Music has always played a big role of my life. Music comforted me, and gave me the space to feel.
This is a glimpse into playlists I have compiled of songs that have spoken to me — either in the midst of the downs in my life, or in the midst of cheering me forward. I have shared some of these songs to friends in the moments where my own words are unable to bring the necessary comfort or message forward.
This is how music assists me.
- Jason Gray: “Sparrows”
I was drawn to how upbeat this song was: not only in terms of its lyrics, but its melody as well. When talking about the inspiration behind this song, Jason shared about how he read that half of the world’s population suffers from chronic anxiety. He wrote this song specifically for those of us who are caught in that cycle.
God knows how fragile we can be in our anxiety. In the midst of my fears, the lyrics of this song calmed me down. It rings as a reminder that as He provides for the birds of the air and the flowers across the fields, what more His children?
These were some of the lyrics that truly served as a reminder to me:
“You can’t add a single day by worrying.”
“You can’t change a thing by freaking out, It’s just gonna close you in.”
“If He can hold the world, He can hold this moment.”
- We Are Messengers: “Magnify”
“I’m trying to make sense of the sorrow that I feel.”
The first line of this song caught my attention. During this time, I (and unbeknownst to me, a close friend of mine as well) was struggling with a lot of doubt. I felt trapped in my ‘bubble of worry’ (or my ‘hibernation mode’ as some of my friends have dubbed it). I was at the stage where I felt everything came crashing down in front of me. I felt as though everyone was watching and waiting for me to make the next move. I felt numb. I felt lost. And I didn’t know what to do.
This song comforted me because I was reminded of how I allowed my fears to grow bigger than what they actually are. In the midst of my panic, I have forgotten that my God is bigger than everything I may face.
The lyrics that spoke to me the most:
“My sight is incomplete, I made You look small, I’ve been staring at my problems for way too long
— Realign where my hope is set.”
“God be greater than the worries in my life,
Be stronger than the weakness in my mind.”
- for KING & COUNTRY: “It’s Not Over Yet”
I remembered the exact moment I stumbled across this song. The setting was nearing finals-week of the second year of my degree. The lights in my hostel room were switched off. My back was against the door. I was staring blankly at a spot on the floor as I held my phone in my hands — my earphones plugged in. It was the final puzzle piece of being in that university, rounding-up three years I have dedicated of my life. I was still haunted by the fact that I made a major mistake during a mid-year exam and very nearly failed.
When I came across the title, I remembered scoffing internally, “was this another sad attempt at a motivational song to get me up and moving?.” But this song in particular struck a chord with me and I bit back my words: it did help me get out of my headspace.
“Oh, to everyone who’s hit their limit, It’s not over yet.”
“And even when you think you’re finished, It’s not over yet.”
“Keep on fighting out of the dark,
Into the light.
It’s not over, Hope is rising.”
“Life is a race we run, So run till the race is won.”
- Citizen Way: “I Will”
I remembered the exact emotion I felt upon hearing it: I felt at peace. I was reminded of how music has really helped me when I realised how soothed I felt. I try to make it a point to re-centre my life in accordance to my faith. This was the song that reminded me how I needed to let go and just be held.
The song ends with this assurance: “when there’s a door that you can’t open, when there’s a war that you can’t win — I will.”
The lyrics (basically the entire song) that gave me a hug:
“I will hold you when you’re breaking, like a father and a friend
And I will carry you through darkness
Till we see the sun again.
So rest your head and cry your tears
Know that I am with you here
When you can’t life that weight
Believe Me when I say I will.”
“I know you’re feeling overwhelmed, before the day even begins
But I can see beyond the now —
This is not how your story ends.”
“I will dry your eyes
I will calm your fears
I will show you how you’re beautiful
I will walk with you on the raging sea
And I will never leave!”
- Casting Crowns: “Oh My Soul”
Mark Hall revealed the inspiration behind the song: David in the Bible had said “why so downcast, oh my soul. put your hope in God.” This song was written the very night Mark found out that he had a tumour in his kidney — this could have been a cancer risk if his kidney was not removed as soon as possible. Thankfully, he had his kidney removed and became cancer-free. Mark further explained that this song reflects the battle between his faith versus the storms in his life.
This was a song I immersed myself in, especially when the lyrics laments about how I’m not strong enough on my own:
“I’m not strong enough, I can’t take anymore
(You can lay it down, you can lay it down)
And my shipwrecked faith will never get me to shore
Can He find me here
Can He keep me from going under?”
“Oh my soul, you are not alone,
There’s a place where fear has to face the God you know.
One more day, He will make a way
Let Him show you how, you can lay this down
’Cause you’re not alone”
- Brian & Jenn Johnson: “You’re Gonna Be Ok”
This isn’t so much of a ‘remember God’s always got your back’ kind of song, but more of an assuring ‘hey you! you got this!!’ song. As one of the most quoted Winnie the Pooh lines puts forth: “you’re braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.”
“I know you think, that you are too far gone — But hope is never lost.”
“You’ll get through this, just follow the light in the darkness — You’re gonna be ok.”
“I know your heart is heavy from those nights
Just remember that you’re a fighter
You never know just what tomorrow holds —
And you’re stronger than you know.”
