Why We Still Need the Simplicity of Scripture in Song

The singing of Bible verses into our everyday life and can make them stay with us a lifetime. That’s why we need the simplicity of Scripture in Song.

They were simple songs.

Easy to sing.

Easy to play.

Back in the 1970s and 80s here in New Zealand, and in much of the world, a new form of Christian music evolved.

It was called Scripture in Song.

Scripture in Song.

David and Dale Garratt crafted short verses of scripture together with simple melodies.

As I write this, I am listening to one of them based on some verses from Habakkuk.

Though the fig tree does not blossom,
and no fruit is on the vines;
though the produce of the olive fails
and the fields yield no food;
though the flock is cut off from the fold
and there is no herd in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord;
I will exult in the God of my salvation. Habakkuk 3:17-18

Listen to it here.

Six reasons they connected

Why I think Scripture in Song, particularly the early songs, connected so well

They had simple words. Nothing too complex to understand. The words were straight from the Bible.
The music was simple. The songs were easy to play and to sing. Anyone who knew a few chords on a guitar could play them. You didn’t need to be able to sing that well either. They were written for people with no musical singing ability.
There was a repetitive nature to them. Choruses were repeated. Repetition gets into the brain.
The songs were short. Nothing long and difficult to remember.
Pure scripture. These were words taken directly from the Bible. Nothing added onto it.
Met a need in the heart. The words and music connected to an emotional need in the heart.

‘Dad on a tractor test’.

Basically, they met the ‘Dad on a tractor test’.

I remember as a child listening to my father singing these songs as he drove around the hills of our farm. The farm dogs would accompany him too.

He knew the songs because they were simple. Scripture was getting into his mind, and it was good, very good.

I might have a touch of ‘Grumpy Old Man Syndrom’, but I think much of the worship music today in churches would not meet many of the connection points those early Scripture in Song choruses had.

They wouldn’t pass the ‘Dad on the Tractor’ test.

What songs have influenced you?
Are there certain types of music that speak to your soul?
What lyrics have you song over and over again so much so that they have created thinking tracks in the neural networks of the brain?

Try listening to some scripture in song. Here are some on YouTube.

Quotes to consider

Oh, to be bathed in a text of Scripture, and to let it be sucked up in your very soul, till it saturates your heart! Charles Spurgeon

Oh, to have “the word of Christ” always dwelling inside of us;—in the memory, never forgotten; in the heart, always loved; in the understanding, really grasped; with all the powers and passions of the mind fully submitted to its control! Charles Spurgeon

When you read God’s Word, you must constantly be saying to yourself, “It is talking to me, and about me. Soren Kierkegaard

Simply by singing along to a favourite song or humming long notes can reduce stress levels and create a greater sense of internal balance. Marie Claire Breen, Vocal Coach

Questions to answer

What are your favourite songs? Why?
How does music fit into your daily life?
What sort of music helps you?

Formation exercise

Listen to some of the YouTube tracks I have listed. What is your intial reaction? What would happen if you used these simple songs as part of your daily devotional life in the next week? Try it and find out.