Have you ever sat at the bedside of a loved one who was preparing to transition from this life into the presence of Jesus?
Those moments can be incredibly difficult and emotional. As a pastor, I’ve had the honor to be present in these kinds of moments. When the person preparing to die is a believer in Jesus, something happens almost every time.
Singing.
Whether it’s an acapella medley of songs or music playing from a device, the power of music arrives to soothe the grieving souls and strengthen the collective faith in the room. While some of those present have not been active in church in a long time, and others aren’t well-known for belting out worship songs during their commutes, everyone joins in singing or humming a set of old, familiar songs.
A number of years ago, I sat at the bedside of a man in our church who died during the holiday season. As we sat next to his bed and watched his body surrender after the machines were turned off, we listened to song after song. Old hymns with lyrics and just a piano playing - songs 50, 100, 200 or even 300 years old - shaped the atmosphere for our grieving and rejoicing.
Though I would never consider myself a singer, I found myself singing without shame as we shared a very holy moment.
Heath Balltzglier shares a similar library of songs buried within his heart and soul too. The new song from North Point Worship, which Balltzglier wrote and collaborated with Mac Powell to record, is entitled “This is My Song.”
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In a recent interview, he talked about the timing and origin of the song. “My great grandparents, my grandparents on both sides and my parents were all gospel singers. I was raised and saturated in old gospel music and hymns growing up,” says Balltzglier. “At the beginning of the pandemic, so many of those old songs began resurfacing in my soul again and anchoring my heart to hope. That’s where this song comes from.”
The song borrows lines from a number of beloved hymns including "Jesus Paid It All," "Amazing Grace," 'Because He Lives," "The Old Rugged Cross," "Blessed Assurance," and "It is Well with My Soul."
These songs are among the most popular songs at funerals and the bedsides of the dying. Why? Because they have anchored hearts like Balltzglier’s to hope for generations. While other songs have become popular and then shortly after lost momentum, these songs have endured. When crises come, we turn to the songs we know have comforted and sustained us in the past.
This pattern is one we see throughout Scripture too.
Psalm 5 describes how we can sing joyful praise in the midst of adversity.
“But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them sing joyful praises forever. Spread your protection over them, that all who love your name may be filled with joy.”
Acts 16 tells us how Paul and Silas sang hymns throughout the night as they sat in a Philippian prison cell.
In Ephesians 3, Paul admonishes the believers to include singing hymns as part of their common pursuit of Jesus. “Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.”
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Are you in the middle of a season of adversity? Are you grieving the loss of a loved one? Are you facing a health crisis and you’re not sure about your future?
I encourage you to think about the songs which have anchored you to hope in the past. Make a playlist of those songs and start meditating on those lyrics. Allow those songs to give you words when you’re struggling to find them yourself. Make sure and include North Point Worship’s “This is My Song” on that playlist. Use the list of hymns from above for ideas if you didn’t grow up in the same kind of family as Heath Balltzglier.
Finally, I would encourage any aspiring songwriters and worship leaders. We need more songs which will stand the test of time. The church needs perennial singable songs. Not every song will become "Amazing Grace," "In Christ Alone," or "How Great is Our God." But, there are billions of people facing really hard things. They need songs today which they’ll be able to come back to for years and decades to come.
My heart is grateful that North Point Worship understood this calling and offered us a reminder of our story and our songs.
Scott Savage is a pastor and a writer with the best last name in the world. Scott’s writing helps you laugh, challenges you to think, and invites you to grow. He leads Cornerstone Church in Prescott, Arizona. Scott is married to Dani, an award-winning attorney, and they are the parents of three growing savages. You can read more of Scott’s writing at scottsavagelive.com.
