Click above to listen to Monastery at Eventide from my 7th album A Thousand Years as you read. You can also order the CD or MP3 Album or PDF Sheet Music, or enjoy on iTunes, Amazon, Spotify, and Pandora.

Which do you enjoy most — private time with God, or public ministry to others?

Job 7 and letting tears flow for healing inspired the original introductory and closing notes to my arranging and performing one of Frederic Chopin’s great classical melodies. Monastery at Eventide features his Prelude in E Minor (Prelude, Op. 28, No. 4). This is one of 24 preludes (one for every major and minor key) he composed in the late 1830s at a monastery in Valldemossa, Majorca, a Mediterranean island off the coast of Spain. He requested Prelude in E Minor be played at his funeral, and described the meaning of this piece as the “shedding of tears.”

One of my meditations behind this music is the idea that the depth of our private time with God overflows into the fruit of our public ministry in the lives of others. Instead of “either / or” as the post title implies, this is actually a “both / and” idea…

Instead of choosing one or the other, “Monastery” (quiet time with God) or “Megaphone” (public ministry to others), these two aspects of our faith journey are interrelated and dependent upon one another. I have times when I especially need and enjoy quiet times of solitude — praying, asking, and listening for God’s voice. At other times I am filled with joy and gratitude when I have the privilege of serving others and making a difference in their lives.

When I feel like I am running dry or downcast in my spirit, I know I need to refuel with some “monastery time.” If I find myself wanting to spend too much time alone, I need to lean back into obeying God’s guidance with how He wants me to serve others.

Do you need to invest more “monastery” or “megaphone” time in your current season?

Psalm 46:10 — “Be still and know that I am God.”

John 15:5 — “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”