Tag: god

Tunes that Inspire Prayer

Jerry L. Woodbridge

What a privilege to pray to our heavenly father and loving savior. To pray for others is such a gift. To pray and communicate with Him about our lives, our blessings, and our problems is essential to maintain a healthy relationship with Him. Jesus challenges all believers to understand that God’s work and His miracles did not stop when Jesus returned to His Father.

Jesua gave us Believer’s authority in John 14:12 “Very truly I tell you, whoever believed in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these because I am going to the Father.” All He asks us to do is BELIEVE in Him. When we understand the believer’s authority and the instructions given and modeled by Jesus, our prayer life take on new life.

Katy Nicole – In Jesus Name the God of Possible

I love this song In Jesus Name. The video is powerful because it shows how Jesus changes circumstances, our relationships, health, and our problems. We serve a God of POSSIBLE! I am so grateful for the prayer warriors in my life.

Josh Groban & Charlotte Church – The Prayer

What emotions does The Prayer evoke? It is personal invocation that captures the heart of believers longing for that one-on-one conversation with the true and living God. Some say it is about the calling God has placed in our hearts. I like that. There is no doubt that we need His wisdom and discernment to see light in the midst of darkness. He is our light, grace, mercy, and strength. The melody is beautiful and easy to hum to which is good because personally I cannot hit those high notes. I love the duet component because it represents the believer and God having a conversation which is what prayer is for us.

I would love to hear what other songs inspire you to pray.

Tunes that Trades Sorrow for Joy

Jerry L. Woodbridge

Grief has been described as love with no place to go. I concur. When I lost my beloved husband, I missed him terribly for me and my children. He was our stabilizer in the family. Yet, when we believe our loved one is with Jesus, we can release them into His loving care. What better place to be than with Jesus?

I have selected three songs for this section on tunes that trade sorrow for joy: Darryl Evans’ I’m Trading My Sorrows for the Joy of the Lord, Scars in Heaven by Casting Crowns, and Rhett Butler’s Ain’t nothing like a Gospel Song.

We shed tears for the HOLE our lost loved one in our lives, but we can also receive JOY unspeakable that can heal us and make us WHOLE again. In full disclosure, I had heard this song prior to losing my husband but I had already experienced loss in other ways. I loved the upbeat tempo that made me want to dance. I embraced the lyrics of trading my sorrow for the joy of the Lord because it was the Lord’s redemptive plan.

Casting Crowns – Scars in Heaven

We are human. We make choices every day. When we lose a loved one, we often have regrets of things we did not do or did not say. They tell us time will heal all our wounds. Yet, we do not realize our loved one’s wounds are all healed because there is no sickness in heaven. I love this line of the lyric, “But I know you’re in a place where all your wounds have been erased. And knowing yours has been healed are healing mine.” The premise of the song is that the only scars in heaven belong to Jesus.

Rhett Walker – Ain’t Nothing Like a Gospel Song

When we only think about our grief and our own problems, we forget the one who can solve them. The gospel represents the message of Jesus Christ to everyone in the world. Gospel music is sung in the best of times and the worst of times to remind us we serve a loving savior that wants us to free us from the cares of this world. There “Ain’t Nothing like a Gospel Song to uplift our spirits whether stressed, mourning, or challenged with everyday life.

I pray you are feeling encouraged by the tunes that lift us up out of despair and grief and provides peace, joy, and hope.

A Blast from the Past

Jerry L. Woodbridge

Every believer has a faith playlist whether it is a hymn played on a piano or organ in church, sung at a concert, or heard” just at the right moment” on the radio in the car. I am going to share the songs I heard early in life as my faith was developing as young college student, young mother, novice prayer warrior, and grieving widow.

El Shaddai – Amy Grant

Who could ever forget Amy Grant’s sweet melodic voice and the intriguing lyrics of “El Shaddai”? I was attending a Christian college and this song resonated with believers because it showed us one of many facets of God’s character. I wanted to know Him more.

Ancient of Days – Ron Kenoly

I was introduced to the next song as a young mother who had a 4-year-old daughter in a Christian ballet class. I loved the big band sound, and it was easy to start tapping your feet and wanting to move to this glorious song about our heavenly father, known as the “Ancient of Days.” Can you imagine what it must be like to be in the throne room of heaven worshipping our creator and savior? It will not be a somber moment. No tears in heaven! Rejoicing and worshipping and having a good time is what I picture in my mind.

Days of Elijah – Robin Marks

This song, “Days of Elijah” is a powerful truth. Elijah challenged those who worshipped “baal” to a showdown with the Almighty, true, and living God. God won! I believe we are living in a day and time where we need to fight the nation and our personal battle with the Word of God through praise. It blessed my heart to see the USA military singing this song loudly and proudly and posted on YouTube.

I Can Only Imagine – Mercy Me

What a beautiful and profound song to encourage us in the faith. “I Can Only Imagine” is one of those songs that touched the hearts of mainstream radio listeners as well as believers. It transports us to that perfect moment, when we meet Jesus. The song became even more endearing after suddenly losing my husband to colon cancer in 2004 and organizing his funeral play list. I knew David was with the Lord and he would be singing with us.

Now that I shared mine with you. What songs would make it on your Blast from the Past Faith Playlist?