When we listen to music, we think inward. How do we feel about the song? What feelings resonate? How does it inspire? What we usually don’t think about is the pain and sweat it took to make the song. Christian contemporary artist Jordan Feliz’s most recent album, Say It, comes from a place of pain and healing.
But despite the success, Jordan was living through inner turmoil. Say It is the product of the songwriter working through his struggles with God and bringing him to a place of real healing. I spoke with Jordan before his concert with contemporary artist Danny Gokey in Burlington, New Jersey, about one of the album’s most vulnerable tracks, “Wounds.”
Please tell me the personal story behind this song.
“Wounds” is the most vulnerable song I’ve ever written. While going through therapy, I realized that I had to resolve some stuff from my past. I had to process and heal from hurtful words that people said to me and about me. And what I thought about myself. Inside me, there's a desperate people-pleaser guiding my thoughts and actions. That’s destructive behavior—even though some people think it’s a nice characteristic. But it’s actually me trying to manipulate things so I don’t have to deal with my emotions. Inside me, I had wounds that I never addressed in my life.
I’ve been told that if I allowed Jesus into my hurt, He’ll heal me. I have spoken this truth over many people, but I didn’t allow it into my own heart. I had never put it into practice. God was showing me I needed that for myself, which led me to write this song about Him coming into my heart and asking Him to heal me. I had been struggling with panic attacks and anxiety. And my friends and I shared our thoughts and feelings with each other, and we ended up crying together as we wrote this song.
What Bible verses connect to the message of the song?
Psalm 91:1-2(NKJV): "He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust."
Psalm 23:1(VOICE): “The Eternal is my Shepherd, He cares for me always.”
Psalm 55:22(NIV): “Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous be shaken.”
1 Peter 5:7(NKJV): “Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.”
Hebrews 4:15-16(NKJV): “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us, therefore, come boldly to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
2 Corinthians 12:9(NKJV): "And He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore, most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."
2 Corinthians 4:6(NKJV): "For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ."
Psalm 139:14(NIV): "I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well."
Psalm 46:1(NIV): "The Lord is our refuge and strength, a very present help in times of trouble."
Ephesians 2:4-5(NIV): "But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions---it is by grace you have been saved."
1 John 4:18-19(NKJV): "There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. We love because He first loved us."
What is the takeaway message?
When I do deep dives into therapy and prayer, I find dark rooms in my upbringing, as well as hurtful words that people and bullies had spoken over me. And, in these deep dives, I noticed all these dark places started to get exposed. What I noticed from these experiences is that God’s love heals wounds. He’s been lighting up my heart, and now I feel more whole. A weight has been lifted as I’ve released the wounds from my past.
God wants all our trash. He wants us and He loves us—all of us. His love will cure our past failures, as well as the bad feelings we have about ourselves.
Before I started working on new music, I asked the Lord to give me something to say. And I felt like He just said, “Say everything that’s on your heart. Say everything that you’ve been through. Be as vulnerable as possible. Tell the world the thing that you’re terrified to tell them.” I think sometimes the things you’re scared to bring to people are most likely the most impactful.
Lyrics
Walking broken Innocence stolen Shadows hold you down Til' you can’t breathe You look for reasons To pick up all the pieces But still, you tell yourself The hurt’s too deep
Would you believe me if I said You’re not beyond repair Would you believe me if I told you That I’ve been right there
I’ve seen the light come in To my darkest rooms I can tell you, friend That His love heals wounds Look into my heart Let it be the proof I’m only standing here ‘Cause His love heals wounds
Freedom, breakthrough Open arms around you Just like how it feels To come back home Endless redemption Love without dimension Restoring all the hope You thought was gone
I’ve seen the light come in To my darkest rooms I can tell you, friend That His love heals wounds Look into my heart Let it be the proof I’m only standing here ‘Cause His love heals wounds Yeah, His love heals wounds
Would you believe me if I said You’re not beyond repair Would you believe me if I told you That I’ve been right there
Would you believe me if I said You’re not beyond repair, oh Would you believe me if I told you That I’ve been right there
I’ve seen the light come in To my darkest rooms I can tell you, friend That His love heals wounds Look into my heart Let it be the proof I’m only standing here ‘Cause His love heals wounds Yeah, His love heals wounds Yeah, His love heals wounds
Closing Thoughts
Jordan expresses his walk with the Lord with transparency. The songwriter shares how he relies on God during his battles with self-doubt and anxiety. The beauty of God’s kingdom is that we can confess our negative feelings to one another and find comfort in scripture. Whatever you’re going through, remember that God's grace is bigger than your struggle.
“Wounds” connects with me as a believer, a husband, and a father in sharing Jordan's sentiments behind the song. You can hear the songwriter’s vertical expressions of relying on God for His breath and the Holy Spirit to sustain him. I love his intentionality and complete focus on God's provision in his life. The song has become one of my daily devotional prayers of thankfulness to Him for showing me grace and forgiveness despite my failures. We serve a loving and merciful God who accepts us as we are, not whom we pretend to be.
Even when you’re saved, you still might beat yourself up about failure. You might feel unworthy of God's love. That's the point: you aren't worthy. You can't earn grace. It's a gift of unmerited favor from God to His children. Romans 5:8 tells us, "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Despite your sins, God still thinks of you as His child: a son or daughter. Only Jesus can give you your identity. What a powerful expression of what it means to accept that God never leaves or forsakes us. He's all we need.
Have joy and worship loudly about the love of God in your life. His grace takes away anxiety, guilt, and shame. Know that being His is enough. This song celebrates the freedom we're promised in God's Holy Word. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." You’re a new creation on the inside. The Holy Spirit has given you a new life. You're born again.
This song has an important message: there is always hope. Breathe it in like oxygen, and God will turn whatever you're going through into something different for His glory. I hope you feel the same joy and hope in Christ expressed in this song. Remember these truths, “Would you believe me if I said/You’re not beyond repair/Would you believe me if I told you/That I’ve been right there?”
Gratefully accept God’s love. Something that you freely receive from accepting Him as your savior. This song gives words to express gratitude. It’s a reminder to sing to God: “I’ve seen the light come in/To my darkest rooms/I can tell you, friend/That His love heals wounds/Look into my heart/Let it be the proof/I’m only standing here/‘Cause His love heals wounds.” Amen to that.
NRT lead contributor Kevin Davis is a longtime fan of Christian music, and an avid music collector. He credits the message of Christian music for leading him to Christ. He lives in Pennsylvania with his wife and three daughters.
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