"Lighting the Fire"
Jotting – Week 13
Pray with Hymns
Holy God, we praise Thy name;
Lord of all, we bow before Thee.
All on earth Thy scepter claim,
All in heav’n above adore Thee.
Infinite Thy vast domain,
Everlasting is Thy reign.
Did you sing the words, hum along as you read them? This hymn (number 940 from Lutheran Service Book), is a prayer of praise.
It’s been said that Lutherans love to sing. I believe it. A friend of one of our daughters could never understand why we sang. I recall telling him, “Just wait. One of these days, when you know the Lord well enough, you’ll know why we sing.” He did eventually experience that “need to sing.”
I’ve heard voices lifted in tremendous joy in church, at conferences, at youth gatherings, wherever God’s people gather. And those songs–those prayers–ascend on high as sweet incense before our God: “Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints” (Revelation 5:8).
Yes, anytime we sing a hymn or worship song, we are praying to God. St. Augustine said, “Singing is praying twice.” Martin Luther, who loved music and contributed much to our Lutheran hymnody, called it a gift from God. Take a look at these Bible verses:
“Then Moses and the children of Israel sang this song to the LORD, and spoke, saying: "I will sing to the LORD, For He has triumphed gloriously! The horse and its rider He has thrown into the sea! The LORD is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation; He is my God, and I will praise Him; My father's God, and I will exalt Him” (Exodus 15:1-2; sung after the Lord had delivered the Children of Israel by bringing the waters of the Red Sea over the Egyptian army).
“On that day [when the ark of God had been brought into the tabernacle] David first delivered this psalm into the hand of Asaph and his brethren, to thank the LORD: Oh, give thanks to the LORD! Call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples! Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him; Talk of all His wondrous works! Glory in His holy name; Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the LORD” (1 Chronicles 16:7-10).
“I will sing to the LORD, Because He has dealt bountifully with me” (Psalm 13:6).
“I will praise You, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing to You among the nations” (Psalm 57:9).
“Let the saints be joyful in glory; Let them sing aloud on their beds” (Psalm 149:5).
“... be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:18b-20).
Take a look at the Bible stories that involve music: Joshua and the people marched, the priests blew the trumpets, and the city of Jericho fell (Judges 5-6); Deborah, the prophetess and Barak, her general, sang a song of praise after God delivered the Canaanites into their hands (Judges 4-5); God used King Jehoshaphat’s choir to defeat an army (one of my favorites found in 2 Chronicles 20); David sang time after time– after battles, through sufferings, in repentance (page through the Psalms); Jesus and the disciples sang a hymn before going to the Garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:30); Paul and Silas sang hymns in the prison in Philippi (Acts 16:25); the four living creatures, the 24 elders, and the saints sing in heaven (Revelation 4:8, 11; 5:9; 14:3; 15:3).
Looking through the Psalms, I was caught by the number of times the songs of praise were encouraged so that “the nations” would hear of God’s wonderful deeds: “Oh, sing to the LORD a new song! Sing to the LORD, all the earth. Sing to the LORD, bless His name; Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day. Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all peoples” (Psalm 96:1-3).
The hymns themselves encourage one to pray as evidenced by the following:
Come, my soul, with ev’ry care,
Jesus loves to answer prayer;
He Himself has bid thee pray,
Therefore will not turn away.
Thou art coming to a King,
Large petitions with thee bring;
For His grace and pow’r are such
None can ever ask too much.
Lutheran Service Book, 779
If you are not well acquainted with your hymnal or don’t own one of your own, now would be a good time to order the Lutheran Service Book. You can do this through your congregation or by going to: http://www.cph.org/cphstore/product.asp?part%5Fno=031170.
Hymns are arranged in this book according to category: The Church Year; Person and Work of Christ; The Christian Church; The Christian Life; Times and Seasons; The Service; Nation and National Songs, with sub-categories under each main heading. There are songs for Christmas, Lent, and Pentecost, hymns of praise and adoration, hope and comfort, trust, sanctification, and mission and witness. In addition to the hymns, Lutheran Service Book is rich in prayers–for individuals and families as well as for congregational settings.
Use hymns or the newer worship songs as prayers by speaking them or singing them. Memorize them so you can sing your way through household chores, in the car on a trip, for home devotions, getting ready for a day of service to the Lord, or as a witness to others. Going through Lutheran elementary grade school meant memorizing Scripture, the Catechism, and also hymns. I treasure that foundation. Words of hymns and praise songs come to me at various times during my day, and I have enjoyed learning–and memorizing–many new ones over the years.
Discover the joy of singing your prayer wherever you are and in whatever circumstances you find yourself. “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord” (Colossians 3:16).
Pray:
Holy Father, holy Son,
Holy Spirit, three we name Thee;
Though in essence only one,
Undivided God we claim Thee
And adoring, bend the knee
While we own the mystery. Amen