“Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing.” (Psalm 100:2)

Have you ever been asked to lead singing in your branch, and you only seem to be hearing your own voice?

Have you ever looked around on Sunday morning during singing only to see people’s song books closed?
This can be very frustrating at times. I don’t know about you, but sometimes it’s during a hymn that I feel the Spirit of God. When we sing in unity and in spirit, contemplating the beautiful words of worship that we utter can be overwhelming. How many times have we stopped to really meditate on some of those words?

We have several brothers and sisters in the Church that have been inspired to write songs for the Lord. One example is our late Brother Eugenio Mora from Tijuana who was inspired by God to write over 300 songs! Most of the time they came in the form of a revelation or a dream given typically in the middle of the night! Our Brother Eugenio would immediately have to jump out of bed, grab a pen and paper, and sing the song he had just received on his guitar. Some of his children still hold on to the memory of waking up at 1 or 2 a.m. to listen to their father singing a new song.

Brother Eugenio never completed the first grade and had to teach himself to read and write; therefore, for him to have written such beautiful words was a miracle and a gift fully inspired by God.

During a trip to Pennsylvania, Brother Eugenio and Sister Arlene Buffington were both asked to share how they received songs from the Lord. Many of us are familiar with how the Songs of Zion were given to Sister Arlene in English. As a parallel, Brother Eugenio also expressed that the songs he received from God were given to share the message of the Restoration to the brothers and sisters in Spanish.

My father has said repeatedly, “What brought me to the Church were the songs, what kept me here is the love of God.”

There are so many others who have testified about the power these hymns hold and how their message has impacted their lives.

We all have different gifts that we can use for God’s purpose — some have the gift of song, others compassion, and others a quiet demeanor to be listeners when another is in need. Whatever your gift, we can all use that gift to be a missionary and a pillar.

So, next time you stay quiet, when you don’t open your song book, or you skip a few verses to shorten a song, remember all the souls that have come to Christ because of the hymns sung by YOU!

Here is a verse and chorus from a song titled “El Cristo de Samaria” written by Brother Eugenio Mora. Scroll to the player at the bottom of this post, and click play to hear it sung!

Del fondo de mi alma, surge una plegaria
Mas ya no encuentro forma ni expresión
Para explicarla, y ya no encuentro llanto
Ni múltiples palabras, y clamo como el ciervo
Cuando se dice brama, es una sed terrible
Es una sed terrible, es una sed de mi alma

Coro:
Sed de paz, sed de amor
Tengo sed de comprensión, pero el Cristo de samaria
Agua viva me ofreció, y pudo saciar mi sed
Que era una sed de Dios

English Translation: “The Christ of Samaria”

From the bottom of my soul, a plea arises,
But I can’t find the way to express
or explain it. Neither can tears nor many words express it. And I cry out like the deer
When it pants (Psalm 42:1-2). Such a terrible thirst, such a terrible thirst, it is a thirst from my soul

Chorus:
Thirst for peace, thirst for love
I thirst for understanding, but the Christ of Samaria
Offered me living water, that could quench my thirst
That thirst for God

This article has undergone ministry review and approval.