Singing is an incredible outlet for what our heart feels. Consider the times you’ve been driving and a song comes on that immediately brings back a past life-changing moment. There is a beautiful liberty in letting our emotions out like this. We sing into steering wheels, hairbrushes, broom handles, and shampoo bottles, set free for a few moments into a world that sings back to us. Robert Lowry penned an amazing song in the nineteenth century that emphasizes the power of song and how, in our most difficult moments, singing may be the only way to express what we are feeling:
My life goes on in endless song, above earth’s lamentations.
I hear the real, though far-off hymn that hails a new creation.
Through all the tumult and the strife, I hear its music ringing;
It sounds an echo in my soul—How can I keep from singing?
These words remind us what to do in the moments of joy and sadness, certainty and uncertainty. God’s ability to give us something to celebrate is amazing. Here is more information about Lowry and the use of this song over the past century (Sara Cardine, “‘How Can I Keep from Singing?’ by Robert Lowry,” Seven Ponds [blog], October 27, 2020, https://blog.sevenponds.com/expressive-music/how-can-i-keep-from-singing-by-robert-lowry).
