Life is hard, and even though you have the best family, friends, and advisors to listen and support you, sometimes you need a little something extra for your mind and heart throughout the day to bring healing and peace. Along with God’s Word, this is where music can come in to give your mind a break by flooding it with auditory encouragement.
Our ultimate healer is Jesus, and as he teaches us in John 14:27He is the giver of peace: “I leave you peace; I give you my peace. I do not give you what the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” Do you agree that music can be a vector of peace? Most of the songs I will feature have been anchors for my heart and mind in one way or another. I pray that you will enjoy the following 12 suggestions for Christian songs that will hopefully bring you healing and peace.
1. Caedmon’s Call – Walk with Me
Caedmon’s Call had a huge musical influence in my life during my teenage years. They had a folky, harmonious sound, and I even had the opportunity to meet them once at a book signing before a concert (which seems old, I know). This song, in particular, feels like walking through a storm but with Jesus by your side. My favorite line from this song is: “Tell me the story, where the old becomes new. The promise of the ages and all things true. When the shadows fall and the wrecking ball swings and tears at my heart. Will you lead me to the edge of still waters?”
2. CeCe Winans – Never Have to Be Alone
I remember the first time I heard this song, and then I listened to it 5 times in a row after that first listen. I don’t remember what I experienced that day, but this song made me feel more seen than anything I had heard in a long time. This song reminds us that we are not alone in our pain and that healing and peace are just around the corner. As CeCe sings beautifully, you have to “…open yourself up so it can breathe again and calm the storms.” »
3. Cory Asbury – Crashing
On a trip to the beach, I was really experiencing this, and this song kept repeating in my ears as I watched the ocean waves come and go. I can feel the breeze right now and the Holy Spirit lifting my worries away with the words: “With nothing to gain, nothing to lose. Nothing to show and nothing to prove. The weight of the world falls from my shoulders, as the weight of your love crushes.” As summer begins, I encourage you to put this song in your beach walk playlist.
4. Rhythm of elevation – CALM
This song is a mix of pop, synth and stillness. When the words ring out, “I’ll just shut up and let you speak through the silence,” I can feel the silence. Sometimes we need quiet for our healing and peace to flourish. The cool thing about this song is that it fits well into your car ride, workout, or rest time playlists.
5. Francesca Battistelli – I let go
Some songs take you back to a specific season in your life, and this is the perfect example for my life. I had just moved to a new city, and as I was driving and getting to know the new city, I was playing this song in my car’s CD player, screaming, “I’m giving up on the life I have planned for myself and my dreams. I’m losing control of my destiny. I feel like I’m falling, and that’s what it’s like to believe.” I can feel the youthful dreams and enthusiastic hope as I sit here now. Listening to this song again brings me peace and reminds me to continue to be that hopeful woman who still lets go.
6. Ginny Owens – If You Want Me To
This song was a big part of my young adult years and it’s still a song I turn to regularly, 27 years after its debut. It’s a simple song with Ginny’s pure vocals, minimal instrumentation aside from a drum beat and a few piano keys, and it’s perfect. For many of us who need peace in our current circumstances, this song provides just that: “Maybe this isn’t the path I would have chosen when you were leading me through a world that isn’t home. But you never said it would be easy. You only said I would never go alone.” Some songs feel like a prayer.
7. Hope Darst – Peace be quiet
There are many variations of this song with different beautiful singers, but this one is my favorite from Hope. His voice is so clear and strong. You feel the rush of God’s presence as she sings, “…even when my eyes cannot see, I will trust the voice that speaks.” » His “I’m not going to be afraid” sounds like an internal reminder, singing it to us as we sing. I pray that it blesses you as you listen to this version of a song that is strong and full of peace.
8. Kari Jobe Carnes – I’m Not Alone – Live
Kari has been one of my favorite vocal artists since I first heard her sing in the early 2000s. She has always been a strong singer, and this song is a new take on her vocal strength and vulnerability. As she sings, “I’m not alone, I’m not alone. You’ll go before me, you’ll never leave me,” my soul says “Amen” with her. It’s a constant in my playlists, especially when I’m feeling particularly hurt or alone. Healing can happen in many ways through God’s loving embrace, and sometimes it comes in the form of a sweet song like this one.
9. Passion, Melodie Malone – It’s Over – Live
Songs of passion always hit me where I need to worship most. This song is a breath of freedom and strength that our healing hearts need. As I hear the words “It’s done, it’s over“I think of Jesus saying them at the cross and the sacrifice He made for all of us. His strength rests within us through the grace of the Holy Spirit. I am so grateful that I have been able to express this one out loud in worship for many years now.
10. Steffany Gretzinger – No one ever cared about me like Jesus
If you’re looking for a song that feels like opening a letter from a close friend, this is it. Steffany’s voice and the poignancy of the lyrics that make up this song are a beautiful combination. The song begins: “If my heart could tell a story, if my life could sing a song. If I had a testimony, if I had anything. No one ever cared about me like Jesus.” There’s not much else I could add other than this whole song is like a warm hug from Jesus to the listener, so please go check it out.
11. Vicky Beeching – Undivided Heart
I’ve had this song on my playlist since the early 2010s. I admit I don’t know many other Vicky songs, but this one has been a constant in my rotation. It’s like a prayer asking to focus only on Jesus. The chorus sings, “Give me an undivided heart. I want to love you from every side,” and it really resonates in your soul. Having an undivided heart centers our will on the Lord’s will for our lives, and when you need healing and peace, what more could you ask for?
12. Whitney Houston – I Turn to You
It’s safe to say that we’re probably all familiar with this latest artist that I’m highlighting here today. I’ve loved this song and Whitney’s vulnerability singing it since its release. This album, also titled “I Look To You”, was Whitney’s last before her passing, which seems quite poignant. The words that truly touched my healing heart were always: “The winter storms have come and darkened my sun. After all I’ve been through, who can I turn to? I turn to you.” Jesus is the only one through whom we can find peace and healing. I pray this song can remind you of just that.
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Mandy Smith is the proud author of We’re almost there: a 30-day journey where the uncertainty of tomorrow takes second place to the promise of today and enjoys using the gift of writing to guide readers toward a life that rests on Jesus.