We don't go to church, too much preaching. But we do worship God, pray and meditate every day, and try to live by the golden rule. Part of our morning routine when we're homeschooling is to listen to different types of enriching music; folksongs, classical music, and hymns.
Not to sound cliche' but if you are in a situation where you feel helpless, God may be the only place to turn. During the throes of the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln said "I have been driven to my knees many times by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go". Depending on the severity of the circumstances you may not be able to recall scripture to get you through an immediate crisis.
But I can remember a song that I've heard over and over, usually for decades to come! I still shock the heck out of myself by the fact that I can still sing the Preamble to the Constitution some 30 years after I sang it along with "Schoolhouse Rock" on Saturday mornings, not even knowing what it meant. (Just ask me sometime, I'll sing it for you). If you know me you know I have the memory of a rock but like most people, I can retain the words to a song much more efficiently than with any other learning medium.
So, we sing hymns not only to worship our Heavenly Father but to have that resource to fall back on in times of trouble. I recall about a year ago I was having an MRI of my lower back and pelvis. It took almost 2 hours and I didn't know that going in, thankfully, because I was getting anxious just looking at the long, enclosed, breath-stealing, black hole the technician was about to slide my body into. At first she put headphones with pop music piped in on my ears, secured my arms with straps and stuck a "panic button" in my hand. Within 10 seconds of going into the tunnel I was pressing that button so fast and furiously my thumb became sore. I heard a voice over the speaker saying "Do you need something?" and I said "Yes, I need OUTTA here!". She quickly slid me back out and I asked her to take the headphones off of me and get rid of the arm restraints. My heart was racing and I felt weak and the technician asked me if I would like some sedation. I did not.
I told the technician that I would be ok as long as my arms were free and I didn't have the headphones constricting my air-flow (bet you didn't know they did that) and she agreed as long as I kept my arms over my head. I kept my eyes shut and prayed and when I ran out of prayers I started singing hymns, not the contemporary worship songs so popular today but the hymns I sang as a child in Sunday school and church. "Softly and Tenderly, The Old Rugged Cross, I've Got A Mansion, and Jesus Loves Me" just to name a few. It was truly amazing how all of my fears and hysterics were lifted and I was able to complete the test with no after-effects.
We were traveling a few days ago with all 4 kids. It was at the end of a long drive and we were just a few miles from home. We were all exhausted and hungry and the noise level in the truck was deafening.
The 2 older kids were in the back arguing about who-knows-what. DH and DD were having a rather heated discussion about something (probably boys). The radio was blaring and I was counting the mile markers, impatient for the peace and quiet of home! I was worried about Littlewho, who hates it when people are arguing.
Then, amid the din I heard a faint voice coming from the backseat. At first I thought someone had switched the radio station but when I turned the radio down I could hear it plainly. Littlewho was singing to himself, oblivious to all that was going on around him--"Jesus is a rock in a weary land, a weary land, a weary land, Jesus is a rock in a weary land....a shelter in the time of storm!". Everyone suddenly stopped what they were doing and just listened to the song which, by the time we reached home had become a rounding chorus of happy, peace-loving voices!
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