by Linda Veath Cox
Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing: “To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!” ~ Revelation 5:13 NIV
I confess. I love the old hymns. I love holding a hymnal in my hands. I love knowing that it contains songs with lyrics that transcend the ages, some of which date back as far as the 3rd and 4th centuries.
Even though written long ago, those hymns still speak to our hearts today. They speak because the lyrics are anchored in the Word of God, pointing the worshipper to Jesus Christ and His cross where our salvation was won.
Not only do they speak to our hearts but, by singing them over and over again, they also become engraved in our minds. By committing the priceless truths of these hymns to memory, we make them a part of who we are. They strengthen our faith. They open our eyes to the truth, the power, the joy of God’s Word. And they bring us peace, hope, and the reminder of God’s forgiveness.
To think that Christians have been singing these same words for hundreds of years actually gives me cold chills! Talk about being surrounded by a great crowd of witnesses. All of us singing hymns to God and to the Lamb. Not only while we are here on earth but throughout all eternity. Amen.
To God and to the Lamb I will sing, I will sing;
To God and to the Lamb I will sing;
To God and to the Lamb, Who is the great I AM,
While millions join the theme, I will sing, I will sing,
While millions join the theme, I will sing.
(3rd verse of What Wondrous Love Is This,
one of the “newer” hymns written in 1811)
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