What Hope Says
When I attended the American Association of Christian counselors world conference in 2023, I took advantage of the opportunity to gather the opinions of dozens of Christian therapists as to what project Music for the Soul should undertake next.
“Anxiety!!! was the response I received from nearly every therapist I spoke to. With that decision in hand, I began the process of researching the topic. The Anxiety Reset by Dr. Gregg Jantz was an extremely helpful jumping off point. I also began discussing the issue with members of our advisory board of Christian therapists.
Through this process, important themes we needed to address in the songs were identified. At that point, I scheduled a retreat with songwriters Scott Krippayne and Tony Wood to undertake the writing of the songs. Our 30 years of co-writing collaboration allowed us to make good use of the time, going deeply into the issues involved. The whole process was undergirded by prayer. The 12 songs that you hear on this project are the result of our time together.
In the past, it has been our policy to lead off our topical records with a song that captures the feeling of being trapped in pain. This is because I’ve learned that people will not trust you with their hope unless you demonstrate that you understand their pain. However, knowing that all of us experience anxiety at one time or another, I felt that offering this moment of gentle relief, reminding the listener of God’s promise to always be with us no matter what, was an important place to begin.
Jesus told us that in this world, we would have trouble. This song is the song that normally would have been first. Having already established that God is for us, it felt like this was the slot to vent about many of the things that are creating anxiety in the world today. Regie Hamm gives us an astonishing variety of anxiety producing issues to choose from. Vocalist Denise Carite sings the chorus affirming that we are not crazy for feeling stressed.
Having now worked on issues of trauma through this ministry for the last 23 years, I felt like this was one of the songs we absolutely needed to make sure was on the project. It is so hard to keep the traumatic experiences of our past from setting the tone in the present. Since we carry our trauma in the same hemisphere of our brain where melody is processed, it is my hope that this song will resonate with people who need to know the pain of the past need not define their future. Emma Rose Williamson’s heart rending vocal sits atop a poignant string arrangement by Phillip Keveren.
It’s one thing to hear a song that gives a list of anxiety producing phenomena, and say, “yeah, that stresses me out too.” It’s another thing altogether to have a song that captures what it feels like when it seems as if your chest might explode. Carlos Santiago delivers that here.
Psalm 46:10 says “Be still and know that I am God.” that’s the invitation Denise Carite is giving us. In the simple act of breathing, we are experiencing God, the giver of life.
When you boil it down to the basics you find we all want the same things. We want good health and safety for ourselves and those we care about. We want to be able to provide for ourselves and our families. We want to make a difference. We want to know that we are loved. There is so much divisiveness in our world today. And yet God made us all. Perhaps it is not surprising then that we should share our primary desires in common. The people we interviewed for this song range from age 15 to age 85. Though they may express their concerns in different words, we realize as we listen that people of all ages are essentially worried about the same things. Compassion and understanding are what’s needed. We are more alike than we realize.
Negative self-talk is so destructive. For good or ill the words we tell ourselves have power. God loves you and wants you to love yourself. Why else would Jesus tell us in the great commandment to “love our neighbor as ourselves?” Becca Mizell’s soul-filled vocal will have you wanting to be nicer to the person in the mirror!
While we’re talking nicely to ourselves we might as well go ahead and take better care of our body, mind, and soul. This song gives us practical solutions to relieving anxiety, delivered with a light hearted touch. Hey, no one wants a heavy handed song about diet and exercise.
After food, water, air, and love one could make a case the most important thing we need to thrive is hope. Without it, we not only have anxiety, we feel despair. When we face things in our life that cause us anxiety and threaten our peace we can decide to choose hope. Romans 15:13 says “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Reco Height passionately reminds us that because of the promises of God we can have confidence in what hope says!
Based on a sixteenth century prayer by St. Teresa of Avila, this song is both an expression of gratitude and a plea for the continued care of Christ in our lives.
Sometimes we have to push through our fears to get to the great things God has for us. The good news is God has given us the gifts we need to live into the plans he has for us. Chris Chavez celebrates the courage that comes with having faith in Jesus.
Sometimes it seems like the worst of human behavior gets all the attention. What if, instead of focusing on the negativity, we saw each new day as an opportunity to bring God’s goodness and hope into the world? What if we were to dream big, trusting that with God all kinds of things are possible?! Ally Jackson encourages us to believe for “a brighter future, walking in the light.”
Friends, we are not alone in this life. Jesus knows the things that cause us anxiety and offers us a peace greater than all our fears. It is our prayer that this collection of songs will help you lean into that peace and joy, trusting that walking with Jesus, you can move forward without anxiety. Because that’s what hope says!