the rhythm was to the arrangement, we could not identify the song in the absence of the other parts.
Sometimes the Christian life can feel very much like the part of a lone drummer. Without context, your life may not seem to make a lot of sense. In fact, it can be downright discouraging. Perhaps you’ve wondered, “What am I doing?” “What is this all about?” “Does my involvement even matter?” The answers to those questions are, “Faithfully serving the God that you love,” “Glorifying God” and “Yes! Yes, it does!”
Your lack of ability to see the entire picture (or hear the whole sound) does not diminish the value of your contribution. 17th century philosopher, G.W. Leibniz, used a similar analogy to describe this phenomenon.
“Suppose that every room of a large building contains a single musician with his instrument and his own score. Seated before a microphone each musician begins to play at a given signal. Under these conditions it is evident that the note from the bass drum in the boiler room has no [impact] on the piccolo in the penthouse, nor does the violin in the lobby affect the cornet on the mezzanine. Yet when all the sounds are gathered together through their respective microphones to a center and broadcast, the totality is a symphony. That all the notes of all the instruments fit together can be explained only on the assumption that a single composer has written all the scores. The Symphony is a pre-established harmony.”
Indeed, God is the Great Composer and He is conducting a perfectly symphonic historical orchestra. It is a masterpiece in which YOU play a part. You may be an easily identifiable participant in the melody or, perhaps, a less obvious contributor to the harmony. You may even, for a time, be a discordant sound that only becomes understandable after it unites again with the central refrain. God may call on you to be a soloist or He may assign you the life of an ongoing, steady bass drum beat that serves to prevent laggers from lagging and pushers from pushing.
If you feel like a piccolo in the penthouse or a cornet on the mezzanine, remember that you are a vital part of God’s composition even when you can’t hear it all. Moses and David were alone, tending flocks, when God called them. Ruth chose to be faithful to God and her mother-in-law, unaware that she was going to be the great-grandmother of the king of Israel and ancestor to the Son of the Most High God. Zechariah and Elizabeth “were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord” (Lk. 1:6) before God gifted them with the greatest-of-all-prophets for a child.
Overcome with love for Jesus, the woman that anointed Jesus’ feet was criticized for her faithfulness! She was scolded for her demonstration of affection for Christ, but He saw the importance of the part she played. He said, “She has done what she could” and added, “And truly, I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her” (Mk. 14:8-9). As brief as it was, can anyone doubt the value of the part she played in God’s Symphony?
Don’t be dismissive (or discontented) with the part you have been assigned. Your role in His masterpiece is greater than you know. Stand firm. Be faithful. Play your part.
For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen. (Rom. 11:36)