Music has a way of embedding itself in my brain and becoming very meaningful to me. I also have a knack for stumbling across new songs that seem fit my particular situation at that particular moment just perfectly. I thought it might be fun to go back through the music I listened to this year and see if I could identify a couple of songs for each month that were particularly meaningful. It’s a different way of giving you a glimpse into what the year has held for me, and a different way for me to reflect on the year’s events. And who knows? Maybe you’ll find a new favorite in here.
January
Gratitude (Brandon Lake): This song was one that I heard for the first time in a concert last December. It was my worship anthem through the new year. It kept my heart focused on praising God through the first couple of months of this year.
February
Citizens (Jon Gurrera): I actually came across this song as part of my Christianity and the Arts class and I just could NOT get enough of it. I probably listened to it a hundred times in the span of a couple of weeks. At a moment where I was really wrestling with the injustice and oppression in the world, this song seemed to put words of prayer to my struggle in a way that was perfect.
March
Eustace Scrubb (Sarah Sparks): Thanks to Jon Gurrera in February, I started on a journey into more Indie artists than I had ever listened to before. Sarah Sparks is one that stuck with me (you’ll see more of her songs below). This particular song was the first I discovered of Sarah’s music, and I just loved the little window into one of the characters of the Narnia books.
April
One Day (Christa Wells): By the time April came around, I was just trying to push through a million commitments, including work, school, and ministry and I was overwhelmed. This song reminded me that I needed to focus on the next step in front of me, taking things one day at a time until I got through to the end of the semester.
May
New Start (Weary Friend): At this point, I was looking at moving out of my parent’s house and I had a friend get married. I stumbled across this song and my jaw dropped with how relatable the lyrics were: “We’re growing up and we’re growing old/and my friends are moving on/going places with people I’ve never met/and I’m packing up and I’m moving out…” In the end, the song reminded me that although I have no idea what is coming next and the future seems big and scary and full of unknowns, I can trust God because he is with me no matter what comes next.
June
Runaway (Jess Ray), In the Night (Andrew Peterson), and Altogether Good (Citizens): These songs brought me so much hope during a month that held a really dark moment. I won’t go into detail on this, but I clung to these songs through much of the summer, but especially in the month of June.
July
Your Burden Is Mine (Sarah Sparks): I told you more of Sarah’s music would be coming! Over the summer I realized how far God had brought me since coming back from South Asia in early 2022 and feeling lost and alone. He had surrounded me with people who loved me and dear, dear friends who could bear my burdens with me. And I had the honor of being able to bear some of their burdens with and for them as well. I am so grateful for this group of friends, and this song sums up what their friendship has meant to me.
August
Faith to Be Strong (Andrew Peterson): This song came to my mind in an intense moment of wrestling with God during my trip to Thailand in August. It became an anthem for me for the rest of my trip, asking God to give me the faith and hope that I needed to keep trusting in him and keep holding on to him for strength.
Great Are You Lord (All Sons and Daughters): We sang this song as part of one of the worship nights in Thailand, and so this song is forever connected with the staff and children at the ministry we served with. The line that says, “You bring light to the darkness/You give hope/You restore every heart that is broken” felt particularly poignant as we had heard testimonies of how God’s grace and love had restored broken lives through the message of the gospel going out in Thailand.
September
Sparrow (Arcadian Wild): In early September I went to an Arcadian Wild concert for the first time, and I absolutely LOVED it. They have quickly become my new favorite band. At the same time, I was reading for the first time the Wingfeather Saga (which I HIGHLY recommend if you have never read it), and without spoiling the books too much for you, this song could be sung by Pete the Sock Man. I loved the way that this song connected with the book I was reading and brought the story of one character to life for me.
October
The Storm (Arcadian Wild): By the time October came around, I was getting really down about my work situation. I felt like the first lines of the song summed up my experience: “Making a living has a way of killing men/their lungs keep breathing but their soul suffocates within…” It made me feel like I wasn’t alone in my struggles with work!
November
The Gardener (Sarah Sparks): I’ve been wrestling with the reality that my life doesn’t look like what I expected it would look like at this point (I wrote a post about this recently). This song has brought me hope in knowing that God is still doing something with my life. He isn’t done with me, even if the dreams and visions and plans I thought he had given me don’t seem to be working out the way I thought they would.
December
I love December because I get to listen to Christmas music! I have enjoyed The Gray Haven’s rendition of O Come, O Come Emmanuel, which is my longtime favorite Christmas song. I also always love Sovereign Grace’s Christmas album, and O Come All Ye Unfaithful has been a particular favorite this year. At Last the King (The Gray Havens) was a new discovery this year that I have also fallen in love with and added to my favorite Christmas songs list.
Well, there you have it, 2023 in music! What songs have been meaningful to you this year?