songs of suffering

My three-year-old granddaughter recently discovered a rarely opened cabinet in the basement and explored in wonder. She noticed pictures of fairy tale characters, animals, and animated objects she recognized, but when she opened the cases she found only shiny round disks.

“What are these, Nana?,” she asked with curiosity. She had no idea what a DVD was.

In our on-demand world, we hardly use them any more. The same can be said for cassette tapes. I can recall painstakingly recording my favorite songs onto cassettes for use in my car. Now, I just hit “liked songs” on an app and get the music I want instantly. I no longer own a cassette tape player and have gotten rid of all those “mix tapes.”

Those cassettes were filled with hymns, many of which I memorized by singing them repeatedly. I still love the songs they contained–songs that take me back to a time when the lyrics seemed to be written for just what I was going through. Somehow, they seem to apply to my situation today as well.

Hymns have an enduring quality that lift my eyes to see that Christ is as near to me today as He has been in the past. I love how current artists are recording hymns, sometimes with an added chorus or different tune, but still containing those timeless truths.

We could make a game of it, couldn’t we? “Name that Hymn” could provide just a line or two of a lyric and the contestant would have to name the hymn it came from. Try it now (answers below):

  1. “The waves and wind still know his voice who ruled them while he dwelt below”
  2. “I am finding out the greatness of thy loving heart”
  3. “’Tis an ocean full of blessing, ’tis a haven giving rest!”
  4. “And as He stands in victory sin’s curse has lost its grip on me”

Perhaps you have tunes running through your mind after reading just a line of the song. And often it’s linked to a memory of how that song met you and lifted your drooping head or hands.

In Songs of Suffering: 25 Hymns and Devotions for Weary Soul by Joni Eareckson Tada, Keith and Kristyn Getty write:

“Throughout the Bible and throughout the history of good hymnody, we see that the songs and singing of the church are essential to all of life. They are the sound of our future. They gather in and they send out. They search the soul and they lift up. They teach the word and shape our prayers. They give courage to fight and guide toward green pastures for rest. They are deep wells and high mountaintops. They are a place to bring our children.”

Psalm 96:2 also says, “Sing to the Lord, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day” (ESV, emphasis mine). These hymns can help us wade through the trenches of this life and press on with faithfulness until we reach the end.

It is no coincidence that Jesus found refuge in Psalms—Israel’s hymnbook—even as He suffered on the cross. How do we know that? He quoted from the Psalter as He was taking His last breaths. “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me” is from Psalm 22. “Into your hand I commit my spirit” is from Psalm 31.

As Jesus quoted a line from these hymns, we can imagine how it brought to mind the rest of the psalm both to Himself and all those watching His passion. Psalm 31 says,

In you, O Lord, do I take refuge;
    let me never be put to shame;
    in your righteousness deliver me!
Incline your ear to me;
    rescue me speedily!
Be a rock of refuge for me,
    a strong fortress to save me!

For you are my rock and my fortress;
    and for your name’s sake you lead me and guide me;
you take me out of the net they have hidden for me,
    for you are my refuge.

Into your hand I commit my spirit;
    you have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God.

We can picture Jesus’s bloodied body and strained breathing as He prayed these hymns and took refuge in the Father while He was laying down His life for His people.

How can we follow in Christ’s example, entrusting ourselves to the Father’s care? Even in the face of great affliction or adversity we can sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs (Eph. 5:19)!

Joni Eareckson Tada is known for singing hymns. On Haven Today this week, she is featured singing, “Jesus, I am Resting, Resting,” with the Haven Quartet. The recording was made several years ago, and though her voice is not as strong today, her confidence in “the greatness of God’s loving heart” has not dimmed.

In her recent book Songs of Suffering, Joni writes of the strength and hope she has found in singing hymns as she has lived with quadriplegia for more than half a century.

“The song must possess enough spiritual muscle to barge into my soul and shake awake a hopeful response. It must be a hymn whose lyrics raise me onto a different plane spiritually; it must summon in me the emotional wherewithal to remember my situation in life so that I can rise above my circumstances. A well-crafted song of suffering–filled with truths about life and God–has the power to do that. It grinds biblical truth into our souls, like a pestle grinding powder in a crucible.”

I hope you will enjoy hearing hymns sung by the Haven Quartet and learning about some of the stories related to those hymns this week on Haven Today. It might feel like pulling out a mix tape of old favorites, or they may be completely new to you. For all of us, I hope they lift our hearts and cause our mouths to overflow in song, “Give thanks to the Lord, for his steadfast love endures forever” (Ps. 118:1). And no surprise–we will be singing songs of praise to God in heaven (Rev. 4:8-11, 5:9-14: 7:10-12; 11:15-18; 12:10-12; 15:3-4; 16:5-7; 19:5-8)!!

Answers:
1. Be Still My Soul
2. Jesus, I am Resting, Resting
3. O, The Deep, Deep Love of Jesus
4. In Christ Alone

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kate Sunday has been a pastor’s wife and women’s Bible study leader in the western suburbs of Chicago for over thirty years. Her husband, David, is a teaching pastor at New Covenant Bible Church and President of WordPartners. She has three adult children (two are married and her youngest is getting married this month) and one sweet granddaughter. Kate is currently a student at Western Seminary in Portland, Oregon, working on a Master of Arts in Ministry and Leadership.

All About Jesus Hymns (CD)

A good hymn has the power to catch your ear, warm your heart, and fill your soul with truths about God and His Word. Haven’s 90th anniversary album All About Jesus Hymns seeks to inspire this through foundational anthems of the Christian faith, including “Softly & Tenderly,” “How Great Thou Art,” “I Surrender All,” and more.

Allow the familiar voices of Steve Ragsdale, Paul Sandberg, Truitt Ford, and other vocalists through the years to lead you to Jesus in a deeply personal way. This hand-selected collection brings together 20 of the Haven Quartet’s greatest recordings in a new 90th anniversary album that includes a commemorative booklet on Haven’s rich legacy from 1934 to the present day.

This commemorative album includes an accompanying booklet featuring the rich history of Haven Ministries! Go back in time with photos of First Mate Bob, the Haven Quartet, Charles Morris, and more.

It’s not something I talk about often, but having had polio affects my life every single day — especially since post-polio symptoms have increased as I grow older.

I don’t remember catching the virus at 18 months. It was the early fifties. Polio was at its height, running rampant, killing or paralyzing people for the rest of their lives. The Salk Vaccine — the first major step to eradicating polio — came out just one year after I contracted it.

Thankfully our Seventh-day Adventist physician in a small Kansas town insisted my parents drive me to St. Joseph’s Hospital in Wichita. It was there that I received the life-saving treatment invented by Australian nurse Sister Kenny, where hot moist towels were wrapped around my body multiple times a day.

While this didn’t rid me of all of the effects, it remarkably relieved the outward symptoms. It probably saved me from living a shortened life in an iron lung.

So as far back as I can remember, I’ve had to live with a disability.

Weakness on one side, fatigue all around. While other kids could go run and play, I had to spend six or seven summers of my childhood in the hospital for orthopedic surgery. I spent weeks at a time on crutches with a cast either over my effected leg or even my good leg.

Decades later, the illness I had hoped would only torment my younger years returned, and now I have what doctors call post-polio.

When I read about the reemergence of polio in America today, I shudder to think of what some people are going to have to go through, as I did. Two biblical instances speak loudly in my ear, even to this day. Paul was given his thorn in the side, and Jacob lived with the lifelong limp the Lord gave him after his famous wrestling match in Genesis. Just like Paul, I have prayed for God to heal me, but my disability has been what he used to draw me closer to him.

On a practical level, I am reminded every day of my weakness, but I am also reminded that the Lord is strong. And it is out of his strength that he gives me the grace I now experience in abundance — something I can share with others.

All last week, Joni Eareckson Tada has joined me on the program. From a wheel chair, paralyzed from the neck down, she’s outlived so most other quadriplegics. And yet every day she turns her face toward heaven and looks to where her strength comes from. That bolsters my own faith and gives me the impetus to do the same thing.

Joni’s new hardback book Songs of Suffering has also become a resource that helps readers seek refuge in the Lord — even in the midst of hardship — and rejoice in his goodness.

We all have troubles as Christians, yet God’s Word promises that if we just keep looking to Jesus, he will lead us through it all into his glory when we finally see our savior face-to-face. That’s a hope I hang tightly to in my own daily struggles, and I know that’s the case for Joni as well.

But before I sign off, I also want to remind you that Haven has a team of prayer warriors standing by to take your requests for prayer. Whatever may be happening in your life right now, you can always follow this link and let our team know how we can pray for you.

About the Author

As the leader of Haven Ministries, Charles Morris is always thinking of ways to lead Christians and non-Christians to Christ—hence the familiar slogan, “Telling the great story … it’s all about Jesus.” Charles is a former secular journalist, who has worked for United Press International, and as a press secretary for two former U.S. senators. He began working in the Christian world after seminary, coming to Haven as the fourth speaker in 2000. He and his wife, Janet, have written several books, including Fleeing ISIS, Finding Jesus.

Songs of Suffering: 25 Hymns and Devotions for Weary Souls

As an author, speaker, and advocate for people with disabilities, Joni Eareckson Tada has inspired people around the world with her story of faith in the midst of suffering. In this beautiful collection of hymns and devotions she acts as a “song leader,” guiding readers through their own painful seasons with heartfelt praises to God.

Songs of Suffering includes 25 hymns with accompanying devotions and photography designed to spark hope in hardship. Opening with a special message from hymn writers Keith and Kristyn Getty, this book is a source of comfort for anyone who needs biblical encouragement, prompting readers to seek refuge in the Lord and rejoice in his goodness.

There’s something about music that powerfully connects our minds with our hearts. Few people know this as intimately as Joni Eareckson Tada, who became a quadriplegic after a diving accident 55 years ago. She has also battled stage 3 cancer, pulmonary hypertension, and chronic pain. In the moments when it becomes too painful to even string two words together to form a prayer, Joni says that hymns are often her most dependable source of comfort that leads to Jesus.

In this conversation with Charles Morris, Joni discusses how hymns have been a constant companion in her relationship with Jesus. Even in her darkest moments, these “songs of suffering” are what the Lord uses to comfort her, guide her, and give her hope.

Whatever is going on in your life today, we pray this musical and encouraging conversation with Joni Eareckson Tada will help you discover new ways to rejoice in Christ’s peace and goodness, even during your own painful seasons in life.

More From Joni Eareckson Tada

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