Spiritual Experiences with Hymns
Apr 20th, 2007 by Bethany
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My aunt emailed me yesterday saying that she was searching for ideas for Relief Society and found my blog! It's always neat to get in touch with someone in an unexpected way. She discovered in her reading that I'm in Young Women now. She's doing a project for her Stake's Young Women Camp where after Sacrament Meeting they spend about an hour where she tells stories about people having spiritual experiences with hymns. She asked me if I had any I would share, and below I'm posting my reply in case it might be helpful to anyone else.
Spiritual experiences with hymns. I've had a bunch, but usually it's just me finally noticing that the lyrics actually have meaning and apply to me. Our YW music specialist had us learn "Dearest Children, God is Near You" before the YW broadcast and while she was teaching it she said that it was the song she used as a lullaby for her babies when they were little (they're all grown up now) and that to her it's a song that says everything she wishes her children would/could learn from her. Then we sang it and it suddenly meant 10x more to me!There was another time during college when a girl in my ward was hit by a car in an accident and died. They asked me to be part of a group that sang "Nearer, My God, to Thee" at the funeral and I found that suddenly that song was nearly impossible to sing without crying because I now had experience to understand it. Same thing with "God Be With You Till We Meet Again" that we sang at the same funeral. I'd always thought of it as a "see you next week at church" song, not a "we might not see each other until after we die, so I'm going to ask God to take care of you since I may not be around to do it myself" song. Then, I was singing at this funeral where this girl's parents and siblings and friends were trying to have faith and remember the Plan of Salvation and not be bitter and angry about her dying and the music helped me believe and understand that God loves us, has a plan, and takes care of us even though sometimes bad things happen to good people. Those hymns, along with "I Need Thee Every Hour" are a big part of my ability to have faith during hard times because they explain with music (which always helps explain things better) how utterly dependent I am on Heavenly Father for everything and that everything really will turn out okay in the end now matter how bad they seem right now because He will take care of me and those I love if we let Him."I Believe in Christ" is a hymn that helps me express my testimony. When I sing it I really feel worshipful, and it helps me feel spiritual when it's sometimes hard to feel the Spirit as I wrestle with my kids during Sacrament Meeting. Maybe the Still Small Voice talks a little louder through music.
If any of the rest of you have spiritual experiences with hymns that you'd like to help my aunt out with (she says she needs a lot of stories to fill the hour), post them as comments and I'll pass them on to her. Thanks!
When I think of spiritual experiences with hymns, I think of my cousin, Heather. Her story of an experience with a hymn is referenced in the Primary 6 manual lesson about Job. Here it is from the manual:
Tell about a girl named Heather Erickson. She had such a severe disease that she had very little control of her body. The only way she could communicate was by her family asking her questions. If the answer was “yes,” she would look directly at the speaker, and if the answer was “no,” she would blink. Heather and her family became very good at communicating this way. Heather’s special love for Jesus, in spite of her physical handicaps, was often expressed in her communications. One day her speech therapist asked Heather what her favorite song was. Heather became excited and was anxious for her therapist to know what song it was that she loved most. After three days of searching and asking questions, the song was finally identified. It was “There Is Sunshine in My Soul Today” (Hymns, no. 227).
The last two lines, “And Jesus listening can hear / The songs I cannot sing,” was Heather’s favorite part. Her therapist asked, “Heather, is that it? Is that what you like about the song? Is it what you want me to know? That Jesus is listening and He can hear the songs you cannot sing?” Heather lifted her head and looked her therapist straight in the eyes with excitement and yet almost relief evident on her face. The testimony had been borne. (Adapted from Bruce and Joyce Erickson, When Life Doesn’t Seem Fair [1995], pp. 49–55.)
Although I was fairly young when this event happened, I remember my aunt calling my mom to tell about it. Not only were we all touched by the specific phrase Heather liked best in her favorite song, but also by the love shown by her therapist. I know this especially touched my aunt and now that I am a mother myself, I understand the gratitude we have for those who love and teach our children. My cousin’s therapist went through the children’s hymnbook one song at a time, asking Heather if each song was her favorite, only to get blinks indicating no for the entire book. She then moved on to the regular hymnbook and went through song by song until reaching “There is Sunshine in My Soul Today,” hymn number 227. As mentioned, this process took three days. When the favorite song was discovered, not only did it let Heather know how important and loved she was, but she was able to share her great love for the Lord with her family and therapist. Although Heather passed away at the young age of 11, her testimony has been shared with and touched many lives.