Music has helped me immeasurably during the pandemic—inspired me to feel confident in the face of our collective adversity and lifted my spirits so I can help others. Judging by the number of concerts people have been attending online, many are receiving inspiration in this way.

Whether it’s music from great composers, such as Bach or Beethoven; classical Indian music; popular classics such as Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah”; or something from a contemporary artist such as Billie Eilish, music has the power to touch us to the core. 

Judging from the four Gospels, I imagine music was important to Jesus as well. He quotes the Hebrew songbook, Psalms, more than any other biblical book. Before his arrest, he and his disciples sing a hymn. On the cross, Jesus quotes the first line of Psalm 22—a song that starts with anguish and a feeling of persecution and ends with a paean of praise, with all the ends of the earth turning to and worshiping God. And throughout his ministry, Jesus is often referred to as “the son of David”—David, who is popularly recognized as the author of many of the biblical psalms and who was known for having calmed the troubled King Saul with his music (see I Samuel 16:14–23).