Occasionally, there are times in your life where God gives you a small glimpse of heaven. My wife and I were able to be a part of one of these moments on Saturday morning when we were invited to attend a small gathering of African refugees for their monthly small group meeting. I was invited to speak on the topic of “structure in the home.” My main idea was this: when your family pursues Christ, your family can operate in the way God designed it to operate. “Structure” is found by imitating Christ.

But the real treat of the morning was participating in the Swahili worship. The men and women were mostly soft-spoken, except for when they were singing! We met in an apartment building, and I have no doubt that if their neighbors were like my apartment neighbors we would have had received a noise violation! (The apartment complex is comprised mostly of refugees, so I’m guessing the volume was tolerated.)

Their worship was beautiful. They didn’t need a worship leader with a fancy guitar. They didn’t need any instruments period, except for their hands and feet. Someone just began singing and then everyone else chimed in.

In moments like these, I am reminded of the heavenly scene in Revelation: “And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy [is the lamb] to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation,” (Revelation 5:9 ESV). Because of Christ’s death, God has called together people who live in every country, whose skin is every color, and who speak every language.

Saturday morning, I tried to sing along as we proclaimed this old favorite hymn. The chorus sounds like this:

Roho yangu naikuimbie,
jinsi wewe ulivyo mkuu.
Roho yangu naikuimbie,
jinsi wewe ulivyo mkuu.

Although I struggled with the pronunciation, my heart was truly able to say:

Then sings my soul, my Savior God to thee,
how great thou art, how great thou art.
Then sings my soul, my Savior God to thee,
how great thou art, how great thou art!