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A MONTHLY HYMN FOR YOUR FAMILY TO LEARN AND SING TOGETHER

How Can I Keep from Singing

 
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January - How Can I Keep from Singing?

Lyrics

My life flows on in endless song

Above earth’s lamentation

I hear the sweet, though far-off hymn

That hails a new creation

Through all the tumult and the strife

I hear that music ringing

It finds an echo in my soul

How can I keep from singing? 

While though my joys and comforts die

I know my Savior liveth

While though the darkness gather round

Songs in the night He giveth

No storm can shake my inmost calm

While to that refuge, clinging

Since Christ is Lord of heaven and earth

How can I keep from singing?

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?

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?

 
 

Photo taken during the “How Can I Keep from Singing?” music video shoot at Leslie Hill Estate, Northern Ireland

 

January Bible Memory Verse

Psalms 63:7 ESV

“For you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy.”

 

Photo taken during the “How Can I Keep from Singing?” music video shoot at Leslie Hill Estate, Northern Ireland

 

Story Behind the Hymn

The words were first printed in a newspaper in 1869 but this hymn was first published with music in a hymnal called ‘Bright Jewels for the Sunday School’ later that same year. The hymnal was edited by the preacher/hymn writer Robert Lowry. He wrote the melody of this particular song but nobody is quite certain where the words came from. Ira Sanky published his own setting of the words in 1878 and he wrote that the words were anonymous.

Robert Lowry wrote over 500 hymns; sometimes melodies, sometimes lyrics, sometimes both. He was born in Philadelphia on March 12th, 1826. His father was an immigrant from Northern Ireland (like us!). Although his greatest focus was on preaching the Bible, he is probably most known for his hymn-writing — which is of course a wonderful, memorable way to share the Word of God!

You may know some of the other hymns he wrote, like “Nothing But the Blood of Jesus,” “I Need Thee Every Hour,” and “Shall We Gather at the River.” He also edited more than 20 hymnals in his lifetime! He died in 1899 and someone writing about his life wrote:

"His melodies and songs were but the expression of the man’s heart and his character, and they attracted all to him.”

“How Can I Keep From Singing” is a song about songs and singing so singers love to sing it! Although it was first known as a Christian hymn it also became famous as an American folk song. It has been sung by famous folk singers like Enya and Pete Seeger, though they changed or added to the words. For example, Enya pulled out the lyrics about Christ to make it less Christian. While her version is very beautiful it is also a bit sad and empty as it is only through Christ that we find the hope the song speaks about!

 

(Our niece Lucy’s first time on an airplane)

 

Something to Think About

As a little girl, one of my dreams was to fly in an airplane. When I was 11, my grandparents took me to London for the weekend. I was so very excited about my first plane journey! I still remember seeing the land and seas of Northern Ireland in a completely new way as we sailed through the sky.

In order for a plane to rise up into the air and soar above the clouds the lift and thrust (push) of the plane needs to be greater than the gravity and drag holding it back. I like the thought of that as I think about the Christian life.

There are so many things we face each day that would pull us down and make our life seem very caught on the ground. It might be our sin, our own struggles, or the very great problems of our broken world. But there is something — Someone — greater that helps us soar, that rises above all the difficulties and helps us as we walk through them. This is the hope of Christ!

It is like a song that keeps singing over us and under us, lifting us up and leading us home. The lyric describes ‘earth’s lamentation.’ A lament is a song of sadness and pain. But there is a more joyful music that cannot be stopped and goes on forever. This is because the Lord Jesus came to earth and through his cross and resurrection freed us from our sin and all that sin does to hurt us and keep us down.

And so Psalm 63 says of the Lord ‘for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy.’ His wings lift us and keep us and from this view help us see everything differently because we see Him. Because of Him we can keep singing and will sing forever!

Photo taken during the “How Can I Keep from Singing?” music video shoot at Leslie Hill Estate, Northern Ireland

Prayer

Father in Heaven,

Thank You for the song of salvation and how it goes on and on forever! Thank You that it is our hope in the darkest night and the brightest day. May we remember this. Thank You that it follows us all the days of our life and lifts our eyes to You.

Please keep our hearts up, trusting You above all else. Give us voices to sing of Your goodness and mercy as we share this with others who are weighed down with the troubles of this life

In Jesus name,

Amen

Definitions

Editor - someone who takes written pieces and reshapes and reorders what has been written to finish them for printing. An editor of a hymnal will gather and choose different hymns and arrange them in order and style to go into that hymnal.

Publisher - a person or often a group of people who take finished songs or books and make them known to people by printing and telling others about them.

Anonymous - no name attached to a piece of work, the writer is not known.

 

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