Hymns of Faith

This is a blog I wrote several years ago. My taste in Christian music has changed somewhat, but I still consider the hymns necessary they are part of the "host of believers" cheer us on in the race of FAITH.

Is the church doing a disservice to today’s new Christians if we do not teach them the hymns of faith?

In today’s church hymns seem to be the endangered species of worship. Many churches are moving toward totally praise songs. Songs with a contemporary feel that can be read from a video projection. Don’t misunderstand me; I love to sing the contemporary praise songs. I listen to local Christian radio, my sons’ CDs; and I have even bought a few for myself.
Contemporary praise music gives me an emotional surge and at times has even been the “jumper cables” to my weak spiritual batteries. While contemporary praise songs are considered a hook to draw young believers they can also speak to the more mature Christian. Who knows, some of the praise songs of today may be the hymns of the future. After all the old hymns were “new songs” in their conception.
But ahhhh the hymns. Hymns are the music I draw from my soul in the darkness of night. Hymns appear in my head and on my lips when I view His mighty works. Hymns feel my quiet time as He draws me closer to know Him. And hymns are the balm I rub on my weary spirit at the end of a stressful day.
In Ephesians 3:15, Paul speaks of being rooted and established in love and having power together with all the saints. At first glance his words seem to be speaking of unity with other believers of our time and place. But Paul follows that statement with a description of the magnitude of God’s love. Paul gives the dimensions of God’s love. I had an idea what Paul meant by wide, deep, and high; but long? As I consider the length of God’s love, I reread what Paul had just said. Long – Power with all the saints. Then it hit me, we are connected to all believers, not just the “hear and now” believers, but also believers of the past.
Hymns are one way we connect with those believers. So many hymns were born of the human experiences of past believers and the power they gained in these experiences. Hymns of faith and comfort such as “God will take care of you” and “His eye is on the sparrow” can shore up the power and comfort we feel in trying times.
Hymns were born from friendship with other believers. Phrases that slipped from the lips of one friend to another later became hymns. We sing these hymns today when we sing “Sweet By and By”, “Face to Face” and “Just as I am”.
Tragedy and death were the catalysts for hymns of faith, hope, and comfort. Theses hymns still comfort many today. “It is Well with my Soul” is one of my personal favorites. When I feel so helpless I am reassured by the lyrics and the story behind this hymn. It gives me power to endure when I remember that the author of this hymn endured the death of his family.
War and the comfort God provided soldiers in that experience generated many great hymns. “Jesus loves the Little Children” was the adaptation from the US civil war battle song. The story of how Frances Scott Key wrote the hymn that later was adopted as our National Anthem is part of almost every child elementary music career. Amazingly God was able to use tragedy and war to reach out in love to believers then and now.
Hymns from writers like Wesley, Watts, and Luther teach us theology. Hymns from believers like Fanny Crosby and George Beverly Shea help as we pray when we cannot pray, witness when we feel inadequate and encourages others and us as we follow Jesus. Hymns connect us to those believers from the past generations; believers we will never meet in this world, but whose witness and faith lives on.
God’s love is wide enough to reach all the way around the world. His love is high enough to reach from us to Him in our celebration of praise. It is deep enough to find us in our deep hidden sins and desperation. Yes it is long enough to span generations. We have power together with the saints as we sing hymns.
Lift your hearts and voices in the contemporary praise and worship with today’s believers, but don’t neglect the hymns of the past and Church, don’t fail today’s young Christian by omitting hymns from their music training. Hymns connect our spirits and souls with believers of the past to give us strength and power as we worship God, the composer of our lives.