"God has used songs to reveal truth to me and get me through challenging experiences. I want to create music has cool beats, but that ultimately it's the word of God within the songs making the impact." This is how rising star, Caitie Hurst, a native from Hendersonville, Tennessee, defines both personal testimony and vibrant sounds in her music. We had the opportunity to speak with Caitie about her most recent release, How Could I Be Silent EP, song by song. 

1. "Nothing to Hide"
 
1 Peter 5:7
"Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that at the proper time He may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you."  

I worked in youth ministry at my home church for three years. One Wednesday night at church, one of my girls cried as she told me she felt like God could never love her, because of how she was living in depression. She wanted to know God, but thought she needed to fix herself before coming to Him.

It broke my heart to hear those words come out of her mouth. In that moment, the Lord said to me, "tell her that I'm not looking for her perfection; I'm not looking for her to clean herself up before coming to me. I already know her heart, and I love her. I want her just as she is. Brokenness and all."

I, too, have felt the same as my student did. In an effort to cover up the things I’m ashamed of, I have believed the lie that I have to hide from Him until I can get my act together. Bu,t how opposite is that mentality from the gospel? Jesus took on every single sin we've ever committed, and would ever commit, at the cross. That’s already been finished. He’s covered every single failure with grace upon grace. So now, we have zero need to hide anything when we stand before Him. We don’t have to be ashamed. We can know without a doubt that we are known, seen, and loved more than we could ever imagine by the Creator of the universe. 2. "Signs"

John 1:5
"The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it."

I wrote this song after going on a mission trip to Thailand where my team and I worked with a human trafficking ministry. I remember feeling an overwhelming sense of hopelessness as I walked the streets of the red light district, where thousands of men and women are sold each night. I wrestled with so many thoughts: "God how is there any way You can redeem this place?" "Where are You in all of this?"

But, in the midst of it all, God started to show me glimpses of Him like I’d never seen before--through people and their stories, the missionaries we worked with, through walking around the city in prayer and speaking the name of Jesus over each street and each person we encountered.

I met a young girl who had been sold into human trafficking when she was little, but had been rescued by missionaries who shared the gospel with her. Now, only a teenager, for fun she goes to the mall just to sit in the food court and find people to share the gospel with. I heard multiple stories of how God had brought His children out of human trafficking, rescued them, and completely changed their lives. He was working all around me. I just had to open my eyes to see it.

I realized that it doesn't matter where you are and how dark and sinful a place may be, light will always overcome darkness. I saw signs of the glory of God when I chose to open my eyes and look for them.

3. "Wanderer"

John 3:16-17
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him."

Growing up in youth ministry, I remember my youth pastor always challenging me to pray for my friends who didn’t know Jesus. He would say, “When is the last time you were on your knees, weeping and crying out to God on behalf of those who don't know Jesus and are walking in darkness?" And, to be honest, I never really got what he meant at the time.

A few years ago, I was in England on a missions trip. My favorite way we spent our time was meeting with a group of teenagers who just hung out in a parking lot every day. I got to know their stories and heard about either why they didn't want anything to do with God or why they thought they just didn’t need Him at all. 

I remember coming back to the house one night, and I went straight to my room and just started weeping over the fact that these kids didn't know Jesus. Most of these kids came from homes with parents who cared nothing about them, so how could they have any concept of a loving, Heavenly Father? 

It was that night that I remembered my youth pastor's words. My heart broke for these kids that I loved and had become friends with, and I have never wanted anything so badly than for them to know the same Jesus I knew.

"Wanderer" is a message of hope to those walking in darkness, and I pray that anyone who hears it would be reminded of the truth of the gospel. There's no place or person too far gone into darkness that God cannot save. He extends mercy, love, and grace to all.

4. "Walkin' On The Water"
 
Matthew 14: 28-31
"Lord, if it’s you," Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” "Come," he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But, when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me." Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?"

This song comes from the story of Jesus and Peter walking on the water in Matthew 14. Having faith is something I constantly have to ask Jesus to help me with. I always find myself asking Him "Jesus what's your plan here? I need to see what's up ahead.”  Because I want control of the situations in my life. But, that’s the opposite of having faith. There wouldn't be a need for faith if we always saw what was coming.

When Peter got out of the boat and was walking on the water toward Jesus, as soon as he saw the wind, he was afraid and began to doubt. After saving him, Jesus asks Peter, "Oh you of little faith; why did you doubt?"

I want to learn from Peter and be the kind of disciple who isn't afraid of the wind. To put it in real life terms--I don’t want to freak out when my day goes unexpectedly, when I don’t get that job or the grade I wanted, or when I'm running low on money and don’t think I’m going to be able to pay my bills. But, if we keep our eyes on Jesus, He will carry us through. 

I have to ask Him all the time to grow my faith and to show me what it looks like to have faith. And He does: through His word, through prayer, through the wisdom of other believers in my life that I trust. We don’t need to see exactly what’s coming next. We need only to have faith that the Son of God will carry us through.

5. "How Could I Be Silent"
 
Romans 1:16
"For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek."

Galatians 1:10
"For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ."

This is basically my life story in a song. I started following Jesus when I was eight years old, but I was always ashamed to talk about my faith in front of others. As I continued to grow up, I was more concerned with what others thought of me. Talking about Jesus wasn’t what everybody else was doing. And, I wanted to fit in. 

But, as I grew in my relationship with Him, as I just got to know Him more through His word, I realized that if I actually believed what the Bible said, if I actually believed that Jesus had raised me from death to life, had given me a completely new identity, and set me free from my sin, then how on earth could I just keep that to myself?

I never want the fear of what other people may think of me to stop me from sharing how good Jesus is, how He has changed my life, and how He can change anyone's life. I pray that "How Could I Be Silent" encourages believers in Jesus Christ to share their story of how Jesus saved them, without fear of the opinions of what others might think. 6. "Answers"

Lamentations 3:22-25
"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. "The Lord is my portion," says my soul, "therefore I will hope in him." The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him."

Can you pinpoint a difficult time in your life where you've found yourself doubting God? Maybe you've found yourself wondering, "God are you even still here? Because, right now it doesn’t look like it."

I grew up in church, and I was always taught that "God is good," "He has a plan and a purpose," and "He is faithful." But, when my grandma and two close friends were diagnosed with cancer, all within about a year's time, I began to ask myself if those things I was taught about God were actually true.

I remember one night I asked him, "God, maybe if you just tell me the outcome. Can you tell me the purpose behind what you're doing right now. It would be easier to trust you. Why cancer? Why them? Why now?" And, I remember Him saying, "Caitie, if you knew all the answers, there would be no need for you to trust me. There would be no need for faith. That's the whole point."

I used to think that I wasn't allowed to ask God questions. It isn't what "good Christians" do. But, I realized, when I gave those questions and those doubts to Him and asked Him to give me faith in the middle of them; that’s actually when my faith grew the most.

If you ask Him to teach you more about Himself in the middle of those times of uncertainty, He will. I'm confident that His word is true, no matter what our situations may look like. No matter how hopeless our world can seem sometimes. He is good, He is faithful, and He does have a sovereign plan that is far greater than any of our plans could ever be. 

7. "Lights"

If you've encountered Jesus, you know how it feels to go from walking in darkness to light. After meeting Jesus, your entire world changes. You see, think, and act differently, because you've experienced what the scripture in 2 Corinthians 4 says: "For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." Once we’ve experienced this, it doesn’t just stop there; the Bible gives us the command to actually walk as children of light: "for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light. (Ephesians 5:8)"

We can actually follow Jesus Christ, the light of the world, each day. And, that's how we can stay walking in the light. If Jesus has changed our lives, we can't keep that light to ourselves. I pray "Lights" encourages you to grow in your relationship with Him by reading His word and letting it transform you. I pray it challenges you to keep your eyes set on following and becoming like the light of the world.