Singing songs in suffering is not just an option for believers in Christ, but a command! So commit to memory as many hymns of the Christian faith as you can. The next time you suffer, you’ll want those words to lean on.
I’m Joni Eareckson Tada and I am big on memorizing good hymns.
But not just any hymn. I love to memorize words to hymns that have enough spiritual muscle to barge into my soul when I am hurting and shake awake a hopeful response. It’s got to be a hymn whose lyrics raise me onto a different plane spiritually; it’s got to summon in me the emotional wherewithal to, well, to remember my calling as a Christian so that I can rise above my sad circumstances. A well-crafted song of suffering—filled with truths about life and God—has power to do that. It can grind biblical truth into your soul like pestle grinding powder into a crucible. Okay, like for instance, these two stanzas in “My Faith Looks Up To Thee.” I cannot tell you how many times in the middle of the night I have used these very words as a prayer to God. Because listen, it goes, “[Oh, God,] May thy rich grace impart Strength to my fainting heart, My zeal inspire! As thou hast died for me, O may my love to thee, [be] Pure, warm, and changeless[,] be a living fire! When life's dark maze I tread And griefs around me spread, [oh, please,] Be thou my guide, Bid darkness turn to day, Wipe sorrow's tears away, Nor let me ever stray, From thee aside.”
That’s a good prayer! And singing songs of suffering is not an option for followers of Jesus Christ. It’s not an invitation. When the Colossians were struggling under the reign of the madman Nero, Paul ordered them, “Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly. . . singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” And then, when the Ephesians were being persecuted and threatened with torture, Paul commanded them to encourage “One another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart.” And even Paul himself takes his own advice when he's bloodied, bruised, shackled in jail—yet, he boisterously sings a hymn at midnight, proving that spiritual songs are powerful ammunition for embattled Christians! ’Cause life is a war. I know I wake up every morning feeling besieged by afflictions. But I see myself among the choir of Levites who marched onto the battlefield in front of Jehoshaphat’s troops, singing loudly and triumphantly. And at night when pain keeps me awake; when I cannot reposition myself and I don’t want to bother my husband again; when my mind is so foggy I can barely put two sentences together in prayer, I lean on Scripture and on the stanzas of great hymns that I have memorized.
You have heard it said that, “We are what we eat,” but I say, “We are what we sing.” And man, that’s so true of me; hymns provide the musical score for my life. Why give the precious real estate of my brain cells to things that weigh my spirit down? Memorizing hymns gives a head start in grasping Christian doctrine; after all, our minds are programmed to remember patterns in music better than we remember patterns in words alone. And so, join me in committing to memory as many hymns of the Christian faith as you can. And get started with my new book "Songs of Suffering." It’s a collection of the 25 hymns that I lean on whenever I go through hard times. This book was a year in the making and, believe me, I wrote it from the heart. ’Cause remember, the stanzas of great hymns provide you with wonderful words for prayer. So visit joniradio.org and learn more about my brand-new book, "Songs of Suffering." I’m so excited for you to be blessed by it! Learn more at joniradio.org.
© Joni and Friends