Prophetic Songwriting

I woke up this morning and remembered that R.E.M. just broke up. Not that I really followed the band ever, but they have that song, "It's the end of the world (as we know it)" and so I wanted to youtube it. Because of the way that my mind works, I began searching the history of the band, doing the wikipedia thing. So I researched the song to find out that Michael Stipe, the lead singer, got part of his inspiration for the song in a dream.

I love the prophetic and so when I saw that he received part of the song in a dream I had to see what other songs were inspired in whole or in part from dreams. Generally I think that kind of information goes unnoticed or considered irrelevant. The common assumption is that dreams don't really mean anything except that your mind is active, therefore, a dream is an innocent zone to receive inspiration. Having had prophetic dreams I can't believe that the inspirations for songs in dreams are merely human creativity.

I searched a little into songs that were inspired by dreams and came across "(I can't get no) Satisfaction," by the Rolling Stones. Keith Richards woke up in the middle of the night after hearing the guitar riff in his sleep and suddenly the words were coming to him, "I can't get no, satisfaction." He heard the melody from somewhere and the song enjoyed a load of success.

These are only two examples, but there are several Beatles' songs that were shaped in some measure by a dream from the authors.

So the other night, as Jamie and I were praying she started praying that I would receive songs and melodies in dreams. Then I saw a picture of a guitar neck and certain notes being highlighted and I felt the Lord saying, "greater works than these (John 14:12)." It began to dawn on me that He can give songwriters melodies and lyrics with a specific design of unlocking hope and healing, and salvation to the hearers. So then the night before last I was asked to play a show, but because of fear I didn't want to perform. A familiar man and songwriter began rebuking me for that fear and told me in essence that crouching back in fear is like burying a talent in the ground.

Satan has no problem giving inspiration to songwriters; consider a lot of secular songs, with titles like: "Babylon" and "Kisses over Babylon." Those are real songs that I'm familiar with. They actually really alert me to the time in which we find ourselves. Songs help shape the mindset of cultures by causing the hearer to unknowingly or consciously meditating on subject the lyrics are pointing to. satan was the worship leader of heaven until he rebelled; he knows the spiritual dynamic of melody and rhythm. But he can go no further than that.

God created sound. God created melody. God created the human spirit to respond to sound and melody and rhythm. I think Papa is looking for a few good dreamers who will listen for the sound and declare what they hear by the Holy Spirit. I say, "a few good dreamers," all we have to do is ask, fall asleep, wake up and write the inspirations given to us.

Father God promised Jesus that the whole earth would be filled with worshipers making His name great throughout the earth (Mal. 1:11). Let's wake up and dream. Let's see. Prophetic Songwriters and dreamers arise.