In the professional world, we’re good at planning and creating visions. We dream about how things are going to be and talk about manifesting them through deliberate choice and action.
But I know from experience life doesn’t always go according to plan. Sometimes, we can doubt whether the vision is going to become reality, and we need to know that God is still with us as we take the next step.
When I’ve hit those times, as a former double music major, I’ve always turned to sound for a little peace. Below, I share some of the choral works that have been the most profoundly meaningful for me, getting me through hurdle after hurdle. I hope they’ll give you the same encouragement they’ve given me.
Abide With Me
One of the most beloved hymns of all time, Abide With Me makes a simple request that God continue to be present and tolerant. When I feel like I’ve got nobody else, this is the piece I go to.
My God Shall Supply
Based on Philippians 4:19, this work reassures us that God is a perfect provider. He does not not just supply some of our needs. He can handle all of our needs. Whether you’re in desperate pain or don’t know how you’ll put food on the table, it’s a reminder to continue to trust in the power He has to care for us exactly as we need to be cared for.
Bless the Lord, O My Soul
Part of Rachmaninoff’s Vespers, this piece acknowledges the marvelous creations of God. But within that testimony is a deep reflection and gratitude about the wisdom within everything that has been made. Everything has a purpose, and God knows the exact intent behind everything there is. When nothing seems to make sense, being able to trust in that wisdom matters.
Sing Me to Heaven
I’m a writer. I make my living with words. But sometimes, for all kinds of reasons, words aren’t enough, and the only peace is in sound. The opening lines of this piece reflect that reality:
In my heart’s sequestered chambers lie truths stripped of poets gloss.
Words alone are vain and vacant, and my heart is mute.
In response to aching silence, memory summons half-heard voices, and my soul finds primal eloquence and wraps me in song.
This piece requests song as a final gift of love and compassion. It has always called to my mind Romans 8:26:
Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.
When I die, this is the only requiem I’ll ask for.
Lux Aeterna
A choral arrangement of “Nimrod” from Edward Elgar’s Enigma Variations, this piece is a blessing on the servants of God. It asks that He give them rest forever. In this recording, the effortlessness etherealism of the soprano I line stands out, as does the absolutely impeccable resonance of the ending chord, which is about as close to human beings sounding like a pipe organ as you can get. It is the perfect example of how peace is both intimate and breathtakingly expansive at the same time.
In the Bleak Midwinter
I often listen to this, predictably, during the holidays — it’s one of the most-played carols of Christmas. But whenever I listen, I understand it in a metaphoric way, too. We all have winters in life, cold, dark periods, times when nothing is going right and it all seems horribly bleak. But God is there in those times with the most precious gift He can give us. And what’s heart-wrenchingly poignant is that, as He delivers that gift, we don’t need to give anything back but ourselves. You don’t have to be rich or famous or have a bunch of stuff to put on the altar. This is what the Bible means when it says God will not despise a broken and contrite spirit (Psalm 51:17). And I rank this as my most meaningful piece because it emphasizes that simple love for God is enough. You, just as you are, are enough.