The Beauty In Hymns

By: Mae Archila

Tuesday, November 25, 2025

Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Colossians 3:16

Recently, our church had a “Hymn Night” that was a special worship service. It wasn't just a night dedicated to hymns; it was a special night of praising God and being in His presence. Through the years, I've enjoyed listening to hymns; those old favorites, as well as the more modern ones. The lyrics of most hymns come straight from scripture, so singing hymns enhances our retention of God’s Word. Praising God, whether it's in words, a prayer, or in a song strengthens our relationship with Him.

Hymns are full of God’s promises and His truths, and they remind us of God's love and grace. The Old Testament book of Psalms is full of poems and songs, and they were primarily designed for worship and prayer. The New Testament also contains some specific passages that are identified as hymns. In Matthew, it says right after Jesus and the disciples took communion, they sung a hymn!

When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. Matthew 26:30

Singing to God is also mentioned in Ephesians 5:19 and Colossians 3:16. But both of those verses also tell us to be filled with the Spirit. It is the Spirit of God that makes singing hymns beautiful. When we sing spiritual songs to The Lord, it's a spontaneous expression of the Holy Spirit working in us!

A great way to express our gratitude to God is in our songs. When my daughter was young, we used to make up songs while we were riding in the car. She’d sing things similar to this: “Thank you God for mommy and daddy, and for our family. Thank you for everything in the world you created...” If mere children can be inspired to praise God with a song, shouldn't we?

The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness; He will quiet you with His love; He will exult over you with loud singing. Zephaniah 3:17 (NLT)

This verse reminds us that we don't just sing to God, He loves to sing over us too! Christ follower, God is pleased when we sing to Him in gratitude, so let's be intentional with our praise and worship. Don't just "go through the motions", tell God how much you love and appreciate Him in a song!