POWER in the HYMNS
address by Bruce T. Forbes, November 11, 2007
(I have delivered this address several times since;
have upgraded and added to each time.)

I have with me today replicas of two of the first books published by the Church. This is a replica of the first edition of the Book of Mormon. Recently an original copy of this book sold at auction for 110,000 dollars, including agent's fees.

This second book is a replica of the first LDS hymnal, the 1835 Kirtland Hymnal. Last year an actual copy of this book sold at auction for 273,000 dollars – plus agent's fee. Obviously, the 16 dollars I paid for this replica was a really good deal.

What's the power of this book? I would like to speak about the power of this book – about the power in the hymns.

Recently many of the national news services have run articles on how the events of the year 1957 – fifty years ago – changed the world. It is a very interesting list:

• The National Guard escorted the first students of color to their classes at Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas

• The Russians launched the first man-made satellite, and test pilot John Glenn flew a jet plane faster than a speeding bullet.

• The Brooklyn Dodgers defected to Los Angeles, and Jim Brown broke the color barrier in the National Football League.

• The powered orange drink TANG appeared on store shelves.

• The European Economic Union was formed, which we know today at the European Union.

• Ford Motor company marketed the first mechanized hardtop convertible. Ford and Chevy put fins on the Thunderbird and the Bel-Air, creating the two modern cars that still command the highest dollar at a classic car auction. On the flip side, Ford also came out with the Edsel.

• The first workable medical laser was unveiled, and the computer language FORTRAN was first used.

• Feminist Betty Freidan published THE FEMININE MYSTIQUE, warning us of the dangers of becoming an enslaved housewife; Ayn Rand published ATLAS SHRUGGED, warning us of the dangers of socialism; and Dr. Seuss published his first book - THE CAT IN THE HAT, warning us of the dangers of bored children on a rainy day.

• C. S. Lewis' seventh and final volume to the “Chronicles of Narnia” was published in the U.S.; having been published in Great Briton the year before.

• The birth control pill was first marketed, and smoking was first linked to lung cancer.

• The Sharks and the Jets made Broadway their turf in WEST SIDE STORY, and a very young Julie Andrews became Rogers and Hammerstein's 'Cinderella'; a production repeated many times but never topped by any other actress.

• Paul McCartney and John Lennon met for the first time at a church social in Liverpool, England

Nearly every one of these events were life-changing, but the national magazines missed the most important event of 1957, and it happened right here in Utah.

Each of the LDS Church auxiliaries used to hold a yearly conference, usually held at the same time as General Conference. For the April 1957 Primary Association conference, Primary board member Naomi Randall was asked to write a song to express the conference theme of the importance of teaching children the Gospel. She spent much time in prayer and meditation until the words flowed. She sent them to her friend and fellow Primary board member Mildred Pettit, who through prayer and meditation wrote the music.

This hymn actually debuted at a dinner for the conference attendees. A choir of Primary children stood at the head of the room and sang what is now hymn #301 in our hymnal:

I am a child of God, And he has sent me here.
Has given me an earthly home With parents kind and dear.

Chorus: Lead me, guide me, walk beside me, Help me find the way.
Teach me all that I must do To live with him some day.

I am a child of God, And so my needs are great;
Help me to understand his words Before it grows too late.

I am a child of God, Rich blessings are in store;
If I but learn to do his will I'll live with him once more.

President David O. McKay stood as the hymn ended and responded: “O little children of God, we will listen to your plea. We'll lead you, we'll guide you, we'll teach you, so that you may get back to your Father in Heaven with the help of General Authorities, the Priesthood, Relief Society, teachers, and parents. The children have shown us what our responsibility is. With the help of the Priesthood, and auxiliaries, we'll accept the challenge and listen to their plea.”

This simple hymn set the course for the rest of President McKay's administration.

At a 1998 party to celebrate Sister Randall's 90^th birthday, gospel singer Pat Boone sang this hymn to Sister Randall and proclaimed it to be the most important hymn of the 20th century. What is the power and importance of this simple text? Let's consider the five great truths this hymn teaches:

• First, “I AM A CHILD OF GOD”. We are literal spirit children of God. He is the Father of our spirits. Armed with this knowledge, we no longer think of ourselves as the top of the animal evolutionary ladder; we realize we are something greater than all that - "a little lower then the angels", the scriptures say, but a literal translation is “a little lower than the gods". Suddenly we realize we are something pretty important.

• Second, “HE HAS SENT ME HERE”. We are not here by accident. We are on Earth on purpose and with a purpose.

• Third, “MY NEEDS ARE GREAT”. We only have a certain amount of time here on earth to learn and do the things we were sent to learn and do. Not only must we learn and do, but we must turn around and help all those around us learn and do.

• Fourth, “RICH BLESSINGS ARE IN STORE”. Yes! There is a reward awaiting those who live like they are a child of God. Knowing this makes the struggle easier. Knowing there is a reward gives us the hope and courage to continue on the gospel path. As the Lord has said; “...if you keep my commandments and endure to the end you shall have eternal life, which gift is the greatest of all the gifts of God.”

• With the fourth verse Sister Randall wrote in 1978, we learn “HIS PROMISES ARE SURE”. Heavenly Father keeps His promises. Even if no one else does, He does. “I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise.”

Most people are surprised that so much doctrine can be taught through such a single children's hymn! This knowledge is POWER in the hands of a little child. It's also a lot of pure testimony to help the weary adult when they're discouraged and depressed. Whether it's a child or an adult who holds on to this hymn, this simple text holds a lot of POWER.

And this is one of the great truths about hymns – they are POWER.

--- HYMNS HAVE THE POWER TO PREACH AND TEACH

It is said that at the beginning of a sermon the great Reformer Martin Luther held up a Bible and said: "This is the Gospel." And then in the other hand he held up a hymnal and continued: "And this is how we remember it." This concept is so true!

My older sister once told me that "everything I know about the Gospel I learned through the hymns." Now, I know for a fact my sister attended Sunday School and learned the Gospel from some wonderful gospel teachers - she and I were in the same classes, so I know. And I also know she was taught at home - I was there; I saw it happening; I was also participating. Her statement is a tribute to the fact that somehow everything we learned had a hymn attached. I can also testify that our mother's piano was not silent in reinforcing gospel truths! And our mother was quick to stop in the middle of a hymn to ask if we understood what we were singing - and then reinforce the song with her personal teachings and witness. Hymns gave my mother an opportunity to teach and testify witness to her children.

Recently I've been surfing the internet and collecting the hymnals that have been posted there. I've been taking the time to read one of them while I reformat it on my computer, and I've been amazed how I keep hearing some of the phrases in my Grandmother's voice. I couldn't understand this until I realized that it was the hymnal she used as a child – it was the hymnal through which she learned the gospel. It then came to my mind the many times she'd actually repeated to us the phrases and sayings that were all right there in the 1899 Methodist hymnal.

One hymn inspired me as a little child to reverence and love my Savior for what He had done for me was #194 in our hymnal. As a little boy I was sure this hymn had been written especially to teach children, so imagine how excited I was to discover that it was in fact written as a children's hymn. I would like to read the original text:

There is a green hill far away, outside a city wall,
Where the dear Lord was crucified, who died to save us all.

CHORUS: O dearly, dearly, has He loved, and we must love Him, too,
And trust in His redeeming blood, and try His works to do.

We may not know, we cannot tell, what pains He had to bear;
But we believe it was for us He hung and suffered there.

CHORUS: O dearly, dearly, has He loved, and we must love Him, too,
And trust in His redeeming blood, and try His works to do.

He died that we might be forgiven, He died to make us good,
That we might go at last to heaven, Saved by His precious blood.

CHORUS: O dearly, dearly, has He loved, and we must love Him, too,
And trust in His redeeming blood, and try His works to do.

There was no other good enough to pay the price of sin;
He only could unlock the gate of heaven and let us in.

I think we all know the chorus by now:

O dearly, dearly, has He loved, and we must love Him, too,
And trust in His redeeming blood, and try His works to do.

Again, that's a lot of doctrine for a child's hymn! As a child, this hymn helped me understand that I could love and worship and thank my Savior for what He'd done without understanding why He did it and why it was required for Him to do it - and that to show my love for Him I needed to trust Him and do those things He did. This hymn above all others inspired me to be a "good boy", because Jesus loved me enough to make sure I could return to Heaven, and I could NOT waste such love.

--- HYMNS GIVE US THE POWER TO RECALL TRUTHS

One day at work I was playing the Children's Songbook CD’s - it was the 'music only' CD’s so as to not offend those who would object to the message of the words. A co-worker, who had left the church some thirty years before and had nothing to do with it since, stopped at my desk and sang the words to "I Am a Child of God" word-perfect - after thirty years of being away from the church! When the song finished he turned to me and said: "That song is so true!" I replied: "But you don't believe in God." He looked at me and answered - "I don't, but this song is true." I didn't need too many more hints from the Spirit to know what to do! I play the Children's Songbook whenever this man comes around my desk!

--- HYMNS HAVE THE POWER – AND GIVE US THE POWER - TO BEAR WITNESS

How many of us who understand the words to Samuel Medley's 'I Know that My Redeemer Lives' (hymn #136) can doubt the testimony of that text? I believe that although I learned the scriptures as a child and had them explained to me by loving parents and teachers who would testify of their truthfulness, it was through this hymn that I obtained for myself a testimony of Jesus Christ.

One person wrote this experience:

"Years ago I was singing Handel's Messiah with a group of people from different faiths. Even though our beliefs were different, we were all singing about the same Messiah, our own personal Savior. I had sung this oratorio many times, but during one particular practice, the Spirit told me that I was not only singing notes, I was singing my testimony: "Surely, he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows" (Isa. 53:4). I knew with all my soul that He had done that for me. For a moment the 300 other voices became a whisper and I felt like I was all alone with the Lord. I felt His love and reassurance that He had carried the griefs and the sorrows of my teenage heart, and through my obedience, He would continue to walk with me for the rest of my life. To feel that blessing and comfort and complete love from the Lord is worth any price." ("Standing in Holy Places", Sharon G. Larsen, April 2002 LDS Young Women's Meeting)

But what good is this power of testimony if we don't do something about it? As long as we remain silent through a hymn or simply mumble our way through it, we are withholding that testimony from those who need to hear it from us. It is our responsibility to come to church and share this testimony through our singing – through our “joyful noise”.

--- HYMNS HAVE THE POWER TO HEAL, COMFORT, and GIVE HOPE

President Ezra Taft Benson said - "Inspiring music may fill the soul with heavenly thoughts, move one to righteous action, or speak peace to the soul. When Saul was troubled with an evil spirit, David played for him with his harp and Saul was refreshed and the evil spirit departed ... This could also be done to crowd out debilitating, depressive thoughts." (October 1974 LDS General Conference)

I'm convinced King Saul suffered from bi-polar depression far more than the pride and arrogance most of us might have been taught about in Sunday School - I believe the pride and arrogance was a bi-product of an untreated mental condition. He, like many other depression sufferers, found a certain amount of relief from this ailment through the influence of the spirit of the hymns.

In the second half of the 1990's I myself traveled the long, lonely road of suicidal depression, and, besides a good therapist and a daily dose of St. John's Root, staying close to my Heavenly Father through prayer and song were the only way I survived that awful time. During this time I literally could not listen to many, many of the music albums I own as there is at least one or two 'broken heart' songs to any album, and my mind and heart couldn't take even one. I learned to lean on the hymns even more than I ever had as it was only hymns and other inspirational music that so completely sang of Hope.

One of the great hymns of hope and comfort was written by a man who struggled all his life with suicidal depression. In a day and age that depression was totally misunderstood and God was pictured and a hateful, revengeful Being who frowned a lot, it's an absolute miracle to hear a hymn like #285. Again, I would like to read the original text:

God moves in a mysterious way
His wonders to perform;
He plants His footsteps in the sea
And rides upon the storm.

Do any of you know what it means to a depression sufferer to know that God rides that storm with them? I can tell you – it means everything. It continues:

Deep in unfathomable mines
Of never failing skill
He treasures up His bright designs
And works His sovereign will.

Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take;
The clouds ye so much dread
Are big with mercy and shall break
In blessings on your head.

Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,
But trust Him for His grace;
Behind a frowning providence
He hides a smiling face.

His purposes will ripen fast,
Unfolding every hour;
The bud may have a bitter taste,
But sweet will be the flower.

Blind unbelief is sure to err
And scan His work in vain;
God is His own interpreter,
And He will make it plain.

--- HYMNS HAVE THE POWER OF PEACE

It was during this time of my life that I had to pull off to the side of the road one day and, through my tears, beg God to let me know that someone in this terrible, ugly world loved me. I needed to know this or it would not be worth the continued, agonizing pain of living. (Such was the state of my depression.) The song playing on my car radio literally faded out and - on a weekday; not even on a Sunday! - Judy Collin's sublime rendition of 'Amazing Grace' played out from the radio. When she was done singing the regular station came back on. It was very plain to me that God had spoken. God's message was very plain and very well received, and from that day, no matter what stage of depression I've been in, I have never doubted or questioned the love of God and the love of my Savior. Some would say that I don't dare doubt.

Chicago businessman Horatio G. Spafford lost his home and his business in the Great Chicago Fire of October 1871. Shortly after this, all four of his daughters died in a collision with another ship at sea. Spafford’s wife Anna survived and sent him the now famous telegram, “Saved alone.” Several weeks later, as Spafford was on his way to join his wife in London, and as his ship passed near the spot where his daughters had died, he stood at the ship's railing and wrote the words he says the Holy Spirit dictated to his heart:

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul! ...

... And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.

--- HYMNS HAVE THE POWER OF COURAGE

"And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives."
(Matthew 26:30; see also Mark 14:26)

Facing the most terrible ordeal of His life, the Savior and his followers sang a hymn before going to the garden where the Savior of all Mankind would pray for the strength to face the agony of His role in our Atonement. Following His example, the hymns can bring the power of courage into our lives as we face our life's challenges.

When Joseph Smith was in Carthage Jail, I’m sure he had an idea that the end of his earthly ministry was upon him. What did he do for courage? He asked Elder John Taylor to sing a hymn – ‘A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief’. And then he asked him to sing it a second time.

When my ancestors walked across this continent in search of religions freedom, there were no community scripture-quoting sessions recorded in their histories, but there was plenty of hymn-singing:

“On Jordan's stormy banks I stand and cast a wishful eye
To Canaan's fair and happy land, where my possessions lie.
I am bound for the promised land, I am bound for the promised land
O who will come and go with me; I am bound for the promised land.”

And –

“Ye Saints who dwell on Europe's shore, prepare yourselves for many more
To leave behind your native lands for sure God's judgments are at hand.
For you must cross the raging main before the promised land you gain,
Then with the faithful make a start to cross the plains with your handcart.”

And –

“We’ll find the place that God for us prepared - far away in the west
where none shall come to hurt or make afraid; there the Saints will be blest
We’ll make the air with music ring; shout praises to our God and king…”

Notice it doesn’t say that we will mumble our praises to our God and King! I don’t think our God and King approves of mumbled praises.

One of the remarkable features of Hymn #85 is that it is, I think, the only hymn in our hymnal in which God is addressing His people. Let's read this text in it's original form to discover what message was so important that God delivers it to us in first-person and in the form of a hymn:

How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in His excellent Word!
What more can He say than to you He hath said,
You, who unto Jesus for refuge have fled?

In every condition, in sickness, in health;
In poverty’s vale, or abounding in wealth;
At home and abroad, on the land, on the sea,
As thy days may demand, shall thy strength ever be.

Every single military member who has also served in battle that I have asked concerning the power of hymns quoted the next verse word-for-word and attributed great comfort and hope to those times that the Lord spoke these words to them as they went into a battle situation. I asked my son, who served on night patrols and guarding schools and other institutions in downtown Bagdad, if there was something - “some scripture or...” - He didn't even let me finish before quoting this verse to me. “It wasn't just in my head,” he explained forcefully; “Heavenly Father was speaking it to me every time I was entering danger. He was promising me...” -

“Fear not, I am with thee, O be not dismayed,
For I am thy God and will still give thee aid;
I’ll strengthen and help thee, and cause thee to stand
Upheld by My righteous, omnipotent hand.”

Beginning with verse four God speaks to the heart of the distressed, depressed, despairing soul:

“When through the deep waters I call thee to go,
The rivers of woe shall not thee overflow;
For I will be with thee, thy troubles to bless,
And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.

“When through fiery trials thy pathways shall lie,
My grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply;
The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design
Thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine.

“Even down to old age all My people shall prove
My sovereign, eternal, unchangeable love;
And when hoary hairs shall their temples adorn,
Like lambs they shall still in My bosom be borne.”

Finally, the grand climax of God's promise to His children; a promise I sang many, many times as I fought my fiercest battles with depression and suicide, hoping to simply survive from day to day:

“The soul that on Jesus has leaned for repose,
I will not, I will not desert to its foes;
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I’ll never, no never, no never forsake.”

It is a very powerful thing to know that your God will never forsake you. And nowhere is it so brought home as in this hymn.

--- HYMNS GIVE THE POWER OF PROTECTION

When the Mormon Tabernacle Choir was readying for a European tour, President James E. Faust of the LDS Church's First Presidency gave them the following admonition:

“Through your music, you will be able to rise above the physical into the spiritual. You will be watched over and kept, and angels will attend you and be with you.” (October 1998 ENSIGN Magazine)

Now that is what's called 'preaching to the choir'.

Hymns can keep us in remembrance of God's commandments so that we can keep our feet on the strait and narrow, where God can walk with us and guide us and protect us. When our feet begin to wander, I promise you there's a hymn waiting to be heard to turn those feet back to the right path. Sacred and inspirational music invites the angels to line our route and keep us on the strait and narrow - and to protect us.

When I was in the Air Force I had the chance to go to Israel twice to participate in joint war games. The first time I was there I had to walk every midnight from our barracks to our communications site - and this was all in the dark. One night it was apparent to me I was being followed. I couldn't see the person but I could hear them. The historian and the 'Friend of Israel' that I am, I was painfully aware of what sort of person could be following me in the utter dark of the Israeli desert. I tried very to pray, but hymns are what came out of my mouth: "Lead me, guide me, walk beside me..."; 'Come, Come Ye Saints'; 'Lead, Kindly Light', and 'Heavenly Father, Are You Really There?' The scared little boy inside of me really, really needed to know if Heavenly Father was there! The peace that came over was more than just the Spirit of the Lord comforting me. I have an unshakable confidence that angels made that long, three mile walk with me that night, and it was the plea in my singing that brought them and kept them with me, protecting me.

--- HYMNS HAVE THE POWER TO INSPIRE GOOD WORKS

When I was Primary Chorister, there were times the children were just plain brats during singing time - I'm sure many of you can relate to that. I soon discovered the only thing that would calm them down was to sing “I Am a Child of God” - by the end of the first verse and chorus the majority of them were quieted down, had their arms folded, and were singing reverently. As one seven-year-old said, “I just can't be bad during that song.”

When the Hymn Society in the United Sates and Canada reviewed the current LDS hymnal, the reviewer concluded with these words:

"If hymns whose worst crime is their disregard for fashion can inspire rank-and-file Mormons to go out from worship week by week and put their faith into practice, might not editorial committees of other denominations profitably take note?" (Hugh D. McKellar, "Hymns of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, 1985" (Boston, MA: HYMN Magazine, April 1986) page 45)

In my years of hymn-writing and submitting texts to hymn contests sponsored by various churches, I have come to realize one of the great differences between new hymns in other churches and new hymns in the LDS Church. Now, I'm going to make a highly-generalized statement that has already gotten me in trouble with fellow hymnists, so take the generalization for what it's worth. 'Generally-speaking', new hymns that seem to be the 'award winners' in most hymn writing contests are to the effect of “somebody needs to do something” about whatever issue is being addressed. New hymns in the LDS hymn library, however, whether written by a Latter-day Saint composer or not, are to the effect of “'I' must do something”. I think a fine example of this is hymn #219, “BECAUSE I HAVE BEEN GIVEN MUCH, I TOO MUST GIVE”, which many Latter-day Saints are shocked to discover was not written by an LDS composer – proving that there are other Christians out there willing and in need of serving others.

--- THE POWER TO CHANGE LIVES

When our seventh child was born, it was evident he would not live long, and he only lived for three weeks. All through that final night of his life, I played the Children's Songbook over and over on a small cassette player while I held my baby. Above our baby's bed was taped a picture of the magnificent Washington DC temple and a picture of the Christus statue. The doctor attending our baby that night later told me that she drove by that temple every day to and from work, and that after that night in which the Children's Songbook played over and over all night she would never again drive past the temple without knowing that she is a Child of God and that she intended to teach this to her children. She said she felt as if she had been born anew having this knowledge come into her heart. Suddenly her life had a purpose. She told me she was going to take her children to the temple's visitors center and learn more about this hymn, and I have every confidence the visitor's center very gladly accommodated her.

--- CONCLUSION

I am alive today because hymns reached out and healed a wounded soul.

I have courage to live because hymns confirm to me that God will not forsake me.

I strive to be a better person because hymns (among other sources of revelation) confirm to me that I am a child of God and that His promises are sure.

I have hope because hymns - among other sources - bring it to me.

I can go out the front door every day and face the world because, as Della Reese sang so very clearly for ten years every Sunday night - “You are not alone, And I will walk with you.” (the 'Touched by an Angel' Theme')

I know God hears my prayers and is there for me because - well, because He has heard and answered my prayers! But also because a hymn asked “Heavenly Father, are you really there?” and this question was followed by an inspired, affirmative answer.

Brothers and Sisters, music is used by Satan as the great 'desensitizer' of entire generations; using it to pull us away from the still small voice through which the Holy Spirit speaks. But is it also used by the Lord as the great 'sensitizer' of those same generations; helping us to learn to sense and feel His Spirit, helping us gain firmer and stronger connections with the Holy Spirit and with our Father's will. It can, as President Faust told the Tabernacle Choir, help lift you above the world and into a more spiritual realm. It instills hope and faith and leads us to good works. It lifts our hearts to God. It surrounds us with angels who are there to aide us through life.

But we have to do something more then just mumble!

Hymns and other inspirational, positive songs are vehicles for the Holy Spirit to reach out and touch and change lives. But the key is that we must be willing to receive the Spirit and allow Him to speak to us and then speak and work through us. As we come together to worship, we become the Spirit's voice in reaching out and touching those around us. We must lift up our voices and sing so that the Spirit can reach out and touch not only our lives but also the lives of those around us.

A song is a wonderful kind of thing,
So lift up your voice and sing!
Just start a glad song, let it float, let it ring,
And lift up your voice and sing!

To this I add my further witness:

A hymn is a prayer that we sing from the heart,
     So lift up your voice and sing!
A most joyful noise you must raise; you must start
     to lift up your voice and sing!

The Spirit will whisper God’s truths to your mind,
     So lift up your voice and sing!
Your Faith will be strengthened; fresh knowledge you’ll find;
     Just lift up your voice and sing!

Through song He'll reign blessings on each weary soul,
     So lift up your voice and sing!
Your burdens He'll lighten, your hearts He'll make whole;
     Just lift up your voice and sing!

He’ll give you the courage to do what is right,
     so lift up your voice and sing!
He’ll teach you to serve well - with all of your might!
     Just lift up your voice and sing!