JUST KEEP SINGING!

I don’t know about you, but sometimes I don’t feel like singing. Whether it’s too early in the morning, frustrating circumstances are on my mind, or maybe I’m not thinking or acting in a way that honors God, sometimes I just don’t want to sing. These reasons, and maybe many others can sometimes keep me from joyfully singing to the Lord, and maybe that’s true for you too.

But I heard something from a youth pastor friend of mine that changed my perspective about singing. We were talking about worship music and he said he often told his students that “sometimes we sing the same things over and over because we believe it, but other times we have to sing the same thing until we believe it.” As we persist in remembering who God is and what He has done, something in us begins to change. Our eyes begin to be taken off of ourselves and we begin to focus on Christ.

This reminds me of Psalm 42. The Psalmist writes this in the midst of despair, “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God. My soul is cast down within me; therefore I remember you” (Ps.42:5-6)

The psalmist does an amazing thing here. First, he notices and questions why he is in despair. Then he instructs his own soul to “hope in God,” he commits to “praise him again,” and remembers that God is his “salvation.” He sums this up in the next line, “My soul is cast down within me; therefore I remember you.” This ought to be a model for us for how to deal with anxiety, fear, depression, or frustration. Take note of what thoughts occupy your heart, then instruct your soul to place your hope in God, and commit yourself to praise Him for who He is and what He has done for you. When you are in turmoil you must remember Him.

So the next time you are struggling to sing, remember Psalm 42:5-6, and remember that turning your heart to praise God is a wonderful way to change your perspective, your thoughts, and bring genuine joy that comes from the Lord. No matter what is happening in your life, just keep singing!

SONGS THIS SUNDAY

Below are the songs we’ll be singing together this Sunday. Listen to them on Spotify or Youtube as you work, study, or as part of your daily devotions.

Songs for Sunday, April 2nd:

1. Blessed Be Your Name
2. Be Thou My Vision
3. Lord I Need You
4. Christ Be Magnified
5. He Wears A Crown

Listen on YOUTUBE 

Listen on SPOTIFY

Click here to download the lyrics for these songs.

BE THOU MY VISION

This week, one of the hymns we’ll be singing together is “Be Thou My Vision.” This famous hymn has a fascinating and mysterious story of how the melody and lyrics came together. 

The melody of this hymn came from an unknown composer, written to remember St. Patrick’s defiance of a pagan king in 433. The words for this hymn came from a 6th century Irish poet named, St. Dallán Forgaill, who wrote this poem in honor of St. Patrick. The poem and melody eventually were lost to time until 1905, when the poem was discovered. In 1912, the lyrics and melody were joined together by an Irish woman named, Eleanor Hull, and the hymn achieved instant popularity. Click here to read a full article on the origin of this song.

This hymn came to life from the commitment of St. Patrick to stand against the decree of a pagan king and stay true to Christ. It represents a commitment to keep our eyes and heart fixed on Christ above all else. Below are the lyrics with a chorus that was added later by a band called “Ascend the Hill” in 2010. 

Verse 1:
Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art
Thou my best Thought, by day or by night
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light

Verse 2:
Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one

Verse 3:
Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise
Thou mine Inheritance, now and always:
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart
High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art

Chorus:
Oh, God, be my everything, be my delight
Be, Jesus, my glory My soul’s satisfied
Oh, God, be my everything, be my delight
Be, Jesus, my glory My soul’s satisfied

Verse 4:
High King of Heaven, my victory won
May I reach Heaven’s joys, O bright Heaven’s Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall
Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all

What I love about this hymn is the prayer in the first verse, “Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart.” It’s as if the author is praying that God would be his vision, praying that God would help him to make Christ a greater treasure in his heart. We all need this don’t we? The truth is that we don’t always pursue, value, and treasure Christ as we ought to, and we should be regularly praying that God would help us to treasure Him more. O God, would you be our vision, our delight, our treasure and may we be fully satisfied in You alone. 

I encourage you this week to sing and reflect on this hymn, and then sing it out with me on Sunday morning! 

Can’t wait for Sunday!