Who else would die for our redemption? Whose resurrection means I'll rise? There isn't time enough to sing of all You've done. But I have eternity to try ('A Thousand Hallelujahs' by Brooke Ligertwood).
Growing up, our home was always full of music, so it’s no surprise I loved it at a young age. My sister and I used to play a game with my mom where we would give her a word (ladybug, cookie, tickles . . . you get the idea), and she would try to think of a song using that specific word. She was good at the game, and I don’t remember stumping her very often. I am thankful for how God used my childhood, particularly my mom, to build a love for music into my heart. I hope my children, too, will one day look back and remember our home as a place full of joyful songs played often and sung loudly.
Worship music holds a special place in my heart.
My heart is particularly captivated by good worship songs - ones that are rich in theology and gospel truth. Songs that speak of the crucifixion and the resurrection of Jesus are the ones that move me the most. Whether I am at home with Alexa blasting out my favorite tune on repeat (which happens regularly!) or standing with my hands raised worshipping with our church family, something about worship music stirs my soul. I think that is one of the reasons I love Easter so much - there are so many great songs to be sung and played during this season.
Now, before I get to writing too much more here, I ought to add a disclaimer:
* I know there is a lot of controversy around music in the Church these days - styles of music, artists whose songs we should/shouldn’t sing, old songs vs. new songs - the list is endless. Sadly, music can be so divisive, even amongst God’s people. I do think there are valid points made on all sides of these arguments, and I certainly don’t claim to have the answers. What I do know, however, is that there are songs by groups and artists with whom I know I wouldn’t align in all areas of practice and theology, but God has still used their music to impact my heart. If, in the rest of this post, I quote a lyric or two from an artist with whom you have a particular problem, please offer me grace. I likely agree with all your reservations about them, but I can’t negate the beauty of the words in the specific songs I’ve chosen to share. Jesus is glorified when our hearts are moved to worship him as he deserves; sometimes (OFTEN), he uses imperfect means to achieve that.
* Disclaimer over.
My story didn't start with Jesus.
When I meet people for the first time and tell them I’m a pastor’s wife, many assume my life was always headed in this direction - that somehow I had this “special calling” to grow up, love Jesus, and marry a pastor. That honestly couldn’t be further from the truth. I am the most unlikely candidate for where God’s grace has brought me. For those who have known me longer, I bet they share my surprise and probably look at my life now and wonder what on earth happened. Well, as one current worship song says so perfectly,
Jesus happened. In the blink of an eye, every part of my life was changed ('Jesus Happened' by Baylor Wilson).
If you haven’t heard that song, you need to take a second and listen to it! Every time I do, I feel like it's telling the story of my life. You see, although God’s grace was something I had heard about from birth (thank you, mom and dad!), my journey towards following Christ took a lot longer. The seeds had been planted in childhood, but I didn’t fully understand how much I needed God’s grace until much later. There was a particular time when Jesus stepped in and changed my life's course. Let me tell you a little bit of my story.
My life was empty . . . a mess.
By the time I reached my late teens and early twenties, I had made a complete mess of my life. Sure, I knew all the answers from growing up in the Church, but I had gotten good at playing a dangerous game. I learned how to act like one person on a Sunday morning or when I was with my church friends, but I was someone else entirely outside of that context.
After years of living a double life, I eventually found myself in deep depression and darkness. It didn’t happen overnight, but once I moved out of the safety and stability of my parents' home, I no longer had to “pretend.” No outside influence made me go to church or behave a certain way, and I fully embraced life without Jesus. I spent my days searching and desperately grasping for the next distraction - something that would mask the self-inflicted pain I felt inside. There was an emptiness in me I couldn’t seem to shake. It was an emptiness I now know only Jesus would ever fill.
I searched the world, but it couldn't fill me. Man's empty praise and treasures that fade are never enough ('Graves Into Gardens' by Elevation Worship).
In my desperation, Jesus stepped in.
I had spent years hiding my sin, rebelling against God, and running from his grace, and finally, I came to a place of utter desperation. I had nothing left to try and didn’t know how to fix the mess I had created. There was no distraction strong enough anymore. In that dark place, the grace of God I had learned of throughout childhood grabbed ahold of my heart in a real, personal way and rescued me.
I left behind everything familiar - family, friends, the city I knew - and moved across the globe to attend Bible College. Perhaps it looked like I was running away again, but I wasn’t. I was running to Jesus for the first time. I knew I needed to separate myself from all I knew to truly find the freedom Jesus offered. That pivotal moment of grace was just the beginning, and God has been faithfully rewriting my story ever since.
You called my name, and I ran out of that grave. Out of the darkness, into Your glorious day ('Glorious Day' by Passion).
Jesus rescued me with his "reckless love" and grace.
Maybe your story doesn’t seem so dramatic, but perhaps that’s simply because you don’t fully realize just what God has done to make you his own. A song I heard a few years ago talked about the “reckless love of God," and I didn’t like it at first. God isn’t reckless, right? Well, reckless means “doing something dangerous and not worrying about the risks and possible results.” That reminds me of these verses from Hebrews 12:
“For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood” (Hebrews 12:2-4).
Jesus knew what it would cost to rescue us, and still, he threw himself into that mission. His love was recklessly poured out as he shed his blood for you and me.
Sure, some of us have these big, catastrophic moments we can point back to where God miraculously intervened and delivered us, but the truth is we have all been rescued. As Ephesians 2 says, none of us have a starting point other than being “dead in our trespasses and sins.”
We only need to look at the horror of the cross and see Jesus there willingly laying down his life to pay for our sins to know how costly our rescue was. It doesn’t matter where your journey with Christ began or from “how much” Jesus saved you. Your salvation and mine were not something we had ANY hope of achieving on our own. Dead people can’t miraculously bring themselves back to life. It is only by grace we have been saved. It is always by grace.
To this I hold, my sin has been defeated. Jesus now and ever is my plea. Oh the chains are released, I can sing, 'I am free.' Yet not I, but through Christ in me ('Yet Not I But Through Christ In Me' by City Alight).
I love to sing of what Jesus has done for me.
I love to sing songs about the death and resurrection of Jesus because of what he has done for me. Our very souls require being pointed back over and over to the one foundational truth that we hold to as Christ followers. In Colossians 3:16, the Apostle Paul writes these words to the Church:
“Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.”
We are to “let the message of Christ” (who he is and what he has accomplished for us and in us) “dwell among” us (make its home, take its roots, saturate us) “richly” (lavishly, plentifully, abundantly, deeply). We are to sing “with gratitude in our hearts” (thankfulness, pleasure, joy, satisfaction). A good, godly, and truly Christian song must be gospel-focused and move us to worship. The message of Christ - his life, his death, and his resurrection - is what we must use to center our worship. We NEED to sing so that we remember.
Music moves me to worship.
I’ve been writing songs since I was a teenager. Many of my songs I know will never be heard by another, but that’s okay. I’ve realized that songwriting is simply a way for my soul to meditate on God’s Word and reflect on all he has done in my life. As I read over many of the songs I have written, one theme comes up more than any other - the theme of the cross and the resurrection! In moments of pain, seasons where I have felt dry and weary, even in my greatest times of joy, it has always been these gospel truths that have offered what I’ve needed. Perhaps you, too, find yourself searching - longing for hope, forgiveness, rest, joy, wisdom, freedom from shame, or comfort in grief. The list is endless, but the answer is the same. Jesus is our salvation, and he is alive!
Let's all prepare our hearts for worship this Easter.
As we head into Easter, let’s remember we have every reason to be excited! We have a unique opportunity to saturate ourselves with the gospel, sing wonderful truths together, and find what our hearts truly need once again. We will be pointed repeatedly to our central hope as Christians - our sin has been paid for on the cross, our Savior has risen from the grave, and our eternity is secure! We are more loved than we could ever dare to dream, and the grace of God is more glorious than we could ever fathom. We have endless reasons and all of eternity to sing praise to our God for what he has done!
I cast my mind to Calvary, where Jesus bled and died for me.
I see His wounds, His hands, His feet. My Savior on that cursed tree . . .
. . . O praise the Name of the Lord our God, O praise His Name forevermore.
For endless days we will sing Your praise - Oh Lord, oh Lord our God ('O Praise The Name' by Hillsong Worship).
Let's "sing it out" daily for what God has done!
On Good Friday, we will sing of Jesus crucified. On Easter Sunday, our voices will boldly declare that he is alive! But the reality is we must sing songs like this all the time - often and on repeat. We may only celebrate Easter officially once a year, but as followers of Christ, his death on the cross and triumphal resurrection are central to everything! Our only hope is found in what he has accomplished for us and in us.
“For my pardon, this I see, nothing but the blood of Jesus;
For my cleansing this my plea, nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Nothing can for sin atone, nothing but the blood of Jesus;
Naught of good that I have done, nothing but the blood of Jesus.
This is all my hope and peace, nothing but the blood of Jesus;
This is all my righteousness, nothing but the blood of Jesus.”
("Nothing But The Blood Of Jesus" by Robert Lowry)
When we sing together as those who have been so miraculously forgiven and redeemed, God is glorified, our faith is rekindled, our hearts are moved to worship, and our perspective is refocused. I need THAT kind of awakening constantly, don’t you?
So, as Pastor Deven says, let’s “sing it out” with joy, and may we always remember:
“In Christ alone, my hope is found. He is my light, my strength, my song.”
("In Christ Alone" by Stuart Townend)
Listen to the songs quoted in the post:
- "A Thousand Hallelujahs" - Brooke Ligertwood
- "Jesus Happened" - Baylor Wilson
- "Graves Into Gardens" - Elevation Worship
- "Glorious Day" - Passion
- "Yet Not I But Through Christ In Me" - CityAlight
- "Oh Praise The Name" - Hillsong Worship
- "Nothing But The Blood Of Jesus" - All Sons & Daughters
- "In Christ Alone" - Stuart Townend