The Encouragement Playlist

Music speaks to our hearts and lifts our spirits in a way few other things can. If you’re feeling discouraged today, it’s my prayer that God will use these songs to speak to you and lift your focus heavenward.

for the one who is weary

/ “He Will Carry Me” (Mark Schultz) 

Dear weary heart, don’t be afraid to acknowledge your weakness. God will meet you at the point of your deepest need. Rest in this reminder that when you are weak, He will carry you.

for the one seeking strength and shelter

/ “Strong Tower” (Kutless) 

When you’re in a desolate place, seeking guidance and direction, don’t let circumstances sway your faith, and don’t rely on your own strength. Remember that God is your strength, and put your trust in the One who remains the same.

I love you, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

— Psalm 18:1-2 (ESV)

for when you’ve forgotten who you are

/ “Remind Me Who I Am” (Jason Gray)

When you’re mired in the bog of sin and failure, don’t stay there—run to the One in whom your identity is found, and let His voice in His Word wash over you with the truth. It’s easy to lose sight of who you are in the midst of the battle, but nothing and no one can change who God has created and called you to be.

I may fall flat on my face; I may fail until I feel old and beaten and done in. Yet your goodness and love is changeless. All the music may go out of my life, my private world may shatter to dust. Even so, you hold me in the palm of your steady hand. No turn in the affairs of my fractured life can baffle you. Satan with all his braggadocio cannot distract you. Nothing can separate me from your measureless love—pain can’t, disappointment can’t, anguish can’t. Yesterday, today, tomorrow can’t. The loss of my dearest love can’t. Death can’t, life can’t. Riots, wars, insanity, non-identity, hunger, neurosis, disease—none of these things, nor all of them heaped together can budge the fact that I am dearly loved, completely forgiven and forever free through Jesus Christ, your beloved son. 

— Ruth Calkins

for when you’ve run out of words to pray

/ “Write Your Love on My Heart” (Matt Maher) 

In the midst of trials, when your ears are ringing with the driving pulse of doubt and despair, when hard times have wrung you dry and you can barely think or feel or pray, there’s not much you can do but look up and cry out to God, the only one who can rescue and restore. The strength of His love will see you through.

for when you feel alone

/ “Desert Rose” (White Heart) 

If you’ve ever felt overlooked and misunderstood, then this poignantly powerful song is for you. When you wonder how much longer you can endure under the weight of others’ criticism and condemnation, remember that God sees, He knows, and He cares. He has placed you where you are for a purpose. As you look to Him in the desert, there’s a special kind of beauty that blooms within your heart.

for when condemnation weighs heavy 

/ “East to West” (Casting Crowns) 

The struggle with sin is an ongoing fight that can leave the strongest soul weary and worn through. When you’re entrenched in the midst of the battle, remember to return to the truth that your forgiveness has been secured. God’s mercy and grace will set you free from the weight of condemnation.

There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. 

— Romans 8:1 (NKJV)

for when you wonder what God is doing in you

/ “You’re to Blame” (MercyMe) 

This song is about those times when you realize there’s a change at work inside you that you’re not in control of. When you realize that you’re not in control of the change that is taking place in you and that the good in you comes from God, the only possible response is amazed gratitude.

for the one who’s longing for a friend

/ “Come Near to Me” (Geoff Moore and the Distance)  

In the time of your deepest need, it’s good to know you’re not alone. But it takes faith to overcome the fear of being hurt, and it takes courage to trust another with your heart. If you want to be loved, though, that’s the risk you’ll have to take. You’ll have to push past the pain that relationships can and will bring in order to reach out and let someone else into your life. But it can be so worth it.

The best things, the most nourishing gifts, must be broken and spilled and shared. Including our own lives. Christ showed the way. And we follow. We take and eat. We, too, drink from that terrible cup. It looks like death, but it tastes like life. 

— Christie Purifoy

for the one who feels unworthy of being loved

/ “The God Who Stays” (Matthew West) 

You can’t let your relationships with others dictate your view of God. While others may leave you when you’re down, God is not a man, and He will never break His promise to stay with you no matter what. He is always faithful.

for when this world seems like too much

/ “There Will Be a Day” (Jeremy Camp) 

When the burdens of this world weigh heavy on your soul, set your eyes on the hope of the world to come. This song reminds us that there’s a better day coming.

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I put together a playlist of all these songs plus others that didn’t fit in this post. To listen to the playlist, you can click the picture below.