I’ve read so very many posts and blogs about where inspiration comes from. I’ve written a few myself. Sometimes it’s just a feeling that I feel needs expressing. Other times, it’s a mood, and yes, there is a difference. Sometimes the inspiration comes from something someone has said to me or done for me or even done to me. But sometimes, it’s just being in the presence of an external force that makes me reflect on the nature of my being and my surroundings. That can be a truly awesome inspiration and motivator.

Have you ever listened to the rain on a tin roof? Or outside your window on stormy night? Awesome, isn’t it? How about when you are lying in bed late at night and can’t sleep and you hear the mournful horn of a train in the distance? It tickles a thought in your brain and maybe sends a chill up your spine. It’s inspiring. I know I lay there thinking, there has to be a tune in there somewhere. It’s just too awesome to be ignored.

Many years ago, I was visiting a friend’s family in McAlister, Oklahoma. I took some time for myself in the early afternoon because the scenery was gorgeous and I just wanted to spend some time with my Lord. I sat on the top of a hill and looked out over the valley below me. It was stunning. The sun was high with lots of clouds. There was a thunderstorm in the distance coming towards me and I could see the lightning and hear the low rumble thunder. The wind was cool and refreshing and just being there experiencing the moment was breath taking. I found myself thinking back to the place in Exodus where Moses realizes he can’t enter the promised land and God reveals His presence to him by passing his hand over him while he is looking into Canaan. Up on that hill, looking into that valley with the wind rushing by I felt I could just glimpse the wonder of what Moses must have felt. I couldn’t go down in the valley just as Moses couldn’t go into Canaan but I didn’t have to. I could experience the presence of God right where I was at that very moment and it is a moment in time I will never forget.

And yes. There was a song that came out of it. One of my very favorites. I did not go out that day to write a song. I certainly wasn’t expecting the inspiration I received, but none of that makes me any the less grateful for it.

Take time to listen to the world around you. You don’t necessarily have to go out seeking inspiration. Sometimes it comes to you when you least expect it. The cry of a baby. The smell of a hot dog. The feeling of grass brushing against your leg. The sound of a hawk or a dog in the distance. The feel of a cold, hot, icy or warm breeze. The call of an old friend or loved one. Embrace those moments. Embrace them and pull the close and use them to drive your music. These are the strings on the instrument that is your soul.