I once heard a preacher say, "If you don't like singing to the Lord and praising God, you will be very uncomfortable in heaven!" This is a funny statement that happens to be so true, for we were made to be in relationship with our Creator God. When in a living relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ, when we get to that point where we realize just what a gift we have been given, praise is the natural response that escapes our lips and fills our hearts.

The great 19th Century pastor and hymn writer, Robert Lowry knew this truth all too well. He is famous for writing over 500 songs which include, "I Need Thee Every Hour," "Christ Arose," and "Shall We Gather at the River?" But one of my favorite Lowry hymns, "How Can I Keep From Singing," was written in 1860 when the United States was on the brink of Civil War.

This beautiful tune by Lowry and lyric by "Pauline T", speaks of the enduring truth that our circumstances and temporal troubles are absolutely endurable because of the unchanging love, mercy and grace of Christ.

My life flows on in endless song:
Above earth's lamentation,
I catch the sweet,
tho' far-off hymn
That hails a new creation.
Through all the tumult and the strife
I hear the music ringing;
It finds an echo in my soul--
How can I keep from singing?

What tho' my joys and
comfort die?
The Lord my Saviour liveth;
What tho' the darkness
gather round?
Songs in the night he giveth.
No storm can shake
my inmost calm,
While to that Rock I'm clinging;
Since Christ is Lord of heaven and earth,
How can I keep from singing?

In 1950, Doris Plenn wrote and inserted these verses, which complete the hymn we sing today:

When tyrants tremble,
sick with fear,
And hear their death-knell ringing,
When friends rejoice
both far and near,
How can I keep from singing?

In prison cell and dungeon vile,
Our thoughts to them go winging;
When friends by shame
are undefiled,
How can I keep from singing?

And back to the original lyrics

I lift my eyes; the cloud grows thin;
I see the blue above it;
And day by day this
pathway smooths,
Since first I learned to love it.
The peace of Christ makes fresh my heart,
A fountain ever springing;
All things are mine since I am his-
How can I keep from singing?

Our Psalms are filled with similar truths about the faithfulness of God. Psalm 146 3-5 says, "Do not put your trust in princes, nor in a son of man, in whom there is not help…Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God."

Our reaction to life depends on our focus; we can react in fear, living in dread for the proverbial other shoe to fall, or we can live in faith, knowing that the God we worship is unchanging, merciful and full of grace, worthy of all our praise. How can we keep from singing?

Praising Him,
The Reverend Karen Maurer