Bow the Knee, by Various Artists

I remember when I first joined choir. It was a homeschool choir for Christians. It was after I went through a difficult time with my best friend. We were no longer speaking and everything in my life was different. I was hurt, angry, and barely holding on. My anger rested mostly with myself. I couldn't get past the fact that I had lost the one person I thought I could count on through anything in my life. I tried to find the answers, but I couldn't see them. Every day was difficult to go through and I excluded God from a lot of my life.

Music was the one thing that I could rely on, but even then, it was not enough. I lost all passion and joy for something that I loved. I wanted to give up on everything. My mom tried to help me and put me in choir. I slowly started to get back the love that I had once felt for music. In the spring of that year, we sang this song. The lyrics were hard for me to swallow at first because I had done the opposite of this song. I fought so hard with what it was saying and what I should do. Eventually, I found comfort and peace in this song, something that had been rare for me to find.

I hope you find peace and comfort in this song too. No matter what you're going through, there is hope for tomorrow and a God who loves us.

Bow the Knee: Various Artists

There are moments on our journey following the Lord
Where God illumines ev’ry step we take.
There are times when circumstances make perfect sense to us,
As we try to understand each move He makes.
When the path grows dim and our questions have no answers, turn to Him.

Bow the knee;
Trust the heart of your Father when the answer goes beyond what you can see.
Bow the knee;
Lift your eyes toward heaven and believe the One who holds eternity.
And when you don’t understand the purpose of His plan,
In the presence of the King, bow the knee.

There are days when clouds surround us, and the rain begins to fall,
The cold and lonely winds won’t cease to blow.
And there seems to be no reason for the suffering we feel;
We are tempted to believe God does not know.
When the storms arise, don’t forget we live by faith and not by sight.

Bow the knee;
Trust the heart of your Father when the answer goes beyond what you can see.
Bow the knee;
Lift your eyes toward heaven and believe the One who holds eternity.
And when you don’t understand the purpose of His plan,
In the presence of the King, bow the knee.

Always, by Building 429

It's hard to see the good when everything around you is crumbling down. The blindness that our temporary problems cause cloud the glory of our Saviour and everything He's given to us. Our hurt and anger can cause us to lose sight of the future that we have ahead of us. Maybe it's that our lives haven't changed in years. We seem to be enduring the same pain as before. There seems to be no escape from the put that we're in. No matter how hard we try, we can't make it past a certain point. We're tired and weary and want to know why we're still here.

Our lives were meant to be different. We have goals for ourselves, plans for a better future than the current place we're in. Yet, no matter what, it's not enough. We have things taken away from us for reasons we can't see. And we're left missing those tings dn wondering why this is happening to us. We're Christians, we have God on our side, but yet He feels so far away. We've tried hard to get ourselves away from the influences that bring us down, but find ourselves deeper than when we started. Nothing we do helps. So where is God in all of this?

This song talks about how no matter the situation you're in, God is always there. It talks about how this person believes that our Saviour never fails. We often forget to believe that there is a better plan for us and that God is always there to help us. He's shaping our paths. We may miss the things we've lost. We may feel angry at a person, but He is still always there for us.

Always: Building 429 (Album: Building 429)

I was standing in the pouring rain one dark November night
Fighting off the bitter cold when she caught my eye
Her face was taut and her eyes were filled and to my surprise
She pulled out a photograph and my heart just stopped inside
She said, "He would have been three today. I miss his smile. I miss his face."
What was I supposed to say?

But I believe always, always
Our savior never fails
Even when all hope is gone
God knows our pain
And His promise remains.
He will be with you always

He was living in a broken world dreaming of a home
His heart was barely keeping pace when I found him all alone
Remembering the way he felt when his daddy said goodbye
Fighting just to keep the tears and the anger locked inside
He's barely holding on to faith
But deliverance is on its way

'Cause I believe always, always
Our savior never fails.
Even when all hope is gone
God knows our pain
And His promise remains
He will be with you always

Friend, I don't know where you are
And I don't know where you've been.
Maybe you're fighting for your life
Just about to throw the towel in,
But if you 're crying out for mercy
If there's no hope left at all
If you've given everything you've got
And you're still about to fall
Well hold on
Hold on
Hold on

'Cause I believe always, always
Our savior never fails
Even when all faith is gone
God knows our pain
And His promise remains
Always. always
He will be with you always
He will be with you always
He will be with you

What Life Would Be Like, by Big Daddy Weave

This song has recently become one of my favorites. I've heard on the radio several times before and never thought much of it before. Now that I've paid more attention to it, I've found a fondness for it and the words that it's saying. The chorus is a reminder to me of what our God has done for us and how much He actually knows and cares. He didn't just do these things to show that He was God. He also did them because He loved people and wanted them to get better from their afflictions. He has given us everything. He holds nothing back from us. We are the ones who have withheld ourselves from Him.

But in spite of everything, He still cares, knows, and wants us to be what we were meant to be.

What Life Would Be Like: Big Daddy Weave (Album:)

I wish I was more of a man
Have you ever felt that wa
And if I had to tell you the truth
I'm afraid I'd have to say
That after all I've done and failed to do
I feel like less than I was meant to be



What if I could fix myself
Maybe then I could get free
I could try to be somebody else
Who's much better off than me
But I need to remember this
That it's when I'm at my weakest
I can clearly see



He made the lame walk and the dumb talk
And He opened blinded eyes to see
That the sun rises on His time
Yet He knows our deepest desperate need
And the world waits while His heart aches
To realize the dream
I wonder what life would be like
if we let Jesus live through you and me



What if you could see yourself thru another pair of eyes
What if you could hear the truth
Instead of old familiar lies
What if you could feel inside
The power of the hand that made the universe You'd realize


That He made the lame walk and the dumb talk
And He opened blinded eyes to see
That the sun rises on His time
Yet He knows our deepest desperate need
And the world waits while His heart aches
To realize the dream
I wonder what life would be like
if we let Jesus live through you and me



Yeah, yeah



All our hearts they burn within us
All our lives we've longed for more
So let us lay our lives before the one who gave His life for us



He made the lame walk and the dumb talk
He opened blinded eyes to see
That the sun rises on His time
Yet He knows our deepest desperate need
And the world waits while His heart aches
To realize the dream
I wonder what life would be like
if we let Jesus live through you and me



Yeah, yeah
Let Him live through you and me
Yeah, yeah

Mirror, by Barlow Girl

I have not felt good about myself this past week. I have felt far from beautiful, not just spiritually, but physically as well. The world defines us by how we look. We're all different in shapes and sizes. We're all different in shapes and how we look. However, we're all also beautiful. We may not feel it at that time, but we are beautiful. God made all things beautiful in His eyes and He finds no fault with us. He loves us no matter what we look like. He cares for us all the same.

He won't leave us not matter what our physical appearance is. we define ourselves by physical beauty and by what the world counts as "beautiful", but we don't have to. God has made each of us in His image. He formed us perfectly and does everything He can to let us know that. The mirror doesn't define us. God does.

Mirror: Barlow Girl (Album: Barlow Girl)

Mirror, Mirror on the wall, Have I got it?
'Cause Mirror you've always told me who I am
I'm finding it's not easy to be perfect
So sorry you won't define me
Sorry you don't own me

Who are you to tell me
That I'm less than what I should be?
Who are you? Who are you?
I don't need to listen
To the list of things I should do
I won't try, I won't try

Mirror I am seeing a new reflection
I'm looking into the eyes
of He who made me
And to Him I have beauty beyond compare
I know He defines me (Yeah)

Who are you tell me
that I'm less than what I should be
Who are you?
Who are you? (Yeah)
I don't need to listen
To the list of things I should do
I won't try, no, I won't try

You don't define me (You don't define me) [x4]

Who are you to tell me
That I'm less than what I should be
Who are you?
Who are you?
Yeah!
I don't need to listen
To the list of things I should do
I won't try, no, I won't try
Yeah

Who are you to tell me
That I'm less than what I should be
Who are you?
Who are you?
Yeah
I don't need to listen
To the list of things I should do
I won't try, no, I won't try

Amazing Grace, My Chains Are Gone, Chris Tomlin

Recently, I've felt as though I've had things that are holding me back. It seems like the more I try to put myself out there and try to be real with people, the more I am afraid to do so. I try my best at work, at being sister, at being a girlfriend, at being a friend, at being a daughter, but it's not enough. My own fears and insecurities are my chains. They're holding me back from trying. I never want to be afraid to be myself. I don't want to hide who I am because the chains shackle me.

The chains, however, don't define me or bind me. They are gone because Christ broke through them with His blood. I know all of this? So why is it that I still continue to let them hold me back? Why do I let them define me? Because I'm human. I can't do everything on my own. I need God's help through this. Chris Tomlin wrote about how our God and Saviour set us free in this song. It's a great reminded to me in my time of need.

Amazing Grace, My Chains Are Gone: Chris Tomlin

Amazing grace
How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me
I once was lost, but now I'm found
Was blind, but now I see
'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear
And grace my fears relieved
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed

(Chorus)
My chains are gone
I've been set free
My God, my Savior has ransomed me
And like a flood His mercy rains
Unending love, Amazing grace

The Lord has promised good to me
His word my hope secures
He will my shield and portion be
As long as life endures

(chorus)

The earth shall soon dissolve like snow
The sun forbear to shine
But God, Who called me here below
Will be forever mine
Will be forever mine
You are forever mine