The one who sings prays twice. “The more you keep at it, the more things begin to change.” (Touched by an Angel) Music affects the soul and can influence and determine ethics, behaviors, and morals of every human being. As the fifth century Bishop of North Africa, St. Augustine, believed, “When we sing the words of our hymns and prayers, we add the dimensions of honor and praise to them.”
When I stand in church and sing many of my favorite hymns, the words have often caused tears to rim my eyes. What bothers me the most, recently, is how my hearing aids have affected my voice quality. The anguish I feel comes from deep in my soul, a soul that has prayed twice to God since I was three years old, singing in my father’s church in Upperco, Maryland. Not only did those words set me to free flight, they also allowed a young voice to thank God in a way that speaking prayers never has. The heart, soul, mind, and strength come together to focus entirely and completely on God when we sing. As the Apostle Paul said in Colossians 3:16 (KJV), “Let the words 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.”
Beautiful Savior…Gesangbuch, Munster, 1677…Silesian Folk Tune, 19th century…838: Evangelical Lutheran Worship.
Beautiful Savior, King of creation, Son of God and Son of Man!
Truly I’d love thee, truly I’d serve thee, light of my soul, my joy, my crown.
Fair are the meadows, fair are the woodlands, robed in flowers of blooming spring;
Jesus is fairer, Jesus is purer, he makes our sorrowing spirit sing.
Fair is the sunshine, fair is the moonlight, bright the sparkling stars on high;
Jesus shines brighter, Jesus shines purer than all the angels in the sky.
Beautiful Savior, Lord of the nations, Son of God and Son of Man!
Glory and honor, praise, adoration, now and forever more be thine!
I will always sing, regardless of having to wear hearing aids now or having a sore throat. After seventy years, I know God will hear my sung prayers and know that my heart and soul belong to Him. Whether a three years old or seventy years old, He only wants to hear me sing and that’s a lot of prayers.
Anna Hartt
