According to Hans Christian Andersen, “Where words fail, music speaks.” Music has always been a very important part of my life. Secular and spiritual music, both new and old, have had places and times where they have helped me express things that I could not put into words. Somewhat recently, Praise You in This Storm by Casting Crowns (YouTube Music Video) was very important when my wife and I had a miscarriage and then my Mom passed away with brain cancer.

Hymns that I grew up singing in church are an integral part of my relationship and communication with God. I believe their power is in their basis and also in their background stories. Many are based on specific Scriptures (Great is Thy Faithfulness, I Know Whom I have Believed, There Shall be Showers of Blessings), while others are based on broader concepts the Bible speaks on (Be Thou My Vision, Victory in Jesus, At the Cross). Some of my favorites have amazing, and usually tragic, stories behind them (Amazing Grace, It is Well with my Soul, What a Friend). If you are unfamiliar with where the songs you sing came from, I highly recommend you look them up. Similarly, look into the lives of the writers of hymns (Fanny Crosby, Isaac Watts). It’s highly encouraging and challenging and it gives the hymns even more depth than originally known. So, when you sing, “Whatever my lot, thou has taught me to say, it is well, it is well, with my soul,” you can do so, knowing that it really can be well with your soul when the world is in turmoil around you. With the way music impacts not only me, but those forced to be around me , it’s no wonder that while in prison, Paul and Silas “prayed and sang hymns to God” – Acts 16:25-31, which impacted not only them and other prisoners, but the guard as well.