Verse 1

Lord, You are more precious than silver;
Lord, You are more costly than gold;
Lord, You are more beautiful than diamonds;
And nothing I desire compares with You.

Preface

I’d like to start a new occasional look at some shorter hymns and choruses which I don’t feel have enough to fully take on as a blog. Instead, I’d like to look at them through a Pros and Cons list to try and determine if they are worth bringing to the service or if they ought to hang out in hymnals.

Pros & Cons: More Precious Than Silver

Pro: The melody of this hymn is sweet and short, lilting gently but meaningfully for only about sixteen measures. For quick incidental music to emphasize a point in the service, it works well.

Con: In doing a little research into the hymn, I only just discovered that there are more words than just the first verse. I’ve known the hymn for almost twenty years, but never in a printed hymnal have I seen more than the first verse. That being said, a single verse in such a short chorus could get old really fast.

Pro: The theology of the song is good enough. The idea that God is greater than even the most valuable possessions we could have on earth is well established with the examples used. I struggle a little more with the ambiguity of the final stanza, but I believe the heart is there, even if the words are a bit shaky.

Con: The words, though true, just seem dated and schmaltzy. Calling God precious and beautiful is not saying a whole lot and it feels like fluff. Then you repeat the words because the worship pastor wants to sing this chorus three or four times, and each go around it just loses meaning.

Verdict: Use Sparingly
While fairly harmless, this chorus lacks any kind of teeth. It says very little and tires quickly. I think it could be very poignant in certain situations, such as a response to teaching on stewardship. Overall, though, I think I’ll stick to singing it as a lullaby and hope that I don’t have to be exhausted by it in the pews any time soon.