Day 18: Wonderful Words of Life

All week I've been sharing hymns we've sung together as a family, but Wonderful Words of Life is one we sang as part of our homeschooling. We loved the Hymns for a Kid's Heart series, and in looking for a link I was shocked to discover these books are out of print. That is such a shame, because the books and CDs are perfect for teaching young kids these hymns. We listened to them in our car and during school time.

In church last Sunday we sang the hymn I  have chosen for tomorrow, and like today's hymn it focuses on how important God's Word is in our lives. His Word is life-giving and is to be deeply treasured. As I was singing, I suddenly became convicted. Hymns can be a wonderful means of learning God's Word, but am I elevating them above the Bible itself? I already described yesterday how tied I can get to a tune, and sometimes I'm guilty of being so swept away by the music that I don't pay as much attention to the lyrics. And I wondered... would I have been as excited to do 31 Days of Bible Verses I Love?

So I put myself to the test. I went through my Bible and made a list of my favorite verses as if I were going to write another series. I ended up with 83 verses, although I had many, many more highlighted or underlined. And in going through these verses I started thinking of other Bible-themed series: 31 Days of Verses That Really Convict Me, 31 Days of Bible Stories I Love, 31 Days of Prayers in the Bible, and so on. Let me tell you, this was a fun and profitable exercise. I do cherish God's Word and I would have loved writing a series this month solely focused on the Bible.

Writing 31 Days of Hymns I Love has been wonderful in many ways and I'm so glad I took on this challenge, but I am doubtful I will take on a 31 Days challenge again next year. So I thought I'd go ahead and share my favorite verses with you -- 15 today, and 16 tomorrow. Now, to just figure out what those are -- after editing my list twice I'm still not down to 31 verses. ; )

I'd love for you to share your favorite verse in the comments!

.....................................................................................

My favorite verse is listed first, but the rest are just in the order they appear in the Bible. I've used the NIV version for this list.

1. 1 Peter 1:3-4. "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade -- kept in heaven for you...."
2. Genesis 15:6. "Abraham believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness."
3. Exodus 33:13 "If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you."
4. Leviticus 19:2. "Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy." I'm going to cheat by combining this with Ephesians 1:4. "For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight."
5. Deuteronomy 10:21. "He is your praise, he is your God, who performed for you those great and awesome wonders you saw with your own eyes."
6. Deuteronomy 29:29. "The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law."
7. 2 Samuel 24:24. "I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing."
8. 2 Chronicles 20:12. "O our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you."
9. Psalm 4:8. "I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety."
10. Psalm 40:3. "He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God."
11. Psalm 138:3, 8. "When I called, you answered me; you made me bold and stouthearted....The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your love, O Lord, endures forever -- do not abandon the works of your hands."
12. Proverbs 24:3. "By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures." 
13. Isaiah 55:8-11. "'For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,' declares the Lord. 'As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve for the purpose which I sent it."
14. Isaiah 58:13-14. "If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the Lord's holy day honorable, and if you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words, then you will find your joy in the Lord, and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob."
15. Ezekiel 11:19-20. "I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. They will be my people, and I will be their God."

To Be Continued

Wonderful Words of Life
Philip P. Bliss, 1874

Sing them over again to me,
Wonderful words of life;
Let me more of their beauty see,
Wonderful words of life.
Words of life and beauty,
Teach me faith and duty.

Refrain:
Beautiful words, wonderful words,
Wonderful words of life.
Beautiful words, wonderful words,
Wonderful words of life.

Christ, the blessed One, gives to all,
Wonderful words of life;
Sinner, list to the loving call,
Wonderful words of life.
All so freely given, 
Wooing us to heaven.

Sweetly echo the gospel call, 
Wonderful words of life,
Offer pardon and peace to all,
Wonderful words of life.
Jesus, only Savior,
Sanctify forever.