Day 16 #CuratingtheGood — Sunday Soundtrack, Week 3

One of my favorite things about my Write 31 Days series last year was the Sunday Soundtrack every week. Music is powerful. Scripture says the Lord inhabits the praises of His people (Psalm 22:3). When we confess our faith, we glorify God by speaking the truth about His goodness. Y’all, there is power in speaking truth because Jesus IS Truth (John 14:6).

So, if we speak about God’s goodness
and sing about God’s goodness,
it is GOOD for us!

To focus on God’s goodness, I’ve made a Spotify playlist that you can find here (you will need the free app to be able to play this).

Or, you can watch/listen to the songs on Youtube—I’ve got links in the list below. Each week, on Sunday, I will give you  six more songs to help you celebrate God’s goodness.  I hope they encourage you as much as they encourage me. Sometimes I just need to be still and soak in the Truth. Here’s this week’s list:

• ALL CREATURES OF OUR GOD AND KING Groovy David Crowder Band strikes again. I love this new version of an old hymn. Originally written by Francis of Assisi around 1225 BC, this beautiful hymn was translated into English by William Draper and published in London around 1900.
• ALL HAIL THE POWER OF JESUS NAME This songs reminds me of singing with my mom in St. Philips Episcopal Church, in New Orleans so many years ago. The organ, the pews, the hymnals…traditional church. I loved it then and still do now. Times changed for that denomination, and we gravitated to a more biblically based doctrine, but my heart was so moved by the high view of worship in that church. Good memories.
• REVELATION SONG Whenever I sing the words “Worthy is the Lamb” or “Holy, Holy, Holy,” I am astonished to think of all the people through the ages who have sung the same words. I marvel that we humans sing these words in unison with angels who gather around the throne of God. It is powerful to remember that when we worship, we join with many voices agreeing/confessing that the Lord is good.
• 10,000 REASONS (BLESS THE LORD) I know this is technically a contemporary worship song, but the lyrics read like an old school hymn with inspirational Truth and pieces of Bible verses. It is a comforting reminder of what our response should be when we encounter the character of God.
• THERE IS A REDEEMER This song was written in the 1970’s by Melody Green, but appears in more than 21 traditional hymnals. This song is about the love that God has for us, that He would send His Son to die for us and allow His Spirit to stay with us — that’s plain gospel Truth. And this Sara Groves rendition is peaceful and poignant. I love it!
• IN CHRIST ALONE I think this song turns up on every playlist I make. When I sing it in church, it brings tears to my eyes. This is a modern hymn that follows the traditional structure of re-telling the gospel story through the verses — in just a few stanzas, it preaches a sermon. If you’d like to know about the differences between hymns and praise songs, read here. And here is an article (featuring this song as an example) about the differences between praise songs and hymns. For the record, I love both hymns and contemporary Christian songs…but usually I love hymns more.

Well friends, it’s Day Sixteen of the Write 31 Days challenge and this weekend was hard! My parents came to visit for a few days and blogging just fell off the list. You are probably getting multiple posts per day this weekend while I play catch up! But the Lord has given me grace upon grace — I used to fret about missing posts. Now I know that God helps me get done what really needs to be done…like putting people first.

I am right on the verge of catching up, because I’m not giving up. I am writing about God’s goodness for me as much as for you. I need reminding about what I already know, reminding about what I have learned and lived for so many years. The truth is, this year has left me a little more broken than usual, so I am diving deep into this confession: God is good.

Which song from our list is your favorite?  Do you have one to add? Anyone out there on Spotify?? If not, you can download the app here and follow me (I just use the free version to make playlists that I listen to on my computer). Do you create playlists on iTunes, Amazon, or somewhere else? How do you like it?