God's Melody

One of God's most mysterious and marvelous gifts to man is music.  

It is mysterious because the melody (defined as the satisfying sequences of notes that give us the tune, strain, or the musical theme) can bring people like me to massive tears by deeply connecting to our feelings and innermost being.  

It is marvelous because it brings unbridled joy to anyone who can hear and is touched in various ways by the melody.  

Melody. 

Such a fitting name for the lovely 20-year-old girl who would sing praises to God almost every Sunday, alongside other members of our church's Pillar of Praise (POP) singing group!

God's Melody. 

God's own. He took her home this Sunday morning to sing Him praises not only on Sundays but for all time, for eternity. It's a death we were never prepared for. Last night, a few hours before her last breath, almost a hundred of us gathered online to pray for and with her. 

"Lord, why Melody?!" 

She was only 10 years old when I heard her sing for the first time—ironically at the wake of Aling Flor, a faithful member of our church. What raw talent! I sat up, mesmerized. Her song brought tears to everyone's eyes. 

Looking back, it seemed odd that the Lord would use a death to bring Melody and her siblings regularly to church. Although they had attended VBS and other activities for children in the past (at the instance of Aling Flor's daughter, Tez), it was at the wake when Melody caught the attention of our youth pastor, music team, and Sunday School leaders. 

From then on, God never let her go. That raw talent, 11 years later, was now a polished gem.

Those into music joined hands in training Melody further. Meanwhile, her other siblings were encouraged to become active members of the children's music group, initially, and then the youth group eventually, and the PVGC family till today.   

God's invites us to " . . . be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord . . ." Ephesians 5:18-19 (NKJV)  

That verse and over 50 others say: we need to make melody in our heart for Him. When we do, a unique connection happens between us and God, bonding through our heart, mind, and soul. 

God's Melody frequently sang hymns and psalms before and with the congregation, always from the depths of her heart. When she rendered "The Lord's Prayer" in Filipino, we sang the same prayer in our heart, too, and felt God's presence. 

Like music, Melody's passing is grace that is both mysterious and marvelous—mysterious because we will never know God's thoughts; marvelous because she is now a living witness to God's full glory in paradise. 

Melody, you belong to God. We will not say good-bye; instead, we say, "till we meet again." Because we, your family at PVGC, belong to God, too.  

We who believe in Jesus are in the melody of His music. 

Photo credits: Vincent, Xhrys, Melody's FB page