Charlie Peacock writes, "There are marriages that take your breath away like a masterpiece painting." We are the art of God, and through His supernatural power, He can do miracles in our lives to make Christian marriages look like a masterpiece. 

 

I've been married for 18 years, and my wife Jennifer and I have three children. In honor of my 18th wedding anniversary, here's a list of my favorite "relationship" songs by Christian artists. (You can also view my list on Amazon here.)

 

Sara Groves' songs always tug at my heartstrings. I can perfectly relate to every single word she tenderly and gorgeously sings. I can't hold it together when Sara sings that last stanza of the song "Miracle" from Invisible Empires: "Oh it's a mystery, love is a mystery, oh it's a miracle, it's a miracle, Let's be a miracle." 

 

That's also my prayer for my marriage--for God to be at center of it. Jesus is the Good News and the miracle that can hold us together when we have struggles. It seems more difficult than ever with so many distractions and temptations around us. This song is an offering and submission to God's supernatural ability to keep together what would otherwise fall apart.

Christians in marriages need to stand up and pray, "Let's be a miracle." Amen to that!
 

Stories To Tell by Dave Barnes opens with the super-catchy single "White Flag," which will immediately make you wish for a warm summer day. It's a great anthem to play loudly with your car windows down.

Barnes is the consummate singer-songwriter and this is a perfectly crafted pop song. He always includes at least one phrase that I connect with personally in his songs. 

 

In the opener, the bridge--"forgiveness is the chorus of a rebel song and we belong"--is the response to the pre-chorus, "I'm sorry, forgive me, just let me back inside your arms girl, forgive me, I'm sorry, this ain't the way our love should go." I for one know the "crazy cycle" of marriage is one that hinges on raising the "white flag" and asking for forgiveness. Just like in "God Gave Me You," Barnes perfectly captures the marriage dynamic in a catchy song.
 

"The River" from Overcome by Lara Landon completely captivates me and is a picture of a healing place for all relationships--from married couples to friends and family. It's a great reminder that God is the great Restorer and Healer.

I love singing along with Lara at the top of my lungs, "Take my hand, hold onto me, let's go now, down, down, down...there's a River, Fire Water, there's a River, flowing over, let's go down and let it cover all of this."

4. Chris August - "Restore"

For me, the standout experience of this stellar sophomore album The Upside Of Down by Chris August is hanging on every note of the gorgeous and moving relationship song, "Restore." Chris beautifully phrases how to heal and restore marriages as followers of Jesus: "I propose to you the truth is, marriage does not have to die. God is a God Who knows how to heal, so just give it up to the Lord and He will restore." 

 

"Worth It" by Francesca Battistelli is a gorgeous ballad and love song from Hundred More Years with biblical truth paraphrased from 1 Corinthians 13: "Love takes sacrifice, Love cuts like a knife, Sometimes love will make you cry, Love's not easy, But it's worth it." Similar to "Someday Soon" and "Forever Love," this could be a wedding song for believers making a marriage commitment. The song moves me to tears. 

 

"Loved" by Todd Agnew is a wonderful profession of Todd's journey from singleness to married life, his spiritual growth and learning "How to be Loved." The parallel of marital love and the Love of our Savior is striking in the chorus, "You say you love me...and it's hard to believe, but you're teaching me how to be loved." We often feel ashamed and unworthy of God's perfect Love, but that's the point. We aren't worthy and God still wants all of us and loves us deeply. This entire album is about giving and accepting love.

 

Everyone can really relate to the sincerity and sensitivity of JJ Heller's emotional songs, especially women who struggle with finding their true identity in Christ. I can't get enough of the catchy and sincere "Boat Song" by JJ Heller, which includes the great chorus, "Do you know we belong together, do you know my heart is yours?" What's so relatable is how JJ's "relationship" songs are relevant for everyone, but especially if you know Jesus, then you know the ultimate answer to the quest for love can only be found in Him.

 

I get choked up when I listen to "Could You Ever Look at Me" by Bebo Norman, which is a compelling love song. In the song Bebo admits his weakness--"I don't know how to chase away the fear I have inside me"--before it catches a tidal wave of holy truth: "I hope you never look at me the way you're looking at the ocean / Because in the sunrise I have seen I was never meant to be the light of your world." I lose it when Bebo sings those incredible words. 

 

The key to a biblical marriage is to keep Jesus at the center and know that He is the light of the world. God is the only true source of hope, and rest and security. We can never completely be those things for our spouses. The Lord commands to us to have no other gods before Him. I love Jesus and I love my wife as Christ loves His Church. It is my heart's desire to more selflessly show my wife love and devotion and serve her in a Christ-like manner. As this song says, "I have seen I was never meant to be the light of your world." Jesus is the light of the world and what God has brought together, let no man separate. Amen.

 

I can't get enough of Audrey Assad's singing voice and the incredible and introspective messages of her great songs. "Blessed Are The Ones" is a wonderful opener which Audrey co-wrote with Derek Webb and Sandra McCracken regarding her expectations of marriage. The gorgeous bridge, "Love is all we need," leads to Audrey's sensational vocals literally rising to another level. I hang on every single note. Audrey's first year of marriage framed the entire writing process of this album as her husband learned he had treatable cancer and you can at times physically feel Audrey's soul-imploring emotions in these 12 flawless and compelling songs. Audrey wrote "What It Ought To Be" for her husband before they were married, and God has used their trials to bring them even closer to Him and each other than they could have imagined. 
 

 

"The Gift" by John Schlitt is a beautiful love song written to his wife about the amazing gift the Lord has given him in his wife, Dorla. As high school sweethearts who married in college, Schlitt writes: "I know that God brought us together and by his grace kept us through those years and the foolishness that went with them. It was in her coming to Christ first and Jesus using her in my life that changed everything for me... and for us. It's like the picture of the triangle with Jesus at the top point. He loves us. We love him. Because of that we can love each other... and that's not saying it's easy at all. With our faith in Jesus at the center of our relationship, our knowledge of our true selves helps us to truly grow in our love for one another." The song based on Ecclesiastes 4:9: "Two are better than one..."

 

Closing track "Home" by Natalie LaRue ends the album Even Now as strong as it starts, and it's a wonderful picture of marriage and faith commitment with the phrase, "You are my home, you are my sense of peace, and it's in my arms, and I finally found my release, I found my home." The song perfectly depicts the beauty of a marriage commitment to unity. This entire album is loaded with relatable lyrics, incredible singing and prayerful themes about what it means to be a parent, spouse and child of God.