The other day I went to shut our front sliding door, so that it wasn’t so wide open! Then this song of faith from my childhood became stuck in my head, – Wide, Wide as the Ocean.
Of course I had to find a version with actions.
Wide, wide as the ocean
High as the heavens above
Deep, deep as the deepest sea is my saviours love.
Though I be so unworthy, still I’m a child of his care.
For His word teaches me that His love reaches me everywhere.
Wide, Wide as the Ocean by C. Austin Miles, 1914
This song actually has a great message. No matter what I’m still a child of God and His love will always reach me everywhere. This is not only a message that I’d like to always remember for myself but also a message that I’d always like my kids to remember.
In fact, a passage I’ve often pray over my kids is Ephesians 3:14-21. My prayer is that my children will always know how long and high and wide and deep is the love of God for them. And that they would see that God can do more than we ask or imagine.
Why songs & music helps our faith?
Songs and music are very powerful. Music helps us remember things easier than remembering Bible verses or other facts. “Music, …, trains us in the practice of remembering who God is and what he has done.” Hearing songs again, brings back the emotions of other times when we’ve heard them. Songs of faith can impact us greatly and for a long time.
There are many passages in the Bible about music and of course the book of Psalms contains many songs. Many Psalms and other Bible verses are used in many of the hymns and Christian worship music of today.
It’s also important to sing the old songs of faith for our older generations. This will bring up emotions, memories, has much meaning for them and will help them remember who God is.
I can remember proudly singing all the words to Away in a Manger to my Grandma on the way to church on Christmas Day when I was about 6. I find it very emotional to sing this song at Christmas time but it is one of my favourite Christmas carols.
Recently someone was sharing a story from a convention I attended as a young adult in 1991 and then later that evening someone else shared more that this speaker said. The theme song from this convention came to mind – “Breaking New Ground”. I immediately shared it with a friend who is church planting as this is what she is doing through her church plant – breaking new ground. She immediately turned it back on me and said I wonder what it means for you. What’s the message in there for me? She also shared this with someone else the next day. They had also been at this convention and it prompted them to want to read their diaries from that time. Music is powerful and can speak to us for many years.
Like the seed that’s planted home amid the earth
Waits to be enlivened, nourished given it’s birth
Dormant we lie waiting the spirit beckons all
Challenged by its pleading
Awakened we answer God’s call
We want to be breaking, making new ground
Shaking this whole world around
Sharing love that knows no bounds
We wantta be, we gotta be
Breaking new ground.
Breaking New Ground, Theme Song NCYC 91
Another song which is actually a benediction or doxology keeps coming up for me as well. The line “who is able to keep, able to keep you from falling” is often what comes to mind for me.
Where do you play songs of faith?
For my kids I think music from Colin Buchanan has had a great impact. We had all the Colin albums when the kids were younger, went to many of his concerts and sang a number of his songs at church. A few lyrics that come immediately to mind are “God is everywhere … guitar” and “In the Bible in the freezer”. There were not only great messages in these songs, with many based on Bible verses but also lots of fun, especially at the concerts.
The first song my son played in church was “Blessed Be Your Name”. Well, he played 1 or 2 of the chords at the appropriate time. It wasn’t long before he could play the whole song and many more. Soon after learning this song he was playing it at a church camp, while we were trying to organise a camp photo. Very soon everyone had joined in & was singing along. Such a powerful moment. Whenever we sing this song my prayer is that my son will always remember, no matter what that Blessed be the name of the Lord.
At one stage our church was learning a new song each month and it would be played every week at church during the month and then semi regularly afterwards. My daughter was about 4 when we learnt “Shout to the North”. One night she was singing the chorus at the top of her lungs whilst in the bath. My prayer then and now is that she would always know that Jesus is saviour to all and Lord of heaven and earth.
Our children can hear music of faith at church but that’s only for a short time each week. You can also play songs of faith at home or in the car. Your kids may learn new songs at kids Church or at a camp. Let them teach them to you, find them on Spotify or even see if they can teach new songs to your church. My niece learnt a song at school that she taught to our congregation with the help of one of our worship leaders.
Where can you play songs of faith as you go about your daily life? A parent that attended a family faith workshop I ran decided that one way she could add a faith element to the families car rides was to play christian music in the car as they were driving along the road.
Remind them of the songs when they come into your mind to match a conversation or situation. I also recorded some song lyrics next to appropriate verses in the Bibles we gifted to our children when they graduated from High School.
How are you going to add more songs of faith into your everyday life?
Don’t underestimate the message and power of kids songs. A song that I learnt as a Day Camp leader and have taught to our congregation has a great message. God reminds me of this song when I need to remember that “God can do anything, anything at all, nothing is too big for him, nothing is too small.”
Songs of faith can be powerful. They not only help us worship God but they remind us of who God is and what he has done and still does for us. Whether it’s a song of faith that you learnt as a child or learnt last week, the messages can continue to impact us.
Is there a “church” song from your childhood that you need to hear the message again today?
Is there a song of faith your children like now that you hope they remember the message of in the future?