Then David and all the house of Israel played [music] before the LORD on all kinds of [instruments of] fir wood, on harps, on stringed instruments, on tambourines, on sistrums, and on cymbals.
[2Sa 6:5 NKJV]
I grew up singing hymns from a hymnal in church. The songs were simple, the music was soft, and the voices singing were out of tune. However, it was authentic worship. It wasn’t made to be a concert performance, worship leaders were of all ages not just young people, and they most definitely weren’t dressed to the nines.
Lately, I have been enjoying listening to these hymns again. I find them calming and peaceful. Contemporary Christian music is still in my music collection, but hymns truly speak to my spirit in this time of turmoil. The wonderful thing about hymns is that they have survived throughout the generations.
As I write this I am listening to Alan Jackson’s Blessed Assurance and I’ll Fly Away. Those two hymns are quite apropos for today. Through Christ we have the blessed assurance that we have salvation in Him and that when we either pass naturally, or get taken up with the Church, we fly away to a much, much better place! Given what we are seeing in the world today, I am in the category of believers who are looking up as our redemption is drawing closer by the day. (We don’t know the day or hour but we can see signs. We need to always be ready.) I am ready to fly!
When was the last time you heard or sang a hymn? Do you have any favorites? Maybe now is a good time to pull them out and let the music speak to your heart and spirit.
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.
[Col 3:16 NKJV]
Imagine the music we will hear in heaven. What a glorious sound that will be! And, we’ll all be singing in tune and instruments won’t need tuning!
Serve the LORD with gladness; Come before His presence with singing.
[Psa 100:2 NKJV]