Scripture Challenge 2010: Hymn

Sam came in from riding his bike looking thoroughly winded and tired.

"I just got done singing a really long song to God!" he told me.

Samuel, like another poet warrior that came before him, has a heart for God.

This week, he drew a picture of our back yard and wrote the words to his very own psalm: "Oh what a holy world our God has given us." And on the back of the picture, he wrote "Oh what a holy world our God has given us. The flowers are beautiful, the butterflies and the world above us."

Sam, at the age of 6, perfectly put into words how I feel about spring. And I know why he drew the scene from our back deck, too. It overlooks majestic trees, a nature preserve, and the creek that winds its way through it all. When I step out on the deck first thing every morning, I, too, am inspired to sing a hymn of thanks and praise.


A hymn is so much more than a song. For starters, I know what a hymn is not. It is not the praise band that rocked the house on Sunday morning. It is not the soprano that hit the high note. It is not the organist that stirred the congregation with an old classic.

A hymn, quite simply, is me, lifting my heart up to God. A hymn is an offering, lifted up with thanks and praise. Can a band or an organist help me do this? Sure! But when my heart is pouring out the words to God, I forget everything else. It becomes, in the words stolen from Jars Of Clay, a "Love Song For a Savior".


Psalm 30:4 says "Sing to the Lord, you saints of his; praise his holy name."

In other words, singing is an important part in the process of sanctification. A hymn can set us apart for God's holy purpose...

...a hymn lifted up in the car.

...a hymn lifted up doing laundry.

...a hymn lifted up on a bicycle.

For me, a hymn is an important part of worship, a part that isn't horizontal, but vertical. A hymn is a lifting up of heart.

This week, God used my sweet child to remind me that I've been a little quiet lately. He's been missing my voice. Today, the trees and flowers are in bloom, the grass is green, the sun is shining, and the birds are singing. I think it's time to join them.