Photo by freestocks on Unsplash
Words added by Me
Welcome to my reflections through COVID in the form of a song list. I love music, and God has spoken to me through so many songs. Through all the ups and downs of this I have learned so much, and worship music has lifted my spirit. Today is only part one of all the many songs that have spoken to me. Part two will be shared next month.
I hope these songs and thoughts encourage you as we continue through this pandemic.
Through this season of quarantine, I have gotten a deeper understanding of the different parts of God’s love. All the pieces of His love mentioned in the bridge of this song I have felt in new way. One evening, it really hit me that God was not hiding himself in this time. I get to feel God’s love to the fullest as He carries me through the ups and downs of quarantine.
This song also brings me so much peace. It tells us of how deep God’s love is for us. Never ending, love that is wild for me. A version of this song that I have been loving is the spontaneous live version that you can listen to here. (You can read more reflections on that song in this article Love Unlike Ours.)
I wrote a whole song story on this called True Hope Can’t Be Destroyed, because my thoughts on this were simply too big. I love this song because of the wonderful reminder that hope has to come back. This cannot last forever. When I was playing this song over and over in March, I was in 2 Chronicles in my journey through the Bible. One thing that really stuck out to me is hope always returns, but maybe not as fast as people would have liked.
Over and over in Chronicles they go to battle, have wicked kings, turn from God, and people still wait in hope.
Patients is key in a time like this. Hope will return, but it might not be on our time table and that is okay, because God’s time table is so much better.
I also submitted the article I wrote on this song in a writing completion, with the writers program I am a part of and it won as the most uplifting! If you need uplifting make sure to check out True Hope Can’t be Destroyed.
The first week of March, right before this all went down, I posted a song story called Trust=Strong Foundation. I am just so amazed at how God timed that! He used that blog post to grow my trust in Him as my foundation. Then He allowed me to publish that for others to read. How amazing is that?
The first week of things being shut down, one really clear picture stuck in my head. It was feet stuck to a rock. The world around me was spinning in circles, getting flipped and flopped, like amusement park ride. Yet, I was not being tossed around. Yes, things were hitting me, I was feeling discouraged and frustrated, but my feet were in the rock and I was not moving.
Over and over I sang this song, confessing over my life that I would not be shaken that I was on the rock. This song was a way of expressing where my feet were. Throughout all of this my feet have not moved from the Rock on which I stand.
Being stuck at home and things being canceled has hurt. It has been hard. It is outside of my control, but it is in God’s control. Praise is a choice. I could be mad at God. I could just be sad and confused. But I have chosen to praise. A few of the verses that have brought me tremendous comfort through this time are:
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in all trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.” — 2 Corinthians 1:3-5 (Bold added)
Even as we suffer, we have the comfort of Jesus, who suffered for us. What peace is that? Even when it hurts, we can still embrace the comfort of Christ.
At the end of March, it really hit me hard that things in April were most likely going to be canceled too. I was sad that a ministry at Church, called Xfactor, was going to be over. I was not going to get to be with the elementary girls in my group. I was not going to get to pray with them and cook with them. But in that moment of total heart break, I had to start trusting that God was not done. That He had a plan for this. In this season He was speaking to my girls. That he was not finished yet. The Bible says:
“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to him in repentance.” — 2 Peter 3:9
God has a plan for this and it is clearly stated here. He is not done yet, because He does not want anyone to perish. So even when it hurts I am going to stand firm and believe that God is not don that He is still working all things together for my good.
One evening, I sat outside in the whipping wind, petting my cat. As I sat there, the words to this song just poured out of me. Over and over I sang this verse:
Lord will You heal our land?
That every eye will see
That every heart will know
The One who took our sin
I don’t remember exactly what I added, but I created my own lyrics about God’s will being done. God has and is going to continue using this for good. What Satan intend for evil God is going to use for good.
As I am writing this in May (this song really spoke to me in March) I am awed. Looking at the lyrics, verses pop out to me that I did not even know were in the Bible before this. The two verses are:
“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear them and I will heal their land.” — 2 Chronicles 7:14
“Now, Lord our God, deliver us from his hand, so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone, Lord, are God.” — 2 Kings 19:19
As christians we are called to humble ourselves and pray for healing and deliverance. Through that healing and deliverance, we also pray that more may come into the flock under the great Shepherd. We pray that whatever comes from this situation, that God’s name would be knows through all the earth.
I hope you find encouragement and hope in these songs.
Feel free to comment with a songs that have encouraged you through this time! I am always looking for new songs
Love this list, Juliet! I will definitely have to check these songs out!
ReplyDeleteI've loved the song "Always" by Owl City. (:
Aww! Thanks! I have never heard that song by them. I will have to check it out!
DeleteLove the songs. I listen to FLR and have many favorites myself. Listened and felt so calm with these too.
ReplyDeleteI am so glad! :)
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