My Testimony in Music

It's well known by now that I am a lover of words. I love the way they look on people's lips and how they sound when they come out. If I'm not staring at people's eyes (windows to the soul) I'm staring at their mouths because words are my fave. They are gorgeous, stunningly powerful, and for me, when put with music they're life changing.

Music is the backdrop of my life. When words alone fail to convey a truth I'm trying to learn or teach, music steps in and beautifully articulates and translates for me. (I think that's why I was such a fan of the mix-tape. When I couldn't explain how I was feeling it was so much easier to say, "hear listen to this.")

Music gets me.

And God gets music.

How gracious was he to understand his children well enough to know that simple words would not always do justice to our thoughts and feelings! He put songs in our hearts to give us another way of glorifying him. Getting our eyes off of us and back where they belong. And as a result we have this innumerable treasure trove of melodies and lyrics that take our stumbling, struggling, incomplete notions and make them beautiful expressions of our hearts and souls.

Sing aloud to God our strength; shout for joy to the God of Jacob! Raise a song; sound the tambourine, the sweet lyre with the harp. Psalm 81:1-2

I can pinpoint times in my life where a specific song has had a significant influence on my confession, repentance and sanctification in my relationship with God. Drawing me out of holes and putting my eyes on the grace and mercy of Christ, giving me a new hope and a new song.

He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord. Psalm 40:3

Maybe you're in a season where words are failing, ones you're hearing and ones you're saying, and you're tired. I believe a song can speak volumes where words fall flat. These songs are for you. They might not hit you the way they did me, but let me encourage you to keep looking and find ones that move you to move. God did not create us to hear of his glory and then sit still!

These lyrics wreck me, they are meditative and strong. Once I was in a place where I didn't know what to say to God, so I would just sing these songs over and over, thankful for a King who is jealous for our worship and considers our songs an offering. 

My Testimony

"I am a sinner
If it's not one thing it's another
Caught up in words
Tangled in lies, 
But You are a Savior
And You take brokenness aside
And make it beautiful"



"Awaken my soul, come awake
To hunger, to seek, to thirst
Awaken first love, come awake
And do as you did, at first"



"Teach my song to rise to You
When temptation comes my way
And when I cannot stand I'll fall on You
Jesus, You're my hope and stay"



"We are His portion and He is our prize
Drawn to redemption by the grace in his eyes
If grace is an ocean, we're all sinking 
So heaven meets earth like a sloppy wet kiss
And my heart turns violently inside of my chest
I don't have time to maintain these regrets
when I think about the way
He loves us
Oh how He loves us"



"No longer am I held by
The yoke of this world
Come up under the yoke of Jesus
His yoke is easy and His burden is so light"



"My life is Yours
My hope is in You only
And my heart You hold
'Cause You made this sinner holy
Holy holy"

"Nothing can for sin atone:
nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Naught of good that I have done:
nothing but the blood of Jesus"