Singing with understanding
Posted by Danielle Stringer on
I have literally stopped singing in a church service before, because I didn’t know what I was singing. As soon as church let out, I was on a mission to know exactly what the lyrics meant. Once I read and understood, I sang with passion! There is no shame in looking up words you don’t know. I’ve had to do that multiple times with the old hymns. When we worship with our minds and understanding, we give glory to God!
I also LOVE when you are reading scripture and see songs matched to them!
“The hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” -John 4:23-24
——————
Come Thou fount of every blessing
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace
Streams of mercy never ceasing
Call for songs of loudest praise!
Teach me some melodious sonnet
Sung by flaming tongues above
Praise the mount, I'm fixed upon it
Mount of Thy redeeming love
Here I raise my Ebenezer
Here by Thy great help I've come
And I hope by Thy good pleasure
Safely to arrive at home
Jesus sought me when a stranger
Wandering from the fold of God
He to rescue me from danger
Interposed His precious blood!
Oh, to grace how great a debtor
Daily I'm constrained to be
Let Thy goodness like a fetter
Bind my wandering heart to Thee
Prone to wander, Lord I feel it
Prone to leave the God I love
Here's my heart, oh take and seal it
Seal it for Thy courts above!
Here's my heart
Oh take and seal it
Seal it for Thy courts above
——————
Here are a few words from this song I have had to look up.
What is this "Ebenezer" I am raising?
You can find it mentioned in the Bible, “Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the LORD has helped us.”(1 Samuel 7:12)
To "raise my Ebenezer" is to recognize God alone as your helper.
What is a "fetter"?
It is a chain used to restrain a prisoner, typically placed around the ankles. Now that you know that, you can imagine you asking for God's goodness to bind your wandering heart to Him! What a beautiful prayer.
What does it mean the Christ "interposed" His precious blood?
To "interpose" means place or insert between one thing and another. Dear reader, without Christ interposing His blood and covering your sin, you are without hope and lost. The blood of Jesus is what cleanses us from all unrighteousness and stands between us and the wrath of our Holy God. This line in the song should cause our hearts to leap with gratitude.
If you have never known what it means to know this grace the song speaks of, I ask you to "Look unto Christ and be saved"!