Elisabeth Elliot: But if you're not familiar with the old hymns, you're missing out on a very powerful element in the Christian life. For one thing, I think hymns are easier to memorize than Scripture because there's rhythm and rhyme. For another thing, they're different from the praise songs in that they are loaded with theology.

Lisa Barry: When was the last time you took out an old hymn book and took a good look? Maybe it's collecting dust or getting that basement smell from being stashed away for so long. Well, why not do something a little different today? Dig it out, dust it off and ask God to reveal a few stanzas that will speak to your situation today.

Let's bury the old notion that hymns are only for 200-year-old churches and rediscover the gold mine of wisdom hiding between the pages. You might never stick it in the basement again. Here's Elisabeth Elliot to draw our attention to three hymns in particular that tie in nicely with our theme this week on restlessness. So get set for an inspiring 15 minutes coming up on Gateway To Joy. Here's Elisabeth.

Elisabeth Elliot: "You are loved with an everlasting love." That's what the Bible says. "And underneath are the everlasting arms." This is your friend Elisabeth Elliot, doing what I don't think I have done before, but I hope it will be something that you will appreciate and you will see how it fits in with the things that I've been saying during this week.

We've been talking about restlessness. It's such a common human failing, isn't it, to be restless-always wishing something were otherwise. One of my favorite hymns is "Be Still, My Soul." I'm going to read to you three hymns today. Many of you go to churches where you sing praises, and maybe once in a while a hymn. But we visit many churches where they really don't know the old hymns. I can't emphasize strongly enough the tremendous blessing and advantage it's been for me in my spiritual life to have been taught hymns when I was a child.

So even if you can't sing them, and maybe you're like an old lady whom we knew in New Hampshire, who when she came to one of our hymn sings at the cottage in Franconia-we used to have hymn sings every Sunday night and we had a little tiny organ. As we passed out the hymnbooks, she declined to take a hymnbook because she said, "I can't sing half as good as a crow." Well, I'm sure many of my listeners are in the same boat. But many of you are good singers, too.

But if you're not familiar with the old hymns, you're missing out on a very powerful element in the Christian life. For one thing, I think hymns are easier to memorize than Scripture because there's rhythm and rhyme. For another thing, they're different from the praise songs in that they are loaded with theology.

We children, and there were six in the family in which I grew up, memorized hymns painlessly. We didn't sit down to memorize them. We just sang them. Once you've sung a hymn three or four times, you will have it in your head. I still have these hymns in my head.

But here's one that's a great antidote to restlessness. "Be still, my soul, the Lord is on thy side. Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain. Leave to thy God to order and provide; in every change He faithful will remain. Be still, my soul, thy best thy heavenly Friend through thorny ways leads to a joyful end. Be still, my soul, thy God doth undertake to guide the future as He has the past. Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake. All now mysterious shall be bright at last. Be still, my soul, the waves and winds still know His voice who ruled them while He dwelt below."

You remember that Bible story, don't you, where Jesus spoke to the wind and the waves and they were calmed. The waves and winds still know His voice who ruled them while He dwelt below.

"Be still, my soul, the hour is hastening on when we shall be forever with the Lord, when disappointment, grief and fear are gone; sorrow forgot, love's purest joys restored. Be still, my soul, when change and tears are past, all safe and blessed we shall meet at last."

That's a calming, quieting hymn, isn't it? And then there's one by a Frenchman, so I don't know if this is a translation. Perhaps it is, into English, but the only way I've ever heard it is in English. This is one that is called, "Jesus, I am Resting."

"Jesus, I am resting, resting, in the joy of what Thou art. I am finding out the greatness of Thy loving heart. Thou hast bid me gaze upon Thee and Thy beauty fills my soul, for by Thy transforming power Thou hast made me whole. O how great Thy lovingkindness, vaster, broader than the sea! O how marvelous Thy goodness, lavished all on me! Yes, I rest in Thee, Beloved, know what wealth of grace is Thine; know Thy certainty of promise and have made it mine.

Simply trusting Thee, Lord Jesus, I behold Thee as Thou art, and Thy love so pure, so changeless, satisfies my heart. Satisfies its deepest longings, meets, supplies its every need; compasseth me round with blessings, Thine is love indeed. Ever lift Thy face upon me as I work and wait for Thee, resting 'neath Thy smile, Lord Jesus, earth's dark shadows flee. Brightness of my Father's glory, sunshine of my Father's face, keep me ever trusting, resting, fill me with Thy grace."

And then the refrain: "Jesus, I am resting, resting in the joy of what Thou art. I am finding out the greatness of Thy loving heart." When I came to that line in the third stanza, "Satisfies its deepest longings"-my heart's deepest longings, I thought of all you single women who long to be married. You know what I also thought of? Many of you married women who long to be single. In both cases, there is restlessness, isn't there? Because you want something you don't have or you have something you don't want. The Lord can calm us and quiet us and give us a peaceful heart, if we'll only let Him.

And now one called "Jesus, Thou Joy of Loving Hearts," written by Bernard of Clairvaux. "Jesus, Thou joy of loving hearts, Thou fount of life, Thou light of men, from the best bliss that earth imparts we turn unfilled to Thee again." In other words, all that earth can offer to us, all that this world counts dear, if we had it all, our hearts would still not be filled. "From the best bliss that earth imparts we turn unfilled to Thee again."

"Thy truth unchanged hath ever stood; Thou savest those that on Thee call. To them that seek Thee, Thou art good; to them that find Thee all in all. We taste Thee, O Thou living bread and long to feast upon Thee still. We drink of Thee, the fountainhead, and thirst our souls from Thee to fill."

These are not always easy to understand when we first read them, because of course the English language has changed considerably. And poetry is not easy for many of you to read. In fact, when I read a poem on one of my programs a number of months ago, I said when I finished reading the poem, "I can just imagine that there is some trucker out there thinking, "Now what in the world is she talking about this kind of stuff for?'" Would you believe I got a letter from a trucker?

He said, "The very moment when I had just said those words, you said the same words. I never laughed so hard." But he said, "You're okay with me." A wonderful little touch of humor in there. "Our restless spirits yearn for Thee, where'er our changeful lot is cast. Glad when Thy gracious smile we see; blest when our faith can hold Thee fast."

There are times when we just have to hang on, as it were, by our fingertips to the faith. Maybe we don't see God's smile, but our faith can hang on and say, "Lord, I trust You. Lord, I trust You. Lord, I'm going to keep on trusting You."

The last stanza says, "O Jesus, ever with us stay; make all our moments calm and bright. Chase the dark night of sin away; shed o'er the world Thy holy light."

Lisa Barry: I love that last line, because I'm someone who doesn't like darkness at all. If I'm ever prone to worry or fear, it's at night when everything seems gloomier. But that verse is such a great reminder that God is light and someday there'll be no more darkness at all. Even if dark skies loom all around us physically or emotionally, God's presence can give us inner peace, no matter what's on the outside.

Now earlier on the program Elisabeth was talking about how she learned hymns as a child. Well, your children can, too, through a great little cassette we have called HYMNS FOR CHILDREN. Not only will your children be memorizing great spiritual truth without even realizing it, but you'll learn them, too. The cost for that tape is $7, which includes shipping and handling. As always, we have this weekly series available to purchase, too, and that is also $7.

Here's our phone number for purchasing information: 1-800-759-4JOY. That's 1-800-759-4569. Or you can write to us at Gateway To Joy, Box 82500, Lincoln, Nebraska, 68501. Our Internet ministry address is gatewaytojoy.org. Gateway To Joy has been a production of Back to the Bible.

Next week Elisabeth begins a powerful series on divorce, so I hope you'll be back on Monday for that. This is Lisa Barry, thanking you for listening. Have a great weekend.