Dear Lord, why do You show me things. Why do You let me see your secrets and mysteries? I am a dog The lowest of the low I don't just say this. It is a fact. I have absolutely no qualifications for such amazing grace. Still you reveal yourself to me in millions of uncountable ways, so that I am kept in constant ecstasy.
The following account may seem like nothing very much to those whose hearts are still steel framed, but for one who's heart is melting they will see the value.
Today I walked around the shopping center, well not exactly walked, sort of danced and chanted Hare Krishna and played a small lyre, a child's toy actually, but it makes a nice sound when I pluck the strings. It was my first day with this new musical instrument and it wasn't the best "musical performance". But nonetheless it somehow got by everyone and I was received very favorably. Lots of smiles and nods of approval.
No mrdunga playing for a while due to a dislocated thumb. I noticed that playing the stringed instrument made me a lot more accessible to people. The drum seems to keep everyone at a distance but the soft lyre brought me in very close to people as they walked by. Perhaps I didn't look threatening.
Several people wanted to talk. Friendly. And I was able to impart at least something to them about chanting God's names in a way that was acceptable to them.
One woman in particular, a Christian with a large gold cross on her neck wanted to talk. She worshiped God in the Spirit of love. The Holy Spirit. We both agreed that is the way to approach God. She wanted to pray together and started to make a long prayer, "Dear Father, in the Name of Jesus...." like that. But I stopped her and suggested we just chant the Name of Jesus. This was something new to her. To chant the name of Jesus. So I plucked the stings of the lyre and we sang the Name of Jesus to each note. Like a little song. But the only words in the song were, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. It was very sweet.
This is different from prayer. Or hymns. It is approaching the Lord through His Pure Representative by chanting. There are arguments sometimes that vain repetition of God's Name is condemned Yes, indeed how distasteful to simply repeat mechanically the Name of God, but when the Name of God is sung with heartfelt love that is something different. God is non-different from His Names. What could be more pleasing to the Lord than to sing His Name with love?
Just for a moment I saw the Christians all take to the chanting of Names of God and dancing in ecstasy with drums and cymbals and musical instruments.
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