Hymns help calm fears during difficult days

These difficult days of the Coronavirus quarantine have caused anxiety and fear in the minds of many people. Mine, too, at times.

People I know have found calmness and comfort in reading scriptures like Psalm 91, the psalm of protection, and the 23rd Psalm, known for its words of comfort. 2 Timothy 1:7 reminds us that God has not given us a spirit of fear, but power, love and a sound mind.

Sometimes I have prayed these scriptures because I am at a loss as to how to pray about the pandemic we are all facing. In recent weeks, hymns keep coming to mind that help focus my faith in God.

“Oh God, our help in ages past our hope for years to come,” Isaac Watts penned his hymn, which is based on Psalm 90, over 300 years ago. I have prayed those words almost daily to remind myself that God is in control and we will get through these difficult days.

A Gospel song written by Andrea Crouch reminds us how to live each day, “Through it all, through it all, I’ve learned to trust in Jesus, I’ve learned to trust in God.” Bill and Gloria Gaither’s lyrics express hope, “Because He lives, I can face tomorrow. Because He lives, all fear is gone. Because I know He holds the future. And life is worth the living, just because He lives.”

Thomas Chisholm, whose health was fragile, could no longer minister at his church. In 1923, at age 57, he wrote these words, based on Lamentations 3:22-25, “Great is they faithfulness, O God my Father, There is no shadow of turning with thee; Thou changest not, Thy compassions they fail not, As Thou hast been Thou forever will be.”

Another song that comforts and calms was written in 1905. Civilla Martin was visiting an elderly couple, one of them was bedridden and the other one crippled. When she asked them why their outlook on life was so hopeful, they reminded her of Matthew 10:29. Martin went home and wrote, “His Eye is on the Sparrow, And I know He watches me.”

We are never totally isolated. God is with us, He will never leave us or forsake us. “What a Friend we have in Jesus!” A minister friend suggested singing, “Count Your Many Blessings, name them one by one; Count your blessings, see what God hath done.” He added, “The good still outweighs the bad.” Even during difficult days, there’s always something for which to be thankful.

Some people have said the Gaither’s song, “The King is Coming,” describes these surreal days we are experiencing with non-essential businesses closed, courtroom trials suspended. The song speaks of Jesus’ return at the end of time. “The marketplace is empty. No more traffic in the streets. All the builders’ tools are silent. No more time to harvest wheat. Busy housewives cease their labors. In the courtroom no debate. Work on earth is all suspended, as the King comes thro’ the gate.”

I am glad to know that Jesus loves me. The Bible tells me so. “He came to love, heal and forgive,” so we can face today and tomorrow.

Jan White is a wife, mother, and freelance writer who lives in Andalusia. Her email address is [email protected].