I recently added several songs to my 2014 Playlist.
It may not be immediately obvious why a couple of them made the cut.
Faithful by Hawk Nelson: This song made the list because one line stuck out when I heard it on the radio. "No matter how many times I break, you promise always to keep me safe." No one, least of all God, ever promised that life would be trouble-free. In fact, Jesus promises his disciples the exact opposite in John: "In this world you will have trouble." I may fall apart or be broken more times than I care to count, but I will always be held and put back together by expert hands. In the ways that really count, I am made whole. (Check out Col 1:18-20 in the Message)
Touch This Light by House of Heroes: When I've mentioned the open hands theme to people, one of the first images that comes to their minds is hands lifted in praise or surrender. The first image that comes to my mind is of hands cupped, holding something. This song brings to mind an entirely different picture of open hands, hands that are not passive, but rather active. Reaching. Seeking. Embracing. I also love the line that describes Jesus as a rebel king. At every turn, he challenged the social and religious mores and the staid traditions of his time. Yet even in this, Jesus is the example of living with open hands, toward God and others. "For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me...I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."
With the majority of the other songs, you can see by the titles alone why they made the list.
Surrender by Tina Jenkins Crawley: This is the one and only song suggested by someone else (so far), but definitely one of my favorites! The first time I heard it, it was like a good friend sitting down to share her heart with me and speaking the very thoughts and feelings on my heart. I will be coming back to this song in a later post...
Sanctus Real has been a go-to band for me the past year. I included two of their songs, Closer and Pray, on the list.
Closer is a song I have listened to countless times because it reminds me to live in gratitude, in the wide open space of grace--a slave set free. This song also challenges me to direct my thoughts and feelings in such a way that God is "the only tie that binds my heart." This is most definitely an aspect of "open hands" because what holds our hearts is also what we cling to the most tightly. "If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give it up for me, you will save it." (Matt 10:39)
Pray very simply describes those times that I have to acknowledge that I have no control over a particular situation or person and that...I'm gonna "lift my hands and pray."
Release the Panic by Red: No playlist is complete without at least one Red or Skillet song and besides, I had to have a counterpoint to all the softer, mellower, more reflective stuff on the list. Sometimes ya just gotta scream and release the panic--this song lets me do that.
Let It Go by the Neighborhood: I loved the sound of this song the first time I heard it and the title made it a shoe-in. There are things you just have to choose to let go. Regrets. Control of the future. How others feel about you. Failures. Pre-conceived notions that only "Christian" music can point you toward God. =D (I am definitely not advocating that you listen to something crazy and claim you hear God's voice in it, but if a song inspires you or motivates you to positive change, who cares whether it has a Christian label or not.)
I'll use these songs and the others on my list as jumping points, inspiration and prayers throughout the year.
If you have a focus, goal or theme for 2014, I would love to hear about it! Tell me which songs are part of your soundtrack for 2014.
