Using the Hymnal in Private and Family Devotions

One of the richest blessings for Christians in the 21st-century is the abundance of devotional material that’s available at a moment’s notice. Believers in the early church didn’t even have a Bible, much less daily commentaries, devotional books, podcasts, blog posts, and an abundance of theological books that help us to know and love God more deeply. With limitless devotional resources available, one of the best and underutilized is the hymnal.

I remember the first time I opened the hymnal we use at Bonsack, The Baptist Hymnal (1991). I was ten years old and visited shut-ins who were family friends to play the piano for them. I mentioned to them that I didn’t know very many hymns, and they gave me their hymnal to take home. I still remember my excitement as I flipped through the book, almost overwhelmed by the beauty and content of the hymns. Playing through the hymnal on my own became (and still is) an important way that I worship God.  

Hymnals provide wonderful support for private and family devotions, and a well curated hymnal contains carefully selected Christian poetry that spans centuries, denominations, nations, and languages. Whether or not you consider yourself a musician, singing and reading hymn texts is a way of fellowshipping not only with God, but it’s a way to interact with the the Church across time and space, gleaning from the lives of many who have gone before. The Baptist Hymnal (1991), contains hymns straight from the Bible as well as hymns from the 5th century, the late 20th century, and everywhere in between. In worship, we often sing songs that aren’t included in our hymnal, but it’s still a wonderful starting place to diving into the vast repertoire of the Christian Church’s repertoire of music. Here are some ideas of some ways you can dive into this treasure trove in your own devotions.

Don’t have a hymnal at home but want to utilize the following ideas? Church members may email me and I’ll be happy to send you a sanitized hymnal to borrow. Just promise to return them we come back together for worship. If you want a hymnal to keep, see some of my suggested hymnals at the end of this post.  

1. Research the history of a hymn and sing the hymn by yourself or with the people that you love.

 The website www.hymnary.com is an excellent resource to learn about hymns. If you are not comfortable singing around your family, remember that your family deserves the vulnerable experience of hearing you sing. My mother, who is a little self conscious about her singing voice, says that I’m the only person she will sing for. Hearing her sing to me over the phone is something that I look forward to and value immensely.

As you sing to and with your family, you help everyone to feel more confident about singing together, so that you can share important moments of musical worship as a family.

2. Use the hymnal to support your daily Bible reading and prayer time.

After your daily Bible reading, use the “Scriptural Bases for Hymns” index in the back of the hymnal to find hymns that are relevant to your reading. Figure out how the hymn relates to your scripture reading. Does it share thematic content or imagery? Is it a paraphrase or direct quote? 

Reformer Martin Luther famously said, “The person who sings, prays twice.” Singing is a wonderful way to pray, so sing the hymn as a prayer to God to complete your devotional time. God will be pleased with your prayer, no matter how you think you sound.

If there is no hymn listed in the index for your particular reading, try to find a hymn that relates on your own. This will be much easier for some parts of the Bible than others. For example, our hymnal contains lots of hymns taken from the Psalms, but very few hymns based on the Song of Solomon. 

3. Find inspiration from the life of a hymn writer.  

Knowing about the lives and times of hymn writers adds another dimension to understanding their hymns. Good places to start are Isaac Watts, John Newton, Augustus Toplady, Charles Wesley, Fanny Crosby, Fred Pratt Green, and B.B. McKinney, and their stories are well documented in books and online.

You may find all of their hymns using the Authors Index in the back of the hymnal.

4. Write a prayer or journal entry based upon a hymn.

If you’re feeling especially creative, your can interpret the hymn by painting, drawing, or writing a poem or song of your own. More simply, have a conversation with someoneyou love about how the hymn speaks to you.

5. Personalize the hymn by writing an additional stanza.

A stanza (sometimes called a verse) is a repetition of the hymn tune with new words. You may add to the hymn by writing a stanza of your own. Don’t forget that each hymn has its own meter, so make sure the words and music line up so you can sing your new stanza. You may hear more about hymnic meters here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YCBO5bGrdE

6. Learn hymns that you don’t know.

We all have our favorite hymns, and that’s great! Intentionally focusing on hymns you don’t know so well is a way of expanding your heart and mind. Plus, you will be a step ahead when we sing the hymn in worship sometime. 

7. Explore hymns by topic.

In your devotions, are you meditating on a specific topic? If so, you can find relevant hymns in the Topical Index in the back of your hymnal. The index runs a wide spectrum of hymns that are important to the Christian life—topics like faith, courage, social justice, and forgiveness, just to name a few. 

8. Get ready to sing together! 

 While hymnals are a wonderful devotional tool for individuals and families, hymns are  ultimately meant to be shared together in worship. Our private devotions should  motivate us to worship God together, so even as you’re utilizing the hymnal as a resource for private devotions, prepare your heart and mind for worshipping God together in church on Sunday.

Suggested Hymnals

The Baptist Hymnal (1991)   https://hymnary.org/hymnal/BH1991

African American Heritage Hymnal     https://www.giamusic.com/products/P-5400.cfm

Celebrating Grace: A Hymnal for Baptist Worship   https://www.celebrating-grace.com

Glory to God  https://www.pcusastore.com/Products/CategoryCenter/PHYM/hymnal-products.aspx

Lift Up Your Hearts https://liftupyourheartshymnal.org

Psalms for All Seasons http://www.psalmsforallseasons.org

Grant Frederick
Minister of Music