Welcome to Selah 2024

There’s a song that can transport me back to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia as soon as it plays.
 
Its gentle melody and meaningful refrain take me back to the overseas trip in 2016 when God was ministering His joy to me amidst physical pain and significant uncomfortability. I was so far from home and I was discovering a home I didn’t know existed. 
 
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I’m driving across the Tappan Zee Bridge in 2017, headed to a church I never wanted to go to. The painful end to my relationship resulted in much more loss than I could have foreseen. It feels like my heart is breaking a thousand times a day and so I slowly compile a playlist of songs. I play them every time I cross that bridge, every time I remember the pain of this obedient step. Every time I want to beg God to explain why it has to be like this. Every time I need to sense Him near.
 
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Fragments of time, little glimpses of pain and joy, flutter through my memory. I’m remembering them all in song, which is why I crave lyrics and melodies that lift my eyes and heart to where my help comes from. I’ve sensed God’s presence realer and truer through music than anything else. 
 
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It’s Mother’s Day 2022 and I’m sick in bed. Sundays were a workday for me then and the fever that wracked my body, requiring me to stay home, was an unexpected mercy. I drift in and out of sleep, remembering at once the grief of my lack on this day and also the faithfulness of God. 
 
These lyrics from Chris Renzema float through my mind all day: And I will build an altar, and stack it stone by stone, ‘cause every Ebenezer says I’ve never been alone. My faith will surely falter, but that won’t change what You’ve done, ‘cause every Ebenezer points to where my help comes from. 
 
Even while sick, even while grieving, I remember and am comforted by God and I’m grateful. 
 
Music roots itself in my heart with a surprising tenacity. Lyrics run through my brain all day long, reminding me of Jesus, ushering in His presence. 
 
I choose my playlists carefully, so that whenever my thoughts quiet down, it’s His Truth that flows through me. This is a glimpse at my favorite playlist, the one I turn to during the hard and best moments of my day.
 
This year, I hope you’re ready to discover some new Truth-filled songs that will encourage and uplift you. I hope you’ll also take time to consider what feeds your heart and mind.

When all the distractions quiet down, what’s left?

If needed, where are the places you need to fill with more Truth?

With you on the journey,
Rachel