Hymns

Two weeks ago I found a hymnal lying near the piano. It was an old hymnal from my great-grandfather, Charles Elliott. (You may have read about him in “The Reverend’s Daughter,” which is on this blog.) I knew we had the hymnal, but I had never really paused to looked at it.

I opened it, sat down at the piano, and played one of my favorite hymns, “Great is Thy Faithfulness”. My voice soon followed the voice of the piano as we sang.

Great is Thy faithfulness, oh God my Father,
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changeth not, thine compassions, they fail not;
As Thou hast been Thou forever will be.

“Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness!”
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided–
“Great is Thy faithfulness,” Lord, unto me!

Summer and winter, and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon, and stars in their courses above,
Join with all nature in manifold witness,
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.

“Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness!”
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided–
“Great is Thy faithfulness,” Lord, unto me!

As I finished the song, I continued to another one of my favorite hymns: “I Know Who Holds Tomorrow.” Once again, my voice joined in singing the song below.

I don’t know about tomorrow,
I just live form day to day.
I don’t borrow from its sunshine,
For its skies my turn to gray.

I don’t worry o’er the future,
For I know what Jesus said,
And today I’ll walk beside him,
For He knows what is ahead.

Many things about tomorrow,
I don’t seem to understand;
But I know who holds tomorrow,
And I know who holds my hand.

I suddenly realized just how meaningful and truthful the words of these hymns, and many more hymns, are. The next few days I spent hours at the piano singing and playing hymns from the old hymnal. I could not believe how many good songs I found in that book, including “Marching to Zion,” “Bringing in the Sheaves,” “Glory to His Name,” “Amazing Grace,” “More Abundantly,” and “Glory to God, Hallelujah.” (You should definitely look up the hymns I just listed!) When I began to feel sick that week, the hymns cheered me up.

One night as I tried to sleep, I asked my sister to sing a hymn for me. I was certain a hymn would do for me what it had done before–cheer me up. She gladly agreed and began to sing the below hymn.

Under His wings I am safely abiding;
Tho’ the night deepens and tempests are wild,
Still I can trust Him; I know He will keep me;
He has redeemed me, and I am His child.

Under His wings, under His wings,
Who from his love can sever?
Under His wings my soul shall abide,
Safely abide forever.

Under His wings, what a refuge in sorrow!
How the heart yearningly tuns to His rest!
Often when earth has no balm for my healing,
There I find comfort, and there I am blest.

Under His wings, under His wings,
Who from his love can sever?
Under His wings my soul shall abide,
Safely abide forever.

It was indeed comforting to know I am under His wings, like the hymn said, and I happily went to sleep.

Hymns are wonderful worship songs about God. They remind us of God’s promises, faithfulness, goodness, and more. I was surprised how many hymns are based on Bible verses. They are all so wonderful to hear and they minister to your soul. What is your favorite hymn? Do you often play or listen to hymns? Comment below and let me know!

~Faith

P.S. You can find two more of my favorite hymns, “Victory in Jesus” and “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms,” in this chapter of my story The Reverend’s Daughter Chapter 2, “One Sunday Night”