Songs that Speak

God has really been using music to speak to me lately...here are a couple sections of songs that He is usuing in a powerful way.

You Never Let Go
By: Matt Redman

Yes, I can see a light that is coming for the heart that holds on
And there will be an end to these troubles
But until that day comes
Still I will praise You, still I will praise You

And I will fear no evil
For my God is with me
And if my God is with me
Whom then shall I fear?
Whom then shall I fear?
Oh no, You never let go
Through the calm and through the storm
Oh no, You never let go
In every high and every low
Oh no, You never let go
Lord, You never let go of me


I Have to Believe
By: Rita Springer

I have to believe
That He sees my darkness
I have to believe
He knows my pain
I have to lift up
My hands to worship
Worship His name

I have to declare
That He is my refuge
I have to deny
That I am alone
I have to lift up
My eyes to the mountain
It's where my help comes from

He said that He's forever faithful
He said that He's forever true
He said that He can move mountains
If He can move mountains
He can move my mountain
He can move your mountain, too

Chin

This may sound strange, but those of you who are close to me, know that I'm not really a fan of my chin. I often refer to it as my "butt chin", because frankly to me that's what it resembles. However, last night I came across this picture of my mom and dad when they were newly married. The thing that struck me most about the photo was my mother's chin. It looks just like mine, or rather mine looks just like hers. In that instance my mind completely changed. How can I hate this feature that I inherited from the woman who gave birth to me and poured herself into loving and raising me? Why had I never noticed this before?
From now on, when I see myself in the mirrior or a picture and am tempted to comment on the shape of my chin...I will choose to see it as a reminder of the strong, loving, selfless, hospitalble and charming woman that I share it with.

Walking on Sunshine

The sun is shining, not just outside but within me. This may seem like a somewhat trivial fact, but for me it's beyond significant. After almost a year of feeling any combination of the following emotions on a daily basis: blue, angry, sad, doubtful, hopeless, worthless, skeptical, frustrated, empty, down, hurt, anxious, desperate, numb or a myriad of others; this sunshine is at the very least a breath of fresh air. I awoke yesterday actually wanting to get out of bed and excited for the day. Today was the same. It did't even matter what I was going to do during the day, it was just nice to be awake. More often than not the last few months I have enjoyed escaping into slumber more than being awake. Life seemed so overwhelming and it was hard to just be. The person that I felt like, was not the person that I wanted to be or really who I believe down deep that I am. Small tasks became huge "mountains". It was hard to focus on any one thing or organize my thoughts enough to accomplish much. My room was a total disaster. It may not seem that important, but I have found that the state of my room...the space where I reside and am able to just "be", most accurately reflects the state of my heart and mind....a mess. Today I cleaned up that mess the best that I could.
I would be lying if I said there were no moments of relief or happiness in all of this mess, because there certainly have been lots of them; just the overall tone of life has been far less than pleasant. I'm not really able to explain why...perhaps it was seasonal, perhaps situational or chemical or a mixture of all. Either way yesterday and today have been different. Throughout this year others have reminded me that God is faithful. I heard and believed them with my head, but my heart was a bit more stubborn (as it so often is), this weekend God showed me himself that He is indeed faithful. I still don't have all the answers and situations have not changed, but something in me has begun to and for that I am undeniably grateful. I'm not naive enough to think that the feelings of depression are gone forever, maybe they will even return tomorrow, but I have been physically reminded that My God is Faithful even in the storm and perhaps even when I am less than faithful.