Hold on Hymns
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~5 min read
Hi there. Welcome to Well Lit Soul. Where we seek God, face darkness, and shine brighter. This season of the blog is all about encouragement. So today’s blog is called: Hold on Hymns.
In the time when I felt most disconnected from God, I had the hardest time praying and reading my bible. And the few times when I was able to read or pray, it just felt empty. I felt empty. But the one thing I could do was sing.
I’ve always enjoyed singing and listening to others sing. Especially a capella. The feelings expressed through song were often so clear you could almost hold them. And the emotions that poured out through such meaningful lyrics touched my soul with the comfort I so desperately needed. So today, I’m going to share a few of the hymns I leaned on heavily in the midst of my storms that encouraged me to hold on to God.
The first is When My Love to Christ Grows Weak. The hymn says:
Verse 1: When my love to Christ grows weak/ When for deeper faith I seek/ Then in thought I go to Thee/ Garden of Gethsemane
Verse 2: When my love for man grows weak/ When for stronger faith I seek/ Hill of Calvary I go/ To the scenes of fear and woe
Verse 3: There behold His agony/ Suffered on the bitter tree/ See His anguish, see His faith/ Love triumphant still in death
Verse 4: Then to life I turn again/ Learning all the worth of pain/ Learning all the might that lies / In a full self-sacrifice
Each book in the gospels speaks to Jesus praying in the garden and subsequently being crucified, but I think Mark 14:32-42 resonates the most here because you can see the pain Jesus is experiencing as His impending death approaches. This song provided great comfort for me because knowing there was another person out there who felt weak in their love for Christ plus understanding the agony of Jesus helped me feel less alone.
The second is Restore My Soul. The hymn says:
Verse 1: Restore my spirit, Lord, I need restored/ My heart is weary, please help me, dear Lord/ I stand in need of more strength from Your word/ Renew my love, rebuild my faith/ O restore my soul
Verse 2: Revive the fire, Lord, deep in my soul/ Stir my desire to work in Your fold/ Light in my heart, dear God, Your zeal grown cold/ Renew my love, rebuild my faith/ O restore my soul.
Verse 3: Renew my courage, Lord, it needs restored/ My cup is empty, refill it, dear Lord/ Replace all doubts and fear with faith so bold/ Renew my love, rebuild my faith/ O restore my soul.
This hymn helped me talk to God when I couldn’t think of anything to say. The writer expressed exactly what was weighing so heavy on my heart. It felt like such a gift to have my truest feelings reflected back to me. I was weary and my fire was steadily dying, but I wasn’t going to let it go out. And this enabled me to tell God I desperately needed Him to restore my soul.
The third is I Surrender All. The hymn says:
Verse 1: All to Jesus I surrender/ All to Him I freely give/ I will ever love and trust Him/ In His presence daily live
Chorus: I surrender all/ I surrender all/ All to Thee my blessed Savior/ I surrender all
Verse 2: All to Jesus I surrender/ Humbly at His feet I bow/ Worldly pleasures all forsaken/ Take me, Jesus, take me now
Chorus: I surrender all/ I surrender all/ All to Thee my blessed Savior/ I surrender all
Verse 3: All to Jesus I surrender/ Lord I give myself to Thee/ Fill me with Thy love and power/ Let Thy blessings fall on me
Chorus: I surrender all/ I surrender all/ All to Thee my blessed Savior/ I surrender all
1 Peter 5:7 says, “cast your cares upon Him, for He cares for you” and this hymn helped me do just that. It was an encouraging reminder to let go of the things I was holding on to that were ultimately holding me back. If I could surrender my entire self to God, He would take care of everything else.
There are dozens of other hymns that lifted my spirits and helped keep my light going. Some honorable mentions are: As the Deer, In Christ Alone, and Sing to Me of Heaven. So if your light needs some extra fuel, I recommend giving these and other hymns a listen and singing them yourself. They are a great tool to help you shine a little brighter.
Connection question: What are some of your favorite hymns to sing or listen to? Why do you enjoy them?
Let me know in the comments, I’d love to connect with you about it.
P.S. Click here for a playlist of the aforementioned hymns.
