Singing

It makes sense when praise music is written inside the confines of bejeweled cathedrals or by the hands of those on a spiritual mountaintop. But the world-famous hymn of gratitude entitled Now Thank We All Our God didn’t originate from either.

In fact, the situation that prompted its writing almost killed its author!

“All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing,” declares Tolstoy in War and Peace. The truth – and consequence – of that statement has revealed itself time and time again throughout the travesties in mankind’s history.

Sadly, it was true of an entire church in Nazi Germany.

Imagine the church without Amazing Grace or How Great Thou Art. Hymns were the backbone of the church’s worship for hundreds of years! Granted, hymns are losing their popularity with today’s generation, but God’s people still owe a debt of gratitude to their writers.

Instead, many hymnists were once hated for writing/composing such music.

In Game 5 of the 1988 World Series, the Oakland Athletics hosted the Los Angeles Dodgers at Oakland County Coliseum in front of 50,000 fans (and millions more via television). The Dodger’s mighty pitcher, Orel Hershiser, had put his team up 3-games-to-1, but as cameras zoomed in on him in the dugout, they spotted him mumbling to himself.

Had the pressure of the moment finally gotten to him? Was he losing his mind?