10 Worship Songs on Repeat
Music is one of my favorite gifts God has given us. It can tell stories, connect people, and reach the deepest parts of our hearts in profound ways. Worship music isn’t just an act of praise—it’s a way to minister to ourselves, to rally our minds against the enemy and stay rooted in the gospel. Here’s a list of ten worship songs I’ve had on repeat recently! I hope they speak to you as much they have to me.
“Tear Off the Roof” – Brandon Lake
I know, big shocker that Brandon Lake is on this list (seriously, who doesn’t love him?!). This song to me feels like a “Hall of Faith Pt.2” centered around two stories of miraculous healing: the woman with a bleeding disorder and a paralyzed man. I’ve previously written about the woman’s story, which you can read here. The other account can be found in Mark 2:1-12:
A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that He had come home. They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and He preached the word to them. Some men came, bringing to Him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” Immediately Jesus knew in His spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and He said to them, “Why are you thinking these things? Which is easier: to say to this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So He said to the man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat, and go home.” He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”
First of all, go on and get you some “tear off the roof” friends—people who will fight for you, pray for you, and lend you their strength to get you to your Savior. The beautiful parallel I find between these two miracles is how both the man and woman pushed through a crowd to get to Jesus. As people who were looked down on by others (and probably considered to be in a mess of their own sin-making), they were brave and bold in their approach to the Jehovah Rapha. It isn’t recorded but we can assume that the paralyzed man, like the woman with the bleeding disorder, had looked for healing and restoration everywhere. In faith, both chose to believe this lyric, “There’s power in the presence / power in the blood / power in the name of Jesus.” On days where I feel like my faith needs a confidence boost, I listen to this song and remind myself of some important truths:
Hebrews 4:16—Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
Ephesians 3:12—In Him and through faith in Him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.
Ephesians 3:20—He is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine.
“Battle Belongs” – Phil Wickham
Life Church senior pastor, author, and all-around Christ ambassador, Craig Groeschel said, “Prayer is the first line of offense, not the last resort.” I imagine God rolling His eyes when He hears one of us say, “I guess all we can do is pray!” Right—all we can do is PRAY that the mountain-moving, sea-parting, dead-raising, Creator of the universe could somehow find a way to fix our problems. As if our God isn’t capable of literally everything! Put this on and remember that God is fighting for you and (spoiler alert) He’s already won.
“So when I fight, I’ll fight on my knees / With my hands lifted high / Oh God, the battle belongs to You”
“Almighty Fortress, You go before us / Nothing can stand against the power of our God / You shine in the shadow, You win every battle / Nothing can stand against the power of our God”
1 Peter 5:7—Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.
Philippians 4:6—Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
Deuteronomy 20:4—“For the Lord your God is the One who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.”
“There’s No Way” – Red Rocks Worship
“There’s no way, no way / Your promise can fail / It never has, never once / And it never will”
This has been the theme song of every waiting season I’ve felt for over a year. While Aj and I drove to Mayo Clinic to meet with one of the best GI specialists in the world, we listened to this song. When I was curled up on my couch, wondering when my anxiety would finally be under control, I listened. After Aj broke his back and we considered the long road ahead of us, it played. Even now, while we’re waiting for two pink lines instead of one, I sing. We can worship in the waiting, because we know that God will always come through. One of the verses in this song references the walls of Jericho falling. God had told Joshua that they were to march around the city once for six days. On the seventh day, they were instructed to march seven times around the city, shout, and the walls would collapse (Joshua 6). Imagine if, instead of trusting God, they had given up on lap six. If it’s God’s timing and God’s way, it’s always right.
Luke 1:37—“For no word from God will ever fail.”
Romans 12:12—Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
Isaiah 40:31—But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary.
“I know my healing’s coming / It’s just a matter of time / I know my answer’s coming / It’s just a matter of time / I know provision’s coming/ It’s just a matter of time / Jesus our King is coming / It’s just a matter of time”
“Goodness of God” – Bethel Music, Jenn Johnson
“‘Cause all my life You have been faithful / And all my life You have been so, so good / With every breath that I am able / Oh, I will sing of the goodness of God”
One of my all-time favorite worship anthems right here! I don’t think it can be stressed enough just how important it is to remember the faithfulness of God. Scripture calls us to bind those memories around your neck and “write them on the tablet of your heart” (Proverbs 3:3). There has never been a single moment of your life that didn’t have God in it. Friend, He is so, so faithful. The Bible is overflowing with related verses:
Deuteronomy 7:9—Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; He is the faithful God, keeping His covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love Him and keep His commandments.
Psalm 36:5—Your love, Lord, reaches to the heavens, Your faithfulness to the skies.
Psalm 119:90—Your faithfulness continues through all generations; You established the earth, and it endures.
Hebrews 10:23—Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful.
“Egypt” – Cory Asbury
It can be very tempting to read about Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt and think, “Well, that’s it! God’s people are free!” The thing is, there were many times when the Israelites proved that physically leaving a land of oppression wasn’t enough. Although the Israelites were no longer in Egypt, parts of Egypt still resided in their hearts. They often failed to trust the promises of God. Cory Asbury’s song shows us the better exodus that occurs daily for believers:
“I won’t forget, the wonder of how You brought / Deliverance, the exodus of my heart / ‘Cause You found me, You freed me / Held back the waters for my release”
“You stepped into my Egypt / And You took me by the hand / And You marched me out in freedom / Into the promised land / Now I will not forget You, God / I’ll sing of all You’ve done / Death is swallowed up forever / By the fury of Your love”
We still physically reside in a broken world that’s been tainted by sin, but freedom resides in our hearts when we accept Jesus. The sacrifice on the cross is the true exodus for the children of God.
John 3:16-17—For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.
Romans 8:2—Through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.
Exodus 13:21-22—By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people.
Come back for Part 2! But for now, happy listening!