Hymns.

I had forgotten how much I appreciated hymns until I randomly started looking at them on iTunes tonight. I don't know if it is because I remember singing hymns in church as a kid, or because the Campus Praise Band plays them sometimes (to more contemporary beats), or just because the lyrics are straight from the Word of God, rather than being watered down like some other Christian music...regardless of the reasoning, I am very thankful right now for the blessing of hymns.

It is possible that this all started a few months ago...in a far away land called Bolivia. On our long bus rides across the plains and mountains, we became our own radios. The 20 of us literally sang for hours on end...praising our Savior without the distractions of commercialization or civilization. There is no worship purer than singing the words of Christ right back to Him...no background music, no producers, no recording studios...just our voices bursting out to the open sky. I gained a new comprehension of the song "In Christ Alone" while on that trip...maybe it was the fact that we were so far away from our normal environments and all we could do was count on Christ and acknowledge His sovereignty.

Hymns preach the Gospel. All the time. Without watering it down. Living Water will not quench us if it's watered down.

Just a few suggestions:

• How Deep the Father's Love For Us.
• In Christ Alone.
• It Is Well.
• There is a Fountain.
• Before the Throne.
• Give Me Jesus.
• Agnus Dei.
• Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus.
• Hallelujah, What a Savior.

"So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up." --Galatians 6:9.