New hymn teaches “power of the Holy Spirit” – Church News

The new hymn “The Power of the Holy Spirit,” released in the latest hymn collection of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ Hymns for the Home and Church, began at a small inn far from Delice Waite Snyder’s home in Salem, Utah.

In 2009, Snyder and her husband, Phil Snyder, both English professors at Brigham Young University, traveled to the Cotswolds, England, after a conference. Their plans to walk through scenic hills and small villages were canceled when he became seriously ill.

As her husband recovered, Delise Snyder sat by his bedside and read the small Book of Mormon he kept in his backpack.

She said that when she came to 2 Nephi 31:20, she read again “that wonderful scripture about how we must move forward,” and was reminded of Marvin K. Gardner and Vanja Watkins’ hymn “Forward, O Saints” (Hymns, 81), which is based on that scripture.

Continuing to read 2 Nephi, Snyder thought about how the Holy Spirit enables people to move forward and endure, and how “the Holy Spirit shows you in all things what you should do” (2 Nephi 32:5). She was particularly struck by the idea of ​​speaking “with the tongues of angels” (2 Nephi 32:2), and was reminded of the angels who sang at the birth of Jesus Christ.

She couldn’t think of a hymn that specifically taught about the Holy Spirit. A writer and musician, she had often thought about writing hymns. So she began writing down words and phrases relating to the theme of the Holy Spirit in a Cotswold inn, and began writing lyrics while her husband slept.

“It might seem easy, like I just sat down and wrote it, but lyrics are difficult because they’re based on syllables. I’ve always liked rhyme and it has to be the same syllable in every line, every verse,” she said.

She was looking for something that was easy to learn and had a catchy rhythm. She also wanted to incorporate natural words from scripture into her hymns. She had sung in the choir for many years and loved singing scripture. Because as she practices, the words sink deep into her heart and mind.

Although Snyder wrote and rewrote lyrics, she was far from an instrument for composing music. “I was in the middle of a beautiful English village and there was no piano in sight. The rhythm stuck in my head, but it wasn’t until later, when I got home, that I tried different melodies,” she said.

In addition to England, the country of France is also part of the story of this hymn.

Snyder had submitted “The Power of the Holy Spirit” to one of the church’s annual music festivals. She was serving a mission with her husband in the Paris Mission when she heard from the hymnbook committee that the song was being considered for a new worldwide hymnbook. She frequently went to use the piano at the mission while working on the harmonies and lyrics of the hymns.

Later, when the hymn was published, Snyder and her husband immediately read the French translation of her hymn.

“It’s a beautiful translation. I respect those who translate into a new language while preserving the artistry and meaning,” she said.

Snyder is the ward’s organist. The Sunday after her hymn was released, her ward sang it in sacrament meeting. But early that same morning, she received a message from one of the missionaries she had served with in France. He sent her a photo of her hymn number 1055 on the wall of his chapel in England and showed her how they sang the hymn in the hospital ward a few hours before the meeting. This was very exciting for her.

“I hope people like this song and sing it,” she said.

I am humbled and grateful to learn that her song was selected out of tens of thousands of submissions for the new hymnbook.

“A lot of people put in a lot of effort to submit their songs,” she said. “We thank you for your efforts as we dedicate our compositional and musical talents to the Lord, and while it may not have the same results for everyone, the effort is truly heavenly.…The sign of acceptance is Heavenly Father’s gratitude for our efforts. And it is sacred to put into words our spiritual feelings for others in an artistic way.”