I admit it with great pride. I AM a band geek. Some of you were athletes. You played every sport possible. You ran track, dribbled a ball, tackled the opponent, and ran the bases. I played in band – symphonic band, pep band, and the best of all, marching band. And I would dare proclaim that the band has been around for centuries before any of the other sports except maybe running.
Some of you reading this were a part of Stryker’s Big Brass Machine. We were a drum and bugle corps that marched every parade in the county and participated in some of the biggest parades in a tri-state area. And we came home with trophies and prize money!
The band was treated with military orders. We would “ten-hut, dress right, dress left, forward march, at ease, and parade rest.” We learned to do 90o turns and reform the ranks before marching on. Whistle commands from the drum major told us what to do. Rows and columns had to be straight, eyes straight ahead, and each person in step.
Though the interest in high school band has sadly dwindled in many places, the DCI (Drum Corps International) is still going strong and hosting competitions all over the nation. Tryouts are stiff and only the best 21-years-of-age or younger can join teams. Since 1971, teams like the Anaheim Kingsmen, the Blue Devils, the Cavaliers, and the Santa Clara Vanguard have brought marching band music and performances to thousands of fans across the world.
For me, one of the most thrilling things to be a part of at a DCI competition is when the band forms the “Wall of Sound.” All the instruments come together in the closest formation possible. Then, you are treated to a fff level of sound. That’s playing at the loudest you possibly can. As the melody and harmonies blend, you feel like you’ve been hit with this wall of sound and you are certain that the walls of Jericho are crumbling around you. What a PHENOMENAL experience!!
As I said previously, drum corps have been around probably as long as a military has existed. Cadences were played as troops marched on the battlefield, unifying them as traveled. Trumpet blasts guided the maneuverings of the troops during the skirmish. As the unit returned home, the drum and bugle corps sounded the victory of their warriors.
What prompted this devotional illustration? Today is National Marching Music Day, established in 2017 by the DCI. Why today? Think about it. Today is March 4th. Say it carefully. March fourth or march forth. It’s a play on words.
In the book of Habakkuk, the Lord does some marching. The Bible doesn’t tell us that He was accompanied by a drum and bugle corps but He definitely marched!
Habakkuk 3:3-4, 12-13 says, “God came from Teman, and the Holy One from mount Paran. Selah. His glory covered the heavens, and the earth was full of his praise. (4) And his brightness was as the light; he had horns coming out of his hand: and there 
was the hiding of his power… (12) Thou didst march through the land in indignation, thou didst thresh the heathen in anger. (13) Thou wentest forth for the salvation of thy people, even for salvation with thine anointed; thou woundedst the head out of the house of the wicked, by discovering the foundation unto the neck. Selah.”
The Believer’s Bible Commentary summarizes Habakkuk 3. “Habakkuk pictures God marching forth against His foes, crushing them by His power and triumphing gloriously. He makes frequent allusions to the Lord’s past punishment of Israel’s enemies, the judgment of Egypt at the time of the Exodus, the countries that opposed Israel on the way to the promised land, and the nations that had to be driven out of Canaan by Joshua.”
The word march in the Hebrew means exactly what we would think it means: to step regularly. You can almost hear the thunderous, rhythmic steps of God marching in judgment on the land like thousands upon thousands of soldiers. It reminds me of the opening words of the Battle Hymn of the Republic:
Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord;
He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored.
He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword;
His truth is marching on!
Maybe you don’t get in to marching bands and drum and bugle corps competitions. But we can certainly get excited to know that our God is defending His children and the evidence of this is seen throughout history. The greatest outpouring of that judgment is yet future.
Rest today in knowing that the Lord is watching out for you, guarding you, and, in time, He will avenge all enemies who harm His children.
Our God is on the march!
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