Written By: Sarah McGinnis
As a worship leader, it’s probably no surprise to you that music is my main way of connecting with God and dealing with life in general. Music allows me to feel emotions that sometimes my own words cannot express and so I find great comfort in some of the beautiful songs written by Christian artists. Here are 3 of my favorite songs to turn to when life gets a little too rough.
“Even When It Hurts” United
For me, it’s very easy to turn to God in prayer when I need something, when I feel beaten down and need strength. That makes sense. But I have to admit, the words of this song can be rather convicting for me:
“Even when my strength is lost
I’ll praise You
Even when I have no song
I’ll praise You
Even when it’s hard to find the words
Louder then I’ll sing Your praise”
When I’m suffering, when I feel pain, my first instinct is not to praise God—but it should be. I have so much to praise God for; even if certain areas of my life feel broken down, I still have a God that loves me and longs for me to feel and know that love. And the hope of the day soon to come when “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away (Rev. 21:4)” is reason enough to sing God’s praise and pray for His coming.
“Who You Are” JJ Heller
Throughout this song you hear stories about struggling with infertility and the loss of a child; the type of struggles and heartache that can really make us question where God is in all of this and wonder “what are You doing, God?” And the chorus answer that question beautifully,
“I don’t know, I don’t know what your doing, but I know who you are.”
Who is God? God is a merciful God; he will not abandon or destroy you (Deut. 4:31). And because of the incarnation of Christ, we have a God that knows, feels and understands every ache of our heart, every burden of our souls, and every doubt in our mind. God is merciful, filled with compassion for you, and will never leave you or forsake you (Deut. 31:6).
“Open My Hands” Sara Groves
This song is based off what for some people is probably a hard and confusing passage of scripture. In Psalm 84:11 it says:
“For the LORD God is our sun and our shield. He gives us grace and glory. The LORD will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right.”
I’m sure you can immediately think of several stories to discount the last line of that verse. We’ve all seen bad things happen to Godly people. So what does this verse really mean? If we know good people experience pain, suffering, and loss, then the “good things” God has for us cannot be a life absent of pain, suffering and loss—it must be something else. So maybe the “good things” God will never withhold from us are things like peace, joy, and His presence. My favorite line from this song is:
“I believe in a blessing I don’t understand
I’ve seen rain fall on wicked and the just
Rain is no measure of his faithfulness
He withholds no good thing from us”
Through all the trials in life, God will provide peace and comfort when sought. God will fill your heart with the joy of the Spirit when you open yourself up to it. God’s presence will never leave you; if you draw near to God, God will draw near to you.
So when you’re having one of those rough days that Christ said we would all experience (John 16:33), remember who God is, that He is worthy of praise, and that God withholds no good thing from His children.