Thinking about the influence of my favorite artists, NEEDTOBREATHE, Jason Gray, Sanctus Real, Jeremy Camp, and Phil Wickham, I thought of these top five songs that I love to sing, which I’ve featured for NRT’s Behind the Song devotional series. Each of these songs has influenced and provided important messages about our identity in Christ and provides encouragement to live for Him. Here are some of my favorite songs to sing along to at the top of my lungs. Enjoy the videos. What are your favorite sing-along songs?
NEEDTOBREATHE, “I Am Yours”
This song is a daily prayer, asking God to come and change our hearts and lives. Change so that our behavior and lifestyle flow from God, living inside His believers. Only Jesus can give us our identity. Songs like “I Am Yours” allow God to whisper my identity to me. It’s not found in what I do or don’t do but in who I am and, more importantly, to whom I belong.
We can all celebrate the truth behind this song. We are fearfully, wonderfully, and perfectly made, singing to God with all our hearts: “Cause I am yours/And you will always be mine/It seems like madness I’m invited to the table by your side/Cause I am yours/And you will always be mine/I’m a man whose one ambition is to dance with my divine.”
Jeremy Camp, “Getting Started”
"Getting Started" is a personal testimony to the power of redemption. The song has quickly become one of my daily devotional prayers of thankfulness to God for showing me grace and forgiveness despite my failures. We serve a loving and merciful God who accepts us as we are, not who we pretend to be. God's mercy is new daily, not based on our performance or what we can do for Him. He pours out His mercy despite what we've done. There's nothing we can do except trust in His Son, Jesus.
This song is a tremendous celebratory anthem about what it means to have hope in Christ. Sometimes, believing God loves us intimately and wants to fill our hearts is hard. He knows our brokenness inside and out, and because of what Jesus did on the cross, He sees us as righteous. God sees us as He sees His Son. It's not our righteousness, appearance, talent, or gifting; it’s just Jesus. That gives us cause to celebrate and sing out to Him: "To anyone who ever lost your way/To everyone who ever felt ashamed/Here's a song for all the broken-hearted/I believe you're only getting started."
Jason Gray, “Remind Me You’re Here”
"Remind Me You're Here" reminds us that our circumstances don't define our joy. Our position in Christ and His unending faithfulness is worthy of our gratitude and adoration. This song gives me more conviction not to feel worthless or afraid.
Let your worries go. Allow the Lord to be your redeemer. “Remind Me You’re Here” is a gorgeous praise to the only one with the power to save. It’s a very singable song, and I love singing the Book of Job-inspired introspective lyrics: “I won't ask You for reasons, 'Cause a reason can't wipe away tears/No, I don't need all the answers/Just be here beside me, Father, remind me You're here.”
Phil Wickham, “Battle Belongs”
“Battle Belongs” represents our victory over our battles before we even know the earthly outcome. Trust that God goes before us—and wins. Remember that if God is for us, who can be against us?
God's ultimate will will not bring affliction but restore us so we may experience His unfailing love. I love singing this song to Jesus, telling Him plainly that I need no other than Him. “Battle Belongs” gives me a lot of joy, and my heartbeat is to please the Lord. I love songs that allow me to have fun and praise God simultaneously. And this song certainly does that. The song reminds us that our circumstances don't define our joy. Our position in Christ and His unending faithfulness is worthy of all our gratitude and adoration.
A sincere desire to experience God’s presence can be heard in this instant classic. You’ll want to exclaim: “When all I see are the ashes/You see the beauty/Thank You, God/When all I see is a cross/God, You see the еmpty tomb."
Sanctus Real, “My God is Still the Same”
"My God is Still the Same" gives me more conviction not to feel worthless or afraid. We spend a lot of time worrying in many areas of our lives. We need to let that go and let the Lord be our redeemer. Our thoughts are constantly under attack by the enemy, and this song is a great way to submit to Him and commit to ourselves and God. God's Word assures us to trust what God says about us, no matter how we feel about ourselves.
If you've put all your hope and trust in Jesus, nothing can separate you from His love. God sees us as He sees His Son. He makes something out of nothing in each of us. That's the reason to sing this song at the top of our lungs in gratefulness to Him: "Not once did He ever stop moving/Not once has He ever let go/Not once did He ever stop proving/Our God is in control/Not once did He ever stop moving/Not once has He ever let go/Never has, never will/My God is still the same."
NRT lead contributor Kevin Davis is a long-time Christian music fan and an avid 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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