Studying what the Bible has to say about eternal life is one of my favorite things to do. There are few things more encouraging than to read what scripture alludes to for our timeless resting place. I love seeing some of the imagery (Rev. 21:2-5), hearing some of the words spoken (Matt 225:23), and even listening to the great sounds (Ezek. 1:24).

This past week, I was engulfed in some school work that I had been putting off for quite some time. One of the assignments was to take 100 hymns found in our song books, attribute five categories for each hymn, and give a brief summary for every song. This may not sound like a lot, but it took me nearly six hours to complete. In my work, I found a parallel to my “side” study of eternal life. We don’t know all the details as to what our life will look like in the world to come, but we do know some of the things we’ll be doing; one of which is singing.

Revelation 4, Isaiah 6, and Ezekiel 1 and 10, all have a portrayal of the heavenly throne where God sits. Before that throne there is unique imagery of seas of crystal/glass, numerous hosts and living creatures, elders, and those who are saved. In Revelation 14:3, the saints are singing before the throne a new song. Singing is one activity that we do in this life that carries on into the next life.

In my six hours of going through the assignment, I noticed that I couldn’t help but sing a couple verses of each hymn. Some were out loud (bless my neighbors hearts), and some were in my head. I can’t recall a single time in that study that I worried about politics, covid, sports, or anything else. Nearly six hours were spent worry free. I believe we see this very instance take place in scripture. Paul, when he and Silas were in prison sang (Acts 16:25). Jesus, moments before His arrest, sang a song with His apostles (Matthew 26:30). Singing has a way of manually disengaging our mind from the world around. Next time you just need a break from life, find a hymn and sing out.

Tyler King