WALK WITH GOD—TALK WITH GOD
Hymns Make Wonderful Prayers
“Is any of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? He should sing songs of praise.”
-James 5:13
We know that there are many ways that we can pray. We can bow our heads and say a prayer. We can stand up in church, fold our hands, and pray. We can also kneel beside our beds and say a prayer before we go to sleep at night. There may come times in an emergency when we don’t have time to bow our heads, or kneel down, but rather we just blurt out a quick prayer for help. There are many different ways we can approach our loving Abba Father in heaven in prayer. But did you ever think of singing a prayer? That sounds like an odd way to pray, but you may have been doing it without ever knowing it.
We find many instances in the Bible of people who sang a prayer to God. Moses did it when the Children of Israel marched through the Red Sea on dry ground, and the Egyptians who followed them were all drowned. Moses prayed as he sang, “In your unfailing love you will lead the people you have redeemed. In your strength you will guide them” (Exodus 15:13). David loved to write prayer songs. You can find several of them in the book of Psalms. In one familiar prayer song David wrote, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me” (Psalm 23:4). Deborah, the only female Judge of Israel, wrote a prayer hymn after their army defeated the enemy. She wrote, “So may all your enemies perish, O Lord! But may they who love you be like the sun when it rises in its strength” (Judges 5:31).
But not all hymns and Bible songs are prayers. Songs that are just for the joy of telling about Jesus are not necessarily prayer songs. You can tell if a song is a prayer hymn if it is addressed to God. Here are some wonderful examples of songs that also serve as prayers:
(From “Away in the Manger”)
Be near me, Lord Jesus, I ask Thee to stay, close by me forever and love me I pray.
Bless all the dear children in Thy tender care, and take us to heaven to live with Thee there.
(From “Now the Light Has Gone Away”)
Jesus, Savior, wash away all that has been wrong today;
Help me every day to be good and gentle, more like Thee.
(From “I Am Trusting Thee, Lord Jesus)
I am trusting Thee, Lord Jesus, trusting only Thee.
Trusting Thee for full salvation great and free!
Go to your Heavenly Father in prayer as often as possible. Go to your Heavenly Father in prayer about anything that is on your mind. Go to your Heavenly Father in prayer using a prayer you know, a prayer you make up, or one of these awesome hymns. Go to your Heavenly Father in prayer!
In Christ, Mike Allard, Principal @ St. John’s