The hymnal, so theologically rich, is a great source for soul care. I believe David Powlison (certainly not alone) has often pointed this out.
Recently, while thinking and walking through some painful and sorrowful concerns with a dear friend, what came to my mind was this verse from Joachim Neander's 1680 hymn, Praise to the Lord, the Almighty:
Praise to the Lord, who o'er all things so wondrously reigneth,
shelters thee under his wings, yea, so gently sustaineth!
Hast thou not seen how thy desires e'er have been granted in what he ordaineth?
Moved with emotion during this conversation with my friend, what came out was what I've often sung with feeling and felt in the depths of my being, corporately and privately. Singing works like that. What the Lord brought to my mind was not something I'd read (though he certainly does that!), but something I'd sung dozens of times. And because so often what we sing will be the theology that comes out in trials and troubles, we best be singing theologically rich and deep songs, songs we can end with "O the depths!" (Rom. 11:33).
Here also, in brief, is a bit of my brief for recovering the psalms for corporate worship. But I still await that great work. When it comes, expect the mutual counseling ministry in the church to come alive and to sustain and strengthen and encourage and embolden a new generation for God's great glory.
—Praise to the Lord, the Almighty (taken from the Trinity Hymnal, based on Psalm 103, translated by Catherine Winkworth, 1863).
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