Faith Practice, the Exercise

A Hymn for Meditation

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how can i keep from singing?
how can i keep from singing? (Photo credit: ehoyer)

My Life Flows On 

My life flows on in endless song.
Above earth’s lamentation
 I catch the sweet, though far-off hymn
 that hails a new creation.

 Refrain:
No storm can shake my inmost calm
while to that Rock I’m clinging.
Since Christ is Lord of heaven and earth,
how can I keep from singing? 

Through all the tumult and the strife,
I hear that music ringing.
It finds an echo in my soul.
How can I keep from singing?
Refrain

The peace of Christ makes fresh my heart,
a fountain ever springing!
All things are mine since I am his!
How can I keep from singing?
Refrain

                    Robert Lowry

Questions for thought and prayer:

  • My grandmother always sang through her days, even though she was poor and had to work very hard. What does this hymnwriter think inspires singing through hard times?
  • The daily news is full of “tumult and strife.” Do you hear a musical echo in your soul through the noise of political rhetoric and economic collapse? If yes, where does it come from? If no, do you know where to fine one? 
  • How do you think the writer of this hymn would respond to an invitation to camp out with the “Occupy” movement on the Capital Mall? 
  • What is the “new creation” the hymnwriter believes is the inspiration for the song in his heart? Why exactly can he not stop singing?

© 2012 Katherine Harms

 

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2 thoughts on “A Hymn for Meditation”

  1. Love this hymn. I first heard it when I visited Kentucky and Tennessee in 1987 on a “cultural exchange” trip with the (then) Lutheran Church Women. I was so touched by the people there, who, while having little, gave much. I met my dear friend Joan (now living with Jesus) and have many fond memories of the experience. Even as I read the words, I can hear the voice of the man who sang it there. Thanks for the memories (as Bob Hope so often sang)!

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    1. I learned to appreciate hymns more after our pastor taught a series on hymns and pointed out the rich teachings and testimonies they contained. I decided to include them in my blog as nourishment for the faith that persists and grows under persecution.

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