The hymns of faith have kept me tied to the heart of the Father over the years of my life. The lyrics to the worship songs I sang during my young adult years have served as consistent reminders of who He is and why I long to worship Him.

Even the words that have been written in the past few decades and have been set to a lilting melody have stirred up the strength of my hope in Christ.

Music, both the lyrics and the melodies, are a strong influencer and a powerful determinant in our Christian walk. When simple yet sincere words are set to a musical theme, worship takes place in the heart of a believer. What is also amazing is that not only is worship stimulated by lyrics and by a melody, but our resolve to serve Him is also reinforced.

As we travel through the journey of time and of living in the battle zones of life, we must realize the power we invoke simply when we sing a hymn, a chorus or an anthem. You are at your finest when you choose to sing rather than to whine and worship rather than panic.

Moses is the first person in Scripture who has been recognized as singing a song to the Lord,

"Then Moses and the children of Israel sang this song to the Lord and spoke, saying: 'I will sing to the Lord, for He has triumphed gloriously! He has thrown the horse and his rider into the sea" (Ex. 15:1).

The song of Moses erupted after a mighty miracle and a deliverance that is still amazing to this day. The people of God will always sing a song of thanksgiving for what the hand of the Father has wrought in our lives.

When the children of Israel were traveling through the wilderness and needed a drink of cool, refreshing water, they sang their request to the Lord,

"Then Israel sang this song: 'Spring up, O well! Sing to it'" (Num. 21:17).

What do you need from the Father today in the wilderness of your life? Perhaps you should break out into a well-loved song and turn your petition into a melody of praise!

When David was in a ferocious battle in life, his determinant was to sing a song to the Lord,

"He said: 'I love You, O Lord, my strength'" (Ps. 18:1).

The next time that you are in a battle in life, I dare you to erupt into song and to declare the victory long before you see it in the natural.

The stunning truth of our walk of faith is that we were always meant to sing while we walk. The joy that is hidden this side of heaven will always be discovered in the choice to sing loudly through every situation and every challenge in life.

"Speak to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord" (Eph. 5:19).

Today is a good day to sing a hymn of your childhood! This moment is the appropriate time to remember the lyrics to a melody from your young adult years. Now is your opportunity to out-sing your circumstances with a current anthem of praise.

If you long to live an overcoming lifestyle of hope and joy, then you will learn to sing even when you don't feel like it. You will appropriate the truth and the theology found in the lyrics of faith, and you will sing.

There is an untapped source of power that the Father has provided for you, and it is the power found in your song.

Carol McLeod is an author and popular speaker at women's conferences and retreats, where she teaches the Word of God with great joy and enthusiasm. Carol encourages and empowers women with passionate and practical, biblical messages mixed with her own special brand of hope and humor. Carol has written 11 books, including Significant, StormProof and Guide Your Mind, Guard Your Heart, Grace Your Tongue. Her teaching DVD, The Rooms of a Woman's Heart won the Telly Award, a prestigious industry award for excellence in religious programming.

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