There are times when a song comes across our path at an intersection in life. The song Hills & Valleys by Tauren Wells came into my life on a Sunday morning when I was feeling particularly discouraged by the valleys that I was facing: adjusting to a new town, a new community, and a new season and place in life. These same valleys have also lead to hills and mountains with the Lord. In all of it, God is in control of the physical valleys and hills, but also the spiritual valleys and hills in my life and in your life. We might sing God's praises when we're on the mountaintop whether it's his provision financially, in a new job, a new relationship, a new friend, or a sign of his particular love and care. And we often struggle to praise Him and see his particular loving hand in the valleys: illness, broken relationships and friendships, loss of a job or a loved one, or even just struggling emotionally. But God is the God of the hills and valleys, and He loves and is caring for us in the valleys as well as on the hills. If whether you're walking through a valley or standing on the mountaintop, I hope that this song by Tauren Wells ministers to your soul, and reminds you of the God of the hills and valleys. Listen here: Hills and Valleys by Tauren Wells. The links to the song above is an affiliate links. By clicking on it and purchasing the song or other products She Laughs Without Fear receives a small commission. When you buy music, you allow me to more music to write about for. Thanks for helping to fund my music listening habit and supporting She Laughs Without Fear at no additional cost to you!
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I was sitting in Starbucks the other day chatting with a friend when a song came on over the store's sound system. It was a song that I had heard a few weeks ago, and the melody was catchy, but I hadn't caught enough of the lyrics previously to look it up. After my friend-date, I went home, found it on Spotify, and shamelessly danced to it in my kitchen on repeat while making stir fry.
The song is Lay It All On Me by Rudimental featuring Ed Sheeran. After probably the tenth time I listened to it, I realized why I liked it so much. I've heard the lyrics before but from someone far different from Ed Sheeran. Before I go on, feel free to play the song below and read over the lyrics.
Ed Sheeran makes a lot of promises in this song. Ultimately he promises that any burdens, concerns, or insecurities the girl (I'm assuming he's singing to a girl) finds herself in, she can lay it all on Ed Sheeran, and he will carry her burdens. But these are promises that Ed Sheeran nor any other human will be able to fulfill perfectly. However, there is someone that made the same promises over 2000 years ago and still keeps those promises to this day. Let's take a look at a few of them:
Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you;
he will never permit the righteous to be moved. Psalm 55:22 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7 The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:5-7 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Matthew 11:28-30 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world. John 16:33
Now these are bold promises, just like Ed Sheeran's. The difference is that Jesus Christ made these promises and he fulfills them perfectly.
We can lay all of our cares, concerns, worries, and burdens on Jesus because he loves us and has already carried us. Every sin (which includes worries and anxieties) was laid on Jesus on the cross (Isaiah 53:6). When he resurrected, he overcame death, our sins, burdens, worries, anxieties, and the world! He's the only one we can lay everything on and trust that he will always be victorious and carry us through the good and the bad. We can't carry everything ourselves. Our burdens are too much for us to bear alone. That's what makes this song so popular. We know that we can't do it, that's why we love songs about a man offering to carry all of a woman's burdens. So when you're going through trials, suffering, or have worries, concerns and cares, who do you lay it all on? Yourself? Your loved ones? Or on Christ? While Christians are called to bear each others burdens (Galatians 6), we can't do it perfectly nor should we expect to, but there is one that can and will always carry our burdens completely and perfectly. And the next time you listen to "Lay It All On Me" or need to cast all of your burdens on someone, I hope you remember him. There are seasons in my life in which the Lord provides a song that speaks truth into where the Lord has me and leads me to worship and praise His name with tears and laughter and singing. "Because He Lives" by Matt Maher is one of those songs. I first heard it while on the long drive from college to home, and it lifted my spirit and fixed my heart on the one that overcomes. And it reminded me that my life's song joins the one that never ends. Here are the lyrics, and the link is below. I hope you take the time to listen to it. Watch the video and listen to the song here. I believe in the Son I believe in the risen One I believe I overcome By the power of His blood Amen, Amen I’m alive, I’m alive Because He lives Amen, Amen Let my song join the one that never ends Because He lives I was dead in the grave I was covered in sin and shame I heard mercy call my name He rolled the stone away Amen, Amen I’m alive, I’m alive Because He lives Amen, Amen Let my song join the one that never ends Because He lives I can face tomorrow Because He lives Every fear is gone I know He holds my life my future in His hands Amen, Amen I’m alive, I’m alive Because He lives Amen, Amen Let my song join the one that never ends Amen, Amen I’m alive, I’m alive Because He lives Amen, Amen Let my song join the one that never ends Because He lives Because He lives Enjoy my friends!
Recently, I've been loving and enjoying Bethel Music's newest album You Make Me Brave. And since this blog's called She Laughs Without Fear, laughing without fear and being brave go in hand. In both, it's more about the Lord than it is about me. Bethel's music leads me to worship the Lord. So I thought I would share another song from the album that I enjoy, and it's the title song, "You Make Me Brave". I stand before You now The greatness of your renown I have heard of the majesty and wonder of you King of Heaven, in humility, I bow As your love, in wave after wave Crashes over me, crashes over me For You are for us You are not against us Champion of Heaven You made a way for all to enter in I have heard you calling my name I have heard the song of love that You sing So I will let You draw me out beyond the shore Into Your grace Your Grace You make me brave You make me brave And the chorus goes on. You make me brave. Sometimes when I'm feeling really fearful and afraid, the hardest thing to remember is that the Lord is the one that makes me brave. The greatness of His renown. His majesty and wonder. His love. Champion of Heaven. He is for us and not against us. He made a way for all to enter in. His grace. So many beautiful reminders of why I never have to be afraid. In the end, I cannot make myself brave. It's God working within me that enables me brave. We have nothing to fear when the God of the universe is for us and not against us. He wants what's best for us. Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one that takes refuge in him. Psalm 34:8 His Word, His Truth, helps me trust Him and it makes me brave. If you would like to listen to the whole album, you can click the Spotify widget below! May we never lose our wonder. May we never lose our wonder. Wide eyed and mystified. May we be just like a child staring at the beauty of our King. - "Wonder" by Bethel Music A friend recommended this song to me, and I fell in love with its heart. May we never lose our wonder.
Worship music moves people into a place where they can worship God, and this song helped me come to a place of worshiping the wonderfulness and beauty and majesty and mystery of the King. You can listen to the song here. I hope that you find that it helps you come to a place of worshipping the wonderfulness of God too. It is an especially lovely worship song on snowy days, which are days that I find to be full of joy and wonder. If I were to pick a genre of music that really reflects me as a person, it would probably be a toss up between folk and soul/Motown. There's just something about some good soul music that brings me joy and delight. Maybe it's because I grew up listening to the oldies (The Temptations, The Shirelles, The Four Seasons, Elvis, you name it). Soul music is my kind of music, and I always love discovering new artists (or new to me) and new songs that just hit a deep place in my heart. Recently, I stumbled upon an artist whose music really speaks to my soul. Liz Vice is the name and soulful worship music is her game. I recently listened to her rendition of the song Empty Me Out. You can find it here. I love the smooth soul of this song, but the lyrics hit a sweet cord too. Empty me out / Fill me with You Lord there is nothing / I can give to you I lay down my life / here at your feet You give me life / so completely I died with you / Was buried with you The moment I believed I rose with you / Ascended with You Into the heavenlies Lord, it's not me / It's You inside of me Jesus, You are all / These eyes can see This is soul music and a prayer courtesy of Liz Vice.
You can check out some more of Liz Vice's music here and even download her debut album. Every now and then I come across a song that really ministers to my soul in a profound way. The Lord speaks to me through a lot of things: his Word, movies, books, and music. He usually presents me with things at just the right moment, and the song Fix My Eyes by Kings Kaleidoscope came at the eleventh hour, just when I needed to be reminded to fix my eyes whole heartedly on the lover of my soul, Jesus. The lyrics and the music really ministered to my soul, and I hope that they minister to your soul too. Take a read and definitely take a listen to the song linked above. When my heart is weary, when my soul is weak
When it seems I can't traverse the trail before me I survey the glory of your agony And I find the will to fight for what's before me Cause you ran the race, enduring for your glory. I fix my eyes on you, the founder and the finisher of our faith I fix my eyes on you, the solace in your suffering is my strength As I fight to follow, you're my righteous guide And you train me to delight in all that's holy Heal my broken body, cure my crooked stride Throw off every weight and sin that clings so closely I will run the race, enduring for your glory You help me breathe, you're the only life I need You died for me, you're the only life I need You help me breathe, you're the only life I need You died for me, you're the only life I need. You steady me Slow and sweet, we sway. Take the lead, and I will follow. Finally ready now To close my eyes and just believe That you won't lead me where you don't go. When my faith gets tired, and my hope seems lost, You spin me around and around and remind me of that song the one you wrote for me and we dance. WE DANCE by Bethel Music I'm in the home stretch. I leave for Poland in about a month. There are so many thoughts and feelings bubbling up inside me at all times. Anticipation, excitement, anxiety, fear, hope, wonder, and so many more. This trip will be my first time out of the country, my first time traveling by myself, and my first time being in a foreign country. Unlike Ron Weasley, I don't have the emotional range of a teaspoon. I'm more of Rapunzel from Tangled right after she leaves the tower. In a short amount of time, I go through a wide variety of emotions. Especially when I start thinking about the fact that I will be leaving for Poland soon. In this sea of conflicting emotions, the only thing that seems to steady me is God. I was feeling a whirlwind of emotions when my friend Faith sent me a link to the song above. You can listen to it here as you continue reading this post. You steady me. Slow and sweet, we sway. Take the lead, and I will follow. Finally ready now to close my eyes and just believe that you won't lead me where you don't go. For the most part, I'm really excited to go to Poland, but there's also this fear and anxiety that keeps creeping up. A few weeks ago, I felt like all of the people around me kept bringing up people that were martyred for their faith, so I started thinking to myself: What if I die in Poland? What if I'm martyred? What if I'm going to die young? Especially with everything going on in Ukraine, these fears seemed plausible and I started to feed them. If it wasn't for a friend, who went on a similar trip last summer, speaking truth into my life and gently encouraging me with, "Madi, you're not going to die in Poland. No one has ever died during this program," I probably would still be convinced that every time someone brought up suffering, that was a sign from God preparing me for martyrdom. The human heart likes to tell lies. But God and His Word are the truth. In a sea of fears about being martyred or about support raising or even sharing the good news of Jesus with people, God is steadying me, slow and sweet, we sway. When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise - In God, I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me? Psalm 56: 3-4 To close my eyes and just believe that you won't lead me where you don't go. When I go to Poland in a month, I'm going to one of the most spiritually dead areas in the world. It might look beautiful, but spiritually, it's very dark. Apart from my team, there are very few believers in the town that I'm going to. The community of believers is small, but we're not alone. I won't be alone. God won't lead me where He won't go. God is going with me, and that gives me so much hope. When my faith gets tired, and my hope seems lost, you spin me around and around and remind me of that song the one you wrote for me, and we dance. Right now, I'm at the end of the semester. I am tired. I'm ready to be done. The only thing getting me through is the fact that summer is so close and that Jesus suffered far worse than my measly papers and films due. But I think this "suffering" and exhaustion is preparing me for Poland. I'm guessing that there will be times this summer when I'm exhausted, believing lies, tempted to despair, and afraid. But God will remind me of that song that He wrote for me then as He reminds me of it now. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God. Hebrews 10:12 When Jesus died on the cross for the sins of the world and was raised from the dead, the battle was won. It was finished. God is victorious. He is the hero of the story. He has won the battle. But the Enemy doesn't get that he lost, and he's still trying to fight the war. So until Jesus returns to show the Enemy once and for all his rightful place, those that believe have an opportunity to share the good news, the gospel. And the good news is that Jesus has won. He is victorious. He defeated sin and death, and he died for the sins of the world so that we could be made right with God. This summer, and for the rest of my life, I get to share that message. I don't have to, but I want to!
Why? Because wouldn't you want to share really great news? So in the moments when my faith gets tired or my hope seems lost this summer, I will have to be reminded of the gospel and the good news! And that will restore my faith and my hope. And we dance When I imagine heaven, I honestly imagine dancing with God. When I sing to worship music, I imagine dancing with Jesus in a field of flowers. Why? Because dancing is AWESOME and it just gives me this overwhelming sense of peace and rest. But I also dance with Jesus in real life, let me explain before you start thinking I'm crazy. When you dance with a person, you are connected with him/her. The two people have to be connected in order for progress to be made in the dance, and for them to move smoothly and in unity. In that case, dancing with Jesus looks like finding ways to connect with Him. That means praying and talking to Him, journaling, reading God's word, and just worshipping Him. These are the ways that I can dance with Jesus now and how I will stay connected to Him in Poland, or else I'll stumble during the dance. This song's lyrics are so helpful as I prepare for Poland physically, financially and spiritually. And it really hit on the main things I need to focus on as I prepare to go. 1. Only God can steady me. 2. God will be with me. 3. There will be hard times. 4. In those hard times, remember the gospel. 5. Just dance with Jesus. I have no idea what God is going to do with the two months that I'm abroad, but I have no doubt that He has a lot of things in store for me. Who knows how God will use a weak, emotional creature like me? But I'm excited to find out! Sometimes I encounter songs that speak to my heart from the moment I first hear them. I experienced a song like that today while getting in my car to go to work. As I started the car this morning, the radio began to play the song "What About Now" by Daughtry, and a specific set of lyrics caught my attention. What about now? What about today? What if you're making me all that I was meant to be? While Daughtry probably wrote this song with a significant other in mind, I listened to this with my own lover in mind, Jesus Christ. You see, before getting into my car this morning, I had a moment where I started to think about all of the things on that perennial to-do list. And I thought: It feels like this is never ending. And I was tempted to despair as well as think through all of the things left to do for my classes this semester and all of the things left to do before I go to Poland. But in that moment, I had to stop and remember the lesson that the Lord taught me last week: slow down, rest, and reset. But also, a small still voice spoke in my mind, "Just one day at a time." One day at a time. Breathe. One day at a time. So I was just thinking about that when I heard the lyrics to this song. One day at a time and then BAM: "What about now? What about today?" And then I realized something. Why is it so hard to live in the present? WHAT ABOUT NOW? Why can't I just enjoy right now? I think a lot of it has to do with culture, but then it also has to do with the essence of me. You see, I'm a crazy dreamer. I think in potentials, in futures, in dreams, and in hopes. I daydream. I set goals. And why? Because my brain is always thinking about how to get to the next thing. But If I get to the next thing, I'll just think of how I can get to the next next thing, and then another next thing, and then another next next thing, and then another next next next thing. It goes on and on. Are you bored yet? My point: if I'm living for getting to the next thing, I will never be satisfied, and I will never enjoy the journey. So... What about now? What about today. What if you're making me all that I am meant to be? God has given me today. He has given me 24 hours because honestly that's all that I can handle. He knows my destination. He knows where I'm going. He is making me ALL that I am MEANT TO BE. I don't have to live for the next thing. I just have to live for the final thing. And the final thing is eternal life with Jesus in heaven. And that frees me! That frees me from feeling like I have to do ______ before I die. Or _____. Or feeling like I have to get so many things done at one. It really frees me. I can take my time. I can take a breathe. I can take a rest! I can just enjoy today. I know where I'm going, and I know not only who I am meant to be but also who I AM. In the words of one of my favorite songs "I Am New" by Jason Gray: Forgiven, Beloved, Hidden in Christ, Made in the Image of the Giver of Life Righteous, and Holy, Reborn, and Remade Accepted and Worthy, this is Our New Name So looking at the Daughtry song, I can just enjoy right now. I can enjoy today. I don't have to wonder if I am being made into all that I am meant to be, because I am. I don't have to worry about the future or getting to the next big thing or even the final thing. Because I will get to it whether I run or I dawdle. And that gives me peace in the moments when it feels like there are so many things to do to get to the next big things. I will get there... eventually. Until then, I'm going to enjoy today. P.S. Right after "What About Now" finished playing, "Let it Go" started playing, and I felt so loved!
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