Occasionally I cannot honestly sing all the words of a song. With “Amazing Grace,” for example, I would be lying if I sang “How precious did that grace appear the hour I first believed.” I did not have a Damascus Road experience. What should I do when I cannot honestly sing some lines in church?
One of the best things about being part of a congregation is that we support each other in a variety of ways. If our attention drifts during the congregational prayer, for example, it is good to know that other members of the congregation are praying on our behalf. They can lift these prayers to God even if we are sleepy or if we find ourselves thinking about the busy week ahead.
We are called to live in community. We do not gather only to worship together, although that is certainly important. We gather to become the people of God. So, when we pray or when we sing, we’re not just connecting ourselves to God as individuals; we are coming to him together.
Many hymns purposely use “we” language instead of “I” language for that reason. Even though the words to “Amazing Grace” are first-person singular, when we sing it together in church we are much more than just a set of individuals. We are a gathering of brothers and sisters in Christ who share one another’s joys and burdens.
So when you encounter a line that doesn’t match your personal experiences, you can sing it with a clear conscience, knowing that you are singing on behalf of others in the body of Christ. You can also be glad that at other times, perhaps when a song especially moves you and it is hard to sing without tears, others are singing on your behalf.