How to Study Hymns Using (Hymn)eneutics

God's purpose for hymns is a glorious one. Colossians 3:16 teaches us that hymns can and should be used beyond Sunday morning to encourage and exhort one another at all times.

With Colossians 3:16 in mind, I create hymn study devotional guides to help you think through hymn texts so you can remember biblical truths better, walk closer with Christ and sing with understanding.

You can download your first guide for free here.

When you use this (Hymn)eneutics Devotional guide as a supplement to your daily Bible reading, you'll likely find your love for the Lord growing deeper and deeper.

This is no accident. This is part of God's purpose for our hymns. They express God's truth beautifully, personally and in a particularly memorable way.

Although hymns don't carry the same authority and accuracy as divinely inspired Scripture, when we use hymn texts to remember Scripture, they prove to be invaluable tool in mind and heart renewal.

The title (Hymn)eneutics is my way of giving a nod to the term hermeneutics—a technical term for the methodical interpretation of Scripture.

When we study hymns, it helps us to follow a similar, methodical method.

The  (Hymn)eneutics Devotional Guide will help you pattern your hymn study after 5 R's: READ, RELATE, REFLECT, RESPOND and REMEMBER.

Note: This method can be adapted to use without a guide if you're willing to do extra research.

READ: First, read through the included hymn text and its background story. The guide includes a Reference Sheet that includes the entire hymn text, a keyword glossary to help you understand the meaning of keywords more fully and a list of related Scripture passages. 

RELATE: Circle the attributes of God you see in the hymn to relate the text back to Him. To relate the text to Scripture, underline each line in the hymn that alludes to a specific Bible passage. The guide provides individual stanza studies along with a list of Bible references to give you plenty of space while marking.

REFLECT: Write out the stanza longhand or, even better, rewrite the stanza using your own speaking style. The guide gives you the space to do this. Then, answer the reflection prompts to help you think through the text even more. 

RESPOND: Apply what you read using the Respond prompt and short prayer text as inspiration.

REMEMBER: Display the included hymn quote printable in a place where you will see it daily.

In the podcast episode above, I walk you through the guide and the 5 R's of (Hymn)eneutics. 

It's my prayer that you will enjoy this guided study and be blessed along the way.