“Thank You, Lord-TSMS No. 264” is the first hymn that I have come across which I love very much. It was written by D. Burgess. When I sing this song, I was like being brought back to the December church camp in 1997. The theme of the camp was “He must increase and I must decrease” I was reminded of Shuhui and a few brethren who had gathered together to sing. It was during this church camp that God brought me back to His fold. The first stanza reminded me to thank God in times of trials for the trying of my faith worketh patience-James 1:3. In the process of growing, I learn to care for brethren. The second stanza reminded me of another wonderful promise in:
1Corinthians 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
There is no trials that are too hard to bear. Stanza three reminded me of Romans 12:1-2 that we must present our bodies as a living sacrifice; holy and acceptable for the Lord's use. When everything is put in place, you will be able to see the final destination; that is to be with the Lord forever. The chorus also reminded me not to yield to the flesh but let the Holy Spirit take control of my life. Sometimes we cannot hear God's voice because the human flesh takes precedence over the Holy Spirit indwelling in each believer. We ought not yield to the flesh but rather quieten our spirit to listen to God's soft prompting voice.
1Corinthians 13:4-8a Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth:
Psalm:103-12-13 As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him.
“The Love of God-TSMS No. 45” reminded me of God's Agape which is written in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a and also God's forgiveness of sin in Psalm 103:12-13. Although the forgiveness of sins is not clearly shown in the hymn, I will explain why I relate these two verses together. These two portions of the scriptures speak of God's perspective of love and His display of love that can be seen in how He forgives our sins. Coincidentally, these two verses are my favourite verses and are very dear to my heart. It speaks of God's love that is so great that if anyone were to write of His love, even the ocean of ink would not be enough to finish the writing of it. Such great love really melts my heart and brings my devotion to Him, guiding me on how to show love to others and also pledging to serve Him till the end! This hymn was written by F.M. Lehman. Not only is the hymn very catchy but the lyrics are so meaningful and devotional! Two years ago, in the mission trip to Kuantan, I managed to get the Chinese lyrics for this song. The lyrics are equally meaningful.
I want to side track a bit, giving an analogy of the life of a Christian; which will bring me to the next hymn. Christian walk is like swimming against the current. No one else in our church can experience that more than me because of the National Service vocation that I have gone through in two-and-a-half years. Swimming countless 2km almost every week in the sea swim during my trainee days makes me feel and realise that if I am not swimming fast enough and using the correct techniques with my fins; I will be swept away by the current. All your efforts that you have tried to propel forward will be in vain. Likewise in our Christian walk, you have to be quick enough to realise your sins or even backsliding before it is too late. However realising it is not enough; what you need is the Word of God and prayer (correct techniques) that will propel you forward in your Christian life. Therefore your Christian life is not stagnant but dynamic. You will not stay at the same spot all the time. You either backslide or you will increase in the knowledge of God.
However in the process of seeking God's knowledge and wisdom, we may be discouraged, spiritually down and lose our focus in our day-to-day responsibilities or even our service in Church. These problems are like the opposing current that you need to swim against. Therefore I need the hymn “Turn your eyes upon Jesus-TSMS No. 405/RHC No. 284” to remind me to focus on Christ alone and to read His Word daily. This hymn was written by Helen H. Lemmel. God had called us out of darkness into His marvellous light -1 Peter 2:9. In our difficulties, if we focus on the one and only true light; our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, our life will be more abundant and free. In the second stanza, he had conquered death, absent from the body and to be present with the Lord - 2 Corinthians 5:8. Sins no more have dominion over us. Third stanza gives the assurance that his Word shall not fail. Believe in his Word when trouble comes and share the gospel to fulfil the great commission.
Lastly, the hymn “For All My Sin-TSMS No. 175” reminded me of Christ dying on the cross for my sins. This hymn was written by Norman J. Clayton. It contains words of love and devotional lyrics that touch my heart. The high point of this hymn is at the last part of the chorus. “... His love can never decline and He loves me.” makes me feel good when I sing it. It is like proclaiming God's love that will never decline and that He will love me forever. This hymn also reminded me of my worthlessness as a sinner, saved only by the grace of God who died for me on the cross. This is the hymn that I hope to sing during the Lord's Supper to remind myself of God's Agape. It is a very reflective hymn that speaks of Christ’s passive obedience on the cross. Passive obedience speaks of Christ's sufferings on the cross in obedience to the Will of God the Father.
There are still a lot of hymns and choruses that I like. However, the above mentioned are the few which I love most. Hope that as you sing hymns and choruses, you do notice the words as they may suddenly pop up in your mind when trials or temptations come. One thing that I heard from Elder Seah that really encourages me is that he and his wife memorise the lyrics in the hymns so that they can sing to people as they evangelise to them. Music is next to Theology. I truly believe and can experience that. When you come to a point of time when you cannot have a bible with you, the memory verses that you have remembered and the hymns and choruses that you have memorised seem so very precious! I believe that there will be a time of great persecution where bibles will be scare. This is when the hymns that you and I have learnt and memorised come into great use. May the hymns of praise that we sing be as a sweet savour sacrifice unto God. Praise ye the Lord! Amen!
Psa 33:2-3 Praise the LORD with harp: sing unto him with the psaltery and an instrument of ten strings. Sing unto him a new song; play skilfully with a loud noise.
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