Hymns and singing can at times be considered one of the more overlooked ways to feel the Spirit for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said today’s BYU-Idaho devotional speaker.
“Elder Dale G. Renlund, in his message on the New Hymns, said that ‘Music is the language of the Spirit.’ I have experienced that. And I bet you have too,” said Sister Heidi Egan, a curriculum designer at BYU-Idaho. “I have learned that hymns can bring messages from the Spirit that cannot be learned in other ways.”
In an interview with BYU-Idaho Radio, Egan said music deserves a greater role in our regular church services.
“So many times, I’ve been taught through the music, and it doesn’t take the prominent spot in our regular church service that I wish it did,” Egan said.
Egan shared an experience where she sang with a city choir and felt the Spirit in a powerful way alongside a group of strangers.
“Everyone in the audience and the choir could feel the Spirit,” Egan said. “I don’t know if they all had the words for it, but that’s what we were feeling as we sang about the Savior. It’s a powerful tool to bring people together. The Spirit, when we’re trying to unite, will bolster whatever efforts we put towards that.”
For anyone wanting to sing better or more often, Egan says there’s no better time to start than now.
“It can be just singing along with the group at church or wherever,” Egan said. “Jump in! Just jump in! Literally, your body is designed to sing. If you can talk, you can sing. No place to start like right now and right here.”