Your Favorite Song Right Now

FavoriteSong“Music is a gift and grace of God, not an invention of men. Thus, it drives out the devil and makes people cheerful. Then one forgets all wrath, impurity, and other devices…the Devil, the originator of sorrowful anxieties and restless troubles, flees before the sound of music almost as much as before the Word of God…I wish to compose sacred hymns so that the Word of God may dwell among the people also by means of songs…I would allow no man to preach or teach God’s people without a proper knowledge of the use and power of sacred song.” ~Martin Luther

“It Is Well With My Soul.” That’s my song. It’s my favorite song right now. I think it’s been my favorite song for over 20 years.

There was a short time in 2005 when “Blessed Be Your Name” was my favorite song. I was (we were) going through a real FavoriteSongtime of transition which ultimately led to our move to Austin Grad and then here to Legacy. But for several months, things were really up in the air. And that song helped stabilize me (us). “When the sun’s shining down on me” and “On a road marked with suffering.” Very Habakkuk-esque. “Yet I will rejoice in the Lord.” Powerful. That song taught me and encouraged me and helped me remain focused on my God, my strength and my very great reward.

But I always come back to “It Is Well With My Soul.”

Peace like a river or sorrows like sea billows: either way, whatever my lot, it is well. I belong to my God. He is my Father. And he loves me and is taking care of me. I trust him.

FavoriteSongThe joy, the bliss, of the reality that all of my sins — not just a few of them, not just the big ones or the little ones, ALL of them! — are nailed to the cross and do not belong to me anymore. How does anyone even vaguely aware of his sin not sing these lines and fall down on his knees in gratitude for the unmerited grace of our Lord? Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

When I sing the third verse with a crowd of disciples I can SEE the clouds rolling back, I can HEAR the trumpets sounding, I can PICTURE our Christ coming to get us and take us home. On that glorious day, that day that is certainly coming, my faith , our faith, will be made sight. Everything we talk about and preach about and sing about and pray about will be right in front of us. Visible. We’ll see it and touch it and smell it and hold it. In the presence of our Father. Sharing the glory with the Son. One huge eternal grin! Yes, my Lord, haste the day!

What’s your favorite song? Right now, what’s your favorite song? FavoriteSong

Our songs teach us, they encourage us, they form and inform us. Our songs reflect our moods and our beliefs. They mirror the things we think are important.

What’s your favorite song? Click on the comments link up there and let us know. I’m curious as to what’s moving us nowadays.

Peace (like a river),

Allan

13 Comments

  1. DavidW

    The 5th & 6th grade at Legacy begins a 3 week series tonight on Worship, with their assigned homework being: “What’s your favorite worship song?” Will be interesting…

    What’s my favorite song? It depends –
    My favorite gospel(story of Christ) song: “In Christ Alone”
    Favorite lyrics: “O Worship the King” (Come on, describing God’s mercies as both ‘tender’ and ‘firm’ – that’s real poetry..)
    Favorite ACU reminder-er: “O Sacred Head”
    Favorite difficult times song: “Blessed be your name”

  2. Joanna Ashlock

    Right now when I plug my Ipod in, I listen to “Arms of Love” by Kutless.

    “…holding me still, holding me near
    in your arms of love.”

    Much like your picture of peace you described, I picture Jesus wrapping His arms around me in a time of busyness and stress and shushing me with His finger. Hugging me tightly reminding me He’s in charge.

  3. Kipi

    Right now it is “How Great the Father’s Love For Us” especially the last lines:

    “Why should I gain from His reward?
    I cannot give an answer.
    But this I know with all my heart
    His wounds have paid my ransom.”

    It makes me cry every time we sing it.

  4. Charlie J

    Allan,

    I have recently fallen in love with the old hymn “Peace, Perfect Peace.” The first line of each verse presents the question, “How can we have perfect peace when we face _______________ (insert specific situation…the reality of our sin, hectic schedules, intense sorrow, loved ones far way, the future unknown). The second line is the response to the question, and each response focuses on Jesus as the author of our peace. The melody is simple yet hauntingly beautiful. I am especially fond of this song now as I sit in my office next the the 5th grade band practicing for their spring concert. I was inspired to add my own verse to Peace Perfect Peace.

    Peace, Perfect Peace, with squeaky clarinets around,
    Remember on Jesus’ lap a child was found.

    Peace,
    Charlie

  5. Paul D

    As I have grown older – and I hope wiser – and realize more and more my helplessness my favorite is now
    “I Need Thee Every Hour”. Jean and I will be in Abilene this Sunday as The Hillcrest Church celebrates it 50th aniversary. I led singing there for 10 years in the dacade of the 70’s and have been asked to lead a song at the close of the Bible Class period. It was suggested the I lead “Our God, He is Alive” – 728b !! That was a favorite for many years but as I have changed my needs have changed.

    “No tender voice like thine can peace afford”
    “Temptations lose their power when thou art nigh”
    “Come quickly and abide or life is vain”
    “O make me thine in deed thou blessed Son”

  6. Caleb Courtney

    “Isaiah 43”
    When you pass through the waters
    I will be with you
    And they waves, they will not, overcome you
    Do not fear, for I have redeemed you
    I have called you by name
    You are Mine

    “Before the Throne of God Above”
    ….because the sinless savior died,
    my sinful soul is counted free,
    for God the Just is satisfied,
    to look on him and pardon me”

    also
    “In Christ Alone”
    “How Great is our God”

  7. Taylor

    I have so many; it’s almost hard to narrow it down… but I will choose the ones that make me choke up even as I try to write about them.

    “In Christ Alone” – “And as He stands in victory, sin’s curse has lost its grip on me, for I am His and He is mine. Bought with the precious blood of Christ.”

    “Before the Throne of God Above” – “My name is graven on His hands. My name is written on His heart. I know that while in heaven He stands, no tongue can bid me thence depart.”

    “How Deep the Father’s Love for Us” – “How deep the Father’s love for us – how vast beyond all measure – that He should give His only Son to make a wretch His treasure.” (This was also our unity candle song in our wedding. What a blessing to be surrounded by His love on such an important day!)

    “It Is Well” – This song speaks to me every time we sing it, and particularly the second verse. When I was in high school, I attended camp at ACU. One summer, we were given a robe (which is a fancy name for a sheet with a hole cut in it for your head), and we were told to write our sins, our perception of ourselves, our struggles, our insecurities – basically our baggage – on this sheet with markers. We drove out to a field outside of Abilene, and we literally carried a cross and nailed our “robe” to it. There was this sense of great triumph in doing so, and we left feeling joyous. The next morning, they drove us back to that field. We found our cross… and our robes had been washed clean. All that baggage was gone – nailed to the cross. We stood around our crosses with the robes billowing in the wind, held hands, and sang “My sin – oh, the bliss of this glorious thought! – my sin, not in part, but the whole… is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more. Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, oh my soul.”

  8. Debbie

    I have three favorites right now. They are all written in my Bible to be used at my funeral. That may sound morbid to some, but I want songs that were special to me. The first is “Jesus, Let us come to know you…” (that may not be the title, but it’s the first line)…then “There’s a Stirring” (I play that one over and over from the CD by the Richland Hills singers…LOVE IT..really makes me think about meeting my Lord someday) and then “I’ll Fly Away” (love the upbeat rhythm).

  9. jason reeves

    Bob Segar – “Turn the Page.”

    Oh. Wrong list….

    “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing.”

    It’s a prayer. An outpouring of the soul to God. It puts into words a desire for fidelity and faithfulness to God.

    “Come, Thou Fount of every blessing. Tune my heart to sing Thy grace. Streams of mercy, never ceasing, call for songs of loudest praise. Teach me ever to adore Thee. May I still Thy goodness prove. While the hope of endless glory, fills my heart with joy and love….”

    Later.

    Jason

  10. Tim Sharpe

    “Be Thou My Vision”
    This song is one of the oldest “non-derived directly from Bible verses” songs that we have. I think it has stood the test of time for a very good reason. It does the best job of illuminating our personal relationship with our Lord. The version performed by “GLAD” is especially moving.

    VR

    TJ

  11. Ken

    “In Christ Alone” has become my favorite in this past year. If I were leading singing, not a pretty picture, we’d sing it every Sunday.

  12. sharpie

    Another vote for “How Deep the Father’s Love” –
    “the Father turns His face away” – makes me cry every time.

  13. Olivia Nelson

    Wow, reading your thoughts, Allan, then reading the replies from everyone else is so encouraging! I feel like I know you all better because you each have opened up a part of your hearts in these songs. Thank you!
    My favorite song for the last several years has been “This World is Not My Home.” I long to be in heaven with our heavenly Father and with my brothers and sisters in Christ who are right now scattered all around the world. Things here are so temporal and I hold on to the hope of being at “home” one day!

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