He Who Signs Prays Twice

We hear it often, especially from the “music community, ”He who sings, prays twice. Saint Augustine added a word to that expression;, “he who sings his prayers prays twice. 

My wife and I share a morning time of devotion and prayer, in which we often sing. A few weeks ago, I was going through a season of studying, teaching, and writing about revival. One morning, during our devotion/prayer time, we were singing the old gospel song, Revive us again. As we sang, it struck me, We are praying. 

The first three stanzas of the hymn are expressions of praise, then the fourth stanza is an earnest petition, 

Revive us again, 
fill each heart with thy love 
May each soul be rekindled 
with fire from above. 

The chorus is praise and petition combined,

Hal-le-lu-jah! Thine the glo-ry.
Hal-le-lu-jah! A-men.
Hal-le-lu-jah! Thine the glo-ry.
Re-vive us a-gain.

I believe we are experiencing revival, and we may be just at the beginning edge of it. I urge you, now and then, sing Revive Us Again as your prayer for it. 

The singing of our sacred hymns, written by the servants of God, has a powerful effect in converting people to the principles of the Gospel, and in promoting peace and spiritual growth.” 

— Heber J. Grant