Hi, this is Marty Goetz. I am a messianic singer, songwriter, and recording artist. Welcome to God Today. I became a believer in Jesus right out of the bars. I used to pay in cabarets and bars, and take requests from people that put money in my cup – just like Billy Joel. I used to love to play songs from Broadway – that was my favorite – Broadway and show tunes. I sang them for myself and I sang them so people would think that I could sing really well. That was what my life was all about. It was all about me. The songs were for me.
At a certain time in my life, I had friends praying for me. They prayed for me to receive Jesus, or Yeshua as we say in Hebrew. I didn’t want to have anything to do with it. As a matter of fact, I was playing at a cabaret in New York City. They come in, these Christian friends of mine and they wait to tell me the great plan God had for my life and I said, “I gotta get out of New York, you people are ‘meshuggah’. I gotta go where people are normal.” So, I moved to Los Angeles. Where everybody is normal – haha!
There in Los Angeles, I was provoked to read the Bible, to read the scriptures. I read about my Messiah, the son of Abraham, the son of David. I read that in Matthew. I realized that Jesus was the Messiah my people had been waiting for. As soon as I became a believer I sat down – not to write for me – but to write a song for God. I opened my Bible to Psalm 23, that was the only thing I knew. I put music to it. “The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want. You maketh me to lie down in green pastures. You lead me beside still waters. He restores my soul. Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” Somebody recorded that song, a lady named Debbie Boone, who had a song called You Light Up My Life and I knew I was in the right place.
Now I sing for the Lord. Read the book of Psalms. The Psalms talk about singing and giving praise to the God of Israel. Even though I love Broadway, now I am on the narrow way. God says follow His narrow ways and as you do, keep singing along the way. It gives God pleasure when we praise Him. So, that’s what has happened to me. From Broadway to the narrow way, singing praise to God from the cabaret to glory – hopefully.
Lord, I want to pray for anybody out there who maybe is living for themselves. Maybe singing songs of the world, songs about them, songs about things of the flesh and the world, and the devil as we say in the scriptures. Lord, turn their hearts to sing to God. Lord, make their heart a harp upon which you can play. Lord, even right now let them open their heart to you, that you can play the strings of their heart. Give them a song. A song in the night. A song of praise to our God. Put a new song in their mouth, the way you did in mine. Lord, be their shepherd to lead them all the days of their lives. In the name of Yeshua HaMashiach. In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.