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We praise Thee O God ourRedeemer, Creator, ingrateful devotion our

tribute we bring. We lay it beforeThee, we kneel and adore Thee, webless Thy holy name, glad praiseswe sing. (Netherlands folk songtext by Julia Cady Cory). Those are the opening words

to my very first “favoritehymn.” I can remember singingthose words at age four,surrounded by my family andhundreds of worshippers at alarge church gathering. I still getgoosebumps thinking of theshared joy of singing hymns ofpraise and worship with myparents, brothers and sisters aswell as my spiritual “brothersand sisters in the Lord.” Thisgreat old hymn remains one ofmy favorites to this day, and I’veoften chosen to sing it when Ilead worship for my localcongregation.

THE MUSIC OF CREATIONMusic is an important part ofworship and it has been sincecreation. From the beginning,“when the morning stars sangtogether and all the heavenlybeings shouted for joy” (Job38:7), to the end, when “everycreature in heaven and on earthand under the earth and in thesea, and all that is in them” willsing to the Lamb on the throne(Revelation 5:13), creation ismusical. Many animals communicate

by singing—wolves howl,whales communicate with eachother through intricate songsand of course the birds “rise upsinging.” Through worship insong, humans can participate inthe music of creation. Ourworship through music reflectsthe order, beauty and diversityof God’s creation.

LISTEN TO THE LYRICSWorship music can take manyforms and styles, from greatclassic hymns played on amagnificent church organ, to thelively stylings of electric guitarsand drums, to the simple song ofa small child singing, “Jesus lovesme, this I know.” I recently sangthis melody to my three-year-oldgranddaughter and, to my greatsurprise, she joined in withoutprompting. In that moment I feltmy heart soar—it seemed like itmight actually explode with thewarmth and joy I experiencedsinging with my little angel. We all enjoy a variety of

different forms of worshipmusic, but unfortunately,certain songs or music stylescan also bring up painful, toxicmemories or uneasy feelings.We need to be aware of what weare really singing and why. I was

What are we really singing?Laura Urista

OCTOBER 2019 11

recently asked about why somehymns and worship songsreference old covenantjudgment and violence. Myanswer, in short: many hymnswe sing today are taken fromold covenant passages in whichthe author’s viewpoint aboutGod and his mercy was limitedby the author’s particularculture, teachings andunderstanding.Take, for example, By the

Rivers of Babylon, a popular songbased on Psalm 137. This psalmis a lament of a people takeninto captivity. They saw theirbeloved Jerusalem destroyedand may have seen theirchildren and loved onestortured and killed before theirvery eyes. If we consider that some of

the Psalms are the writtenprayers, laments anddocumented history of a peoplewho suffered greatly, then songsof this nature make sense. It isimportant to keep in mind thatmusical lyrics, like poems orany form of literature, must beviewed with the author’sprimary audience in mind firstof all, before the meaning isextended to future generations.

THINK ABOUT THE MESSAGESome hymns and praise songsinclude a limited understandingof God’s grace extended to allmankind. In a popular song weoften sing at the church I attend,the lyrics say: “The name of theLord is a strong tower; therighteous run into it and theyare saved.” Okay—but, just whathappens to the unrighteous? Arethey not saved—are they

destroyed? Just what will happento those who don’t know aboutGod yet? When we start to thinkdeeply about what we are reallysinging, it can indeed betroubling. As worshippers, we need to be

conscious and aware of thewords we are singing, evenwhen we may feel emotionallyswept up singing a hymn/praisesong. The apostle Paul said, “Iwill sing with the spirit and I willsing with the mind also” (1Corinthians 14:14-15, RSV). If thewords you sing trouble you orcause an uneasy feeling youcan’t get rid of, discuss it withyour worship leader, choirdirector or pastor.As worship leaders, choir

directors and pastors, we needto be careful to review thewords of hymns and songs weplan to sing with or for thecongregation. Do the songscontain obvious theologicalproblems? Perhaps theproblematic word(s) can be

slightly changed or verses leftout. Or perhaps we need toabandon certain songs if theyare “causing little ones tostumble.” We need to decide ifwhat we are really singingrepresents the "whole counsel ofGod.” What do our hymnsimply about the sovereigntyand grace of God? What arethey saying about the life,death, resurrection andascension of Jesus Christ and lifeon the Jesus Way?Praise music and hymns can

help us experience deep andmeaningful communion withGod and with others, whetherin a church, within a smallgroup—or with a three-year-old!They can uplift us and help usremember the gospel of God’slove for all mankind, as long aswe remain mindful of what weare really singing. q

Laura Urista is the ManagingEditor of CWR magazine andThe Plain Truth.

“Gaga” Laura with granddaughter Heather