When I was in elementary school, our school curriculum incorporated songs and music as an aid to memorization. We memorized everything from passages of Scripture to the presidents of the U.S.A. to Latin declensions to major world history events by setting them to songs. And it was remarkably effective! The power of using music as a memory device is nothing short of incredible. It is evidence of the incredible way that God designed us. It’s also one of the great blessings for the church that we can use music to deeply plant in our hearts some of the great truths and promises of the Christian faith. When we sing songs and hymns and spiritual songs, those truths that the songs are teaching are being intertwined deep into our hearts. They become an inseparable part of who we are. In fact, it has often been observed that elderly Christians who may struggle with failing memories easily recall and find much comfort in singing the great hymns of the church.

Currently, one of my favorite hymns is the old hymn, I Sing the Mighty Power of God, by the famous 18th century hymn-writer Isaac Watts. All three verses of this song are beautiful, but there is one phrase in particular from the third verse that stands out to me. The entire song is a reflection on God’s power and majesty displayed in the word he created and in his goodness to his creation. The words of the third verse underscore the fact that every created thing depends upon God for its existence and exists for the purpose of glorifying God:

There’s not a plant or flower below,
But makes Thy glories known,
And clouds arise, and tempests blow,
By order from Thy throne;
While all that borrows life from Thee
Is ever in Thy care,
And everywhere that man can be,
Thou, God, art present there.

Over and over again, my mind keeps coming back to the phrase, ‘While all that borrows life from Thee is ever in Thy care…’ What a beautiful way to express the fact that our lives are not our own. We merely borrow life from God. He is the source and sustainer of our very existence, and because of this, we owe him everything in a lifetime of joyful service. As you go through each day this week, remember that your life is not your own. Remember that you borrow life from him, and that you are always in his perfect care.