One of the most powerful things about music is that it is the soundtrack of our lives. Fellow music fanatic Sharon Hepworth started a music challenge on Twitter for the month of July. Each day, fans around the world will select a song from their life and describe what it means to us. These are my songs. #SoundtrackToYourLife
Day 21
My love for music, in many ways, started in the pews of churches. I attended services as a kid because it’s what my family did on Sundays. Then after college, I realized I actually liked church – and started going on my own volition. Faith in Jesus Christ became something I found tremendous meaning and purpose in. It was no longer just head knowledge. And music played a big role in this personal discovery and journey. I’ve discovered some incredibly moving and beautiful music through church – and Matt Redman’s “Blessed Be Your Name” is one of them.
It’s hard to think of another song that has had as much significance in my life as this one. The melody and lyrics aren’t meant for passive listening. They’re meant for the listener to join in. To absorb the words – and then to sing them back to the Lord. But they are words that are very difficult to swallow. Many people view God as someone who’s there to arrange good things for you when you ask for it. But when bad things arise, they might be dismissive of God – and feel they have no need for him. “Blessed Be Your Name” is about praising his name even when things are at their worst. The song was such a paradigm shift for me. And it has become a guiding force for me, a sober reminder that when things get tough, this God is going nowhere. He’s right there in the thick of the good and the bad.
“When the darkness closes in, Lord, still I will say, blessed be the name of the Lord.”