I was flipping through our church's hymnal thinking of New Year's songs. After all, we just got through a Christmas season that has plenty of songs associated with it. 'What about New Years?' I thought.
There were a grand total of 7 listed. And I only had heard of 3 of them.
That's too bad, because the New Year holiday is a perfect time to celebrate what God's done for us. While not expressly a biblical holiday like Christmas or Easter, the themes of the New Year of new beginnings, starting over, resolutions, and looking towards the future perfectly fit with biblical principles.
So why not scour my iPod and come up with my own list of New Year's-related songs?
And that's what I did.
I will present them in ascending order starting with numbers 6-10 today and present #1-5 next week. Along with corresponding videos, I will also offer a short commentary on why it makes my list.
With no further ado, here we go:
10. "Always" by Kristian Stanfill
Why is it on the list?
This song evokes many of the Psalms where David declares his absolute trust and dependance in God to vindicate and save him. Those aren't exclusively 'New Year's' ideas, but they are important perspectives to have as we look to what may lie ahead. No matter the good or bad 2014 brings, we can be confident in our great God.
9. "Valley of Tomorrow" by Needtobreathe
Why is it on the list?
This band just knows how to write great songs. And this one is a song of re-commitment to God no matter what:
Chorus:
Oh, this is the way I wanna go down
(This is the last time) I'm starting over with you
This is the way I wanna go out
(This is the last time)
I also personally love it because it talks about seeing "the daylight breaks through the buildings of Chicago" and I've seen that very thing during my days recruiting for Grace Seminary. It's just a great, soulful song of re-dedication and listening to the Spirit's guiding whisper - totally relevant to us as we make our New Year's resolutions.
8. "In the Light" - dc Talk (nod to Charlie Peacock)
Why is it on the list?
It's an oldie, but a goodie. And to say that means I must be really old. Much like the previous song, this classic from the Jesus Freak album is a declaration of commitment to God and desire to pursue Him. If you're still reading at this point, you are probably sensing a theme. But along with the fitting lyrics, the music is fun, upbeat, and invites us to sing a long.
Songs #7 and #6 after the jump...
7. "This Day" - Audio Adrenaline
Why is it on the list?
This is undoubtedly the least-known song on the list. Even the intro to the video acknowledges it's obscurity. But it's my favorite song on one of my favorite CCM albums. Even before my feet hit the floor each day of this new year, my desire is to give the day back to God. Beautifully simple and a wonderful prayer to offer up for 2014.
6. "Don't Waste Your Life" - Lecrae
Why is it on the list?
This is the definition of self-explanatory. We aren't guaranteed to make it through 2014, we gotta make our lives count.
The Countdown continues next week...
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