The Call to Write a New Song to the Lord

Do our churches still need new hymns?

That was the question on my mind as I began reading Our Own Hymnbook, the hymnal Charles Spurgeon compiled for use in London’s Metropolitan Tabernacle. With 1,130 hymns, this rich collection could keep a congregation singing weekly for well over two years without ever repeating a song not even counting the Psalms or any modern compositions.

Strictly speaking, then, we don’t need more hymns. The Psalms alone could be sung for eternity. Add in the rich legacy of hymns from Isaac Watts, Charles Wesley, Fanny Crosby, and others, and there’s no shortage of songs that lift the heart to God. These old hymns are part of what C.S. Lewis called the “clean breeze of the centuries” refreshing, enduring, and full of biblical truth. They correct our blind spots and teach timeless doctrine to our souls.

So why write new ones?

Songs for Our Time and Our People

New hymns have a place because they can speak specifically to the hearts of our congregations now. Paul exhorts the church to let “the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs” (Colossians 3:16). The context matters. The preacher prepares his sermon with his people in view, and the songwriters prepare lyrics with their church in view. New songs can echo Scripture in language and imagery that resonates with the struggles, joys, needs, and worship of today’s believers.

A friend in my church once said to me, “Reading hymns from The Olney Hymnbook made me think of you.” At first I felt flattered. But then he added, half-jokingly, “Most of Newton’s hymns weren’t very good.” The point wasn’t criticism of Newton who gave us Amazing Grace and Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken but encouragement to keep writing. After all, most of Newton’s output wasn’t immortal, but a few of his songs have become eternal parts of the church’s worship. They were written for specific moments, specific congregations, and specific truths and still bless millions.

Songs That Serve the Church

Many new hymns won’t last centuries. Most will fade like grass and flowers (Isaiah 40:6–8). But that doesn’t mean they are without value. A song written for a particular sermon, season, or church family can help believers internalize truth and express worship in ways words alone cannot.

New compositions help us articulate what God is doing among us in our time. They echo salvation truths we sing in Psalm 96, even when the language takes a fresh form. The psalmist calls us to “Sing to the Lord a new song” not because God changes, but because our experience of His mercy, grace, and glory grows day by day.

Old Truths, New Feet

The best new hymns don’t invent doctrine. They give “old paths new feet” they carry timeless truth in contemporary language that touches hearts while standing on the unchanging word of God. Like the Psalms themselves, they remind us that:

• God’s salvation is steadfast (cf. Ps. 3, 9, 18),

• His glory extends to all nations (cf. Ps. 9, 68),

• His creation reflects His majesty (cf. Ps. 8),

• His strength and kingship endure forever (cf. Ps. 24, 29),

• All creation is called to worship Him (cf. Ps. 89, 93).

Write for God’s Glory, Not for Fame

So, poets and songwriters, pick up your pen. Write for God and for His people not for applause, chart success, or legacy. Write the very best song you can, and be prepared for it to be forgotten. Most of the hymns you write won’t become classics. But some might help the church sing truth more richly in your generation.

Even if your song is sung only once, sung only in your local church, or never published at all, God has heard it and that is enough.

Write a new song to the Lord. Tell the old, old story in a new way. Help God’s people sing the gospel with fresh delight and deeper understanding.

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