Songs are powerful. There is something about combining words with music that gives them greater staying power. Many of us have found ourselves humming or singing on a Tuesday or Wednesday one of the worship hymns from the previous Sunday. We might not have been consciously thinking about that hymn, but it lodged in our hearts and minds, flowing through our very beings as we worked and played and prayed.
During days of uncertainty, when it sometimes felt like the world had been turned upside down, we found comfort in the familiar words and music of songs and hymns. We may or may not be able to gather with others for worship, but we can lift our voices to God in song wherever we find ourselves.
When my heart is restless and I can’t seem to pray, I find peace in singing hymns that say what I cannot. Simple, repetitive, and familiar hymns are a powerful way to connect with God and others who sing these hymns.
This message is an excerpt from the December 2020 Gather devotional, “Singing, writing, moving, connecting: Advent rituals for uncertain times” by Jordan Miller-Stubbendick.
Daily Grace is just one of the many free online resources from Women of the ELCA that can strike a spark of prayer and pondering. Please support Women of the ELCA at welca.org/give.