Written by: Madison Wilcox
Have you ever been so spiritually exhausted that you couldn’t read your Bible, couldn’t listen to a sermon, couldn’t even whisper a prayer? I’ve chosen the following three songs that speak to me when I have no words left. The first inspires hope by reminding me of where I have been. The second inspires hope by reminding me of Who is with me now. And the third inspires hope by reminding me of where I am going.
1) “Sirens” by the Gray Havens
Sometimes the most powerful weapon against temptation is remembering past grace. I distinctly recall listening to “Sirens” by the folk-duo Gray Havens during a difficult spiritual battle several years ago. Facing near-magnetic temptation, I played “Sirens” in my headphones and fought as if my life depended on it. I nearly shouted the chorus to myself, pleading with my heart to resist for the sake of the relationship I had known with God in the past:
“Hold on
Hold on, my heart
You once were full and sang of grace
Hold on
Hold on, my heart
You’ve tasted joy that’s more than this.”
The memory of past joy in Christ helped me push forward through the allure of present temptation. If you, too, have forgotten the grace of your past amid the noise of your present, listen to this song to find hope.
2) “Joy Pours Out” by Christy Nockels
Maybe this is the fate of a college student, but I often think less about peace and joy and more about just scraping by and trying to feel better while I’m at it. Christy Nockels’ “Joy Pours Out” challenges me to open my eyes to the delight that is available to me in the present moment. The chorus invites, “Won’t You come and lay my weary heart down, down / Where Your peace flows in and Your joy pours out.”
By taking refuge in Jesus, I can have peace — congruence between my desires and His, trust in His power and His love — and from this place, real joy will erupt. Not the artificial joy I create for myself and consume in bite-sized pieces throughout the day. This divine joy pours. It flows from an eternal, limitless Being and pervades all things, good and bad, within my life.
If you struggle to appreciate the Person who walks beside you in the present, listen to this song to find hope.
3) “All Things New” by Andrew Peterson
Andrew Peterson is by far my favorite Christian songwriter. His lyrics are deeply honest, covering both sides of life, the broken and redeemed, with equal grace. His poetry captures glimpses of the glory of God as it interacts with fallen humanity, and his songs revive hope in the truths I claim to believe but often forget.
“All Things New,” in particular, speaks tangible hope, juxtaposing my fallen condition with the powerful love of Christ: “Come frozen with shame / come burning with guilt. / My Jesus He loves you still, / He loves you still.” These lyrics remind me that I can never be an obstacle to Jesus’ love. He is not intimidated by my sin, and His power to transform me remains constant, despite my imperfection and inconsistency.
As if that truth isn’t encouraging enough, the bridge leads the song into a crescendo of hope. In only three lines, Peterson surveys the history of God and humanity: “The world was good, the world is fallen, / the world will be redeemed.” Simple, yes. But somehow, it is all I need to find rest in God again. Covering the past, present and future, these lines reorient my expectations to reality, drawing me upward to a firm hope: the world will be redeemed. Every day draws closer to the fulfillment of this promise of promises.
If you’re struggling to focus on the future that is promised to you, listen to this song to find hope.
