Five essential hymns every child should know:
1. Holy, Holy, Holy- What an incredibly rich text that celebrates and explains the wonder of The Trinity. "Only Thou art holy, there is none beside Thee! Perfect in power, in love and purity." I appreciate that this hymn clearly states our position of "sinful man" and yet also exalts the Lord as the One who deserves glory and praise. "All Thy works shall praise Thy name in earth and sky and sea!"
2. A Mighty Fortress- This hymn is by and far one of my personal favorites. The history behind this hymn is really powerful and should likewise be taught to our young ones. Every stanza of this hymn clearly explains the greatness and power of our Great God. This hymn has a continuing thread of God's truth being timeless, unchanging and powerful. Some parents may find certain words of this hymn a bit fearful- words like bulwark and Lord Sabaoth might evoke a small amount of fear as children ask, "What is that?" But let's encourage these questions! Should you not know the answers to those questions, it is perfectly okay to tell your children that you need to do a little research. Don't shy away from this gem!
3. Come Thou Fount- Oh how I love this hymn! Jackson has me sing this song to him every night before drifting to sleep. (Explaining flaming tongues to a pre-schooler is rather humorous!) Perhaps one of my favorite elements of this hymn is the fact that it clearly points us to the truth that we did not find Jesus, but he found us! "Jesus sought me when a stranger, wandering from the fold of God." About 10 years ago a song entitled "I Found Jesus" was very popular. I never liked this song. We didn't find Jesus. He found us! "O to grace how great a debtor daily I'm constrained to be!"
4. Alas And Did My Savior Bleed and When I Survey The Wondrous Cross- These two could not be split apart in my mind. They both so clearly lay out the story of Christ's death and our proper response to His willing sacrifice. When singing lines that ask us questions, lines like, "Was it for crimes that I had done he groaned upon that tree? Amazing pity, grace unknown and love beyond degree!" we can easily engage our children in conversations that spur their hearts and minds to look to Jesus as the only One who can save us from our sins. "Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all!" Such lyrics imprinted on the hearts of our children will have a much larger impact on them than Father Abraham's many sons and the many sons Father Abraham had.
5. Great Is Thy Faithfulness- I have a very vivid memory of being so convicted by the truth of this song that I was moved to deep tears. "All I have needed Thy Hand hath provided, great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me." I was stuck in an attitude of discontent that had me focused on all of the things I did not have. And there I was, pregnant with my first child, sitting next to my gift of a husband and not worried about where we would sleep that night or if we'd have enough food. How sweet of the Lord to kindly use music to work in my heart. "Thou changest not, Thy compassions they fail not. As Thou hast been, Thou forever wilt be!"
"Sing joyfully to the Lord! It is fitting for the upright to praise Him!" Psalm 33:1
Go forth and sing of our Great and Wonderful God!
