Life is hard, and even if you have the best family, friends, and counselors 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. In addition to the Word of God, this is where music can come in to help give your mind a break by flooding it with auditory encouragement.
Our ultimate healer is Jesus, and as He teaches us in John 14:27, He is the giver of peace, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” Do you agree that a conduit of His peace can be music? Most of the songs I will suggest have been anchors for my heart and mind in one way or another. I pray that you can enjoy the following 12 suggestions of Christian songs that will hopefully bring you healing and peace.
1. Caedmon’s Call – Walk with Me
Caedmon’s Call was a huge musical influence in my life during my teenage years. They had a folky, harmonious sound, and I even got to meet them at a CD signing before a concert once (which sounds ancient, I know). This song, in particular, feels like taking a walk in a storm but with Jesus by your side. My favorite line from this song is: “Tell me the story, where old is made new. The promise of ages, and all true things. When the shadows fall and the wrecking ball swings and tears me through the heart. Will you lead me beside the still waters?”
2. CeCe Winans – Never Have to Be Alone
I remember when I first heard this song and then listened to it 5 more times in a row after that first listen. I don’t remember what I was going through that day, but this song made me feel more seen than anything I’d heard in a while. This song reminds us that we are not alone in our pain and that healing and peace are right around the corner. As CeCe beautifully sings, you need to “...open up so He can breathe again and put the storms to rest.”
3. Cory Asbury – Crashing In
During one trip to the beach, I was really going through it, and this song was on repeat in my ears while I stared at the ocean waves that ebbed and flowed. I can feel the breeze right now and the Holy Spirit taking my cares away with the lyrics, “With nothing to gain, nothing to lose. Nothing to show and nothing to prove. The weight of the world falls off my shoulders, as the weight of your love comes crashing in.” As summer begins, I encourage you to place this song in your beach walk playlist.
4. Elevation Rhythm – QUIET
This song is a mix of pop, synth, and stillness. When the lyrics come on, “I’ll just be quiet and let you speak through the silence,” I can feel the silence. Sometimes we need stillness for our healing and peace to flourish. The cool thing about this song is that it fits well with your car ride, workout, or rest-time playlists.
5. Francesca Battistelli – I’m Letting Go
Some songs bring you back to a specific season of your life, and this one is the perfect example of that for my life. I had just moved to a new town, and while driving around and getting acquainted with the new city, I would blast this song through the CD player in my car, belting out: “I’m letting go of the life I’ve planned for me and my dreams. I’m losing control of my destiny. It feels like I’m falling, and that’s what it’s like to believe.” I can feel the youthful dreams and the excited hope as I sit here now. Re-listening to this song brings me peace and reminds me to keep being that hopeful woman who is still letting go.
6. Ginny Owens – If You Want Me To
This song was a big piece of my young adult years and is still a song I turn to regularly, 27 years after its debut. It’s a simple song with Ginny’s pure voice, minimal instrumentation besides a drum beat and a few keys on the piano, and it’s perfect. For many of us needing peace in our current circumstances, this song brings just that: “It may not be the way I would have chosen when you lead me through a world that’s not my home. But you never said it would be easy. You only said I’ll never go alone.” Some songs feel like a prayer.
7. Hope Darst – Peace be Still
There are many variations of this song with different beautiful singers, but this one is my favorite from Hope. Her voice is so clear and strong. You feel the rush of God’s presence when she sings, “...even when my eyes can’t see I will trust the voice that speaks.” Her “I’m not gonna be afraid” sounds like an internal reminder, singing it over to ourselves as we sing along. I pray it blesses you as you listen to this version of a strong song full of peace.
8. Kari Jobe Carnes – I Am Not Alone - Live
Kari has been one of my favorite vocal artists since first hearing her sing in the early 2000s. She has always been a strong vocalist, and this song is a fresh take on her vocal strength and vulnerability. As she sings, “I am not alone, I am not alone. You will go before me, you will never leave me,” my soul says “Amen” right along with her. It’s a constant on my playlists, especially when feeling particularly hurt or lonely. Healing can come 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 is Finished – Live
Passion songs always hit me right where I need to worship the most. This song is a breath of freedom and strength that our healing hearts need. As I hear the lyrics “It is done, it is finished,” I think about Jesus saying them at the cross and the sacrifice He made for us all. His strength rests in us now through the Holy Spirit’s grace. I’m so grateful to have been able to belt this one out loud in worship to Him for many years now.
10. Steffany Gretzinger – No One Ever Cared for Me Like Jesus
If you’re looking for a song that feels like opening up a letter from a close friend, this one is it. Steffany’s voice and the poignancy of the lyrics that make up this song are a magnificent combination. The song starts with, “If my heart could tell a story, if my life would sing a song. If I have a testimony, if I have anything at all. No one ever cared for me like Jesus.” There isn’t 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 songs of Vicky’s, but this one has been a constant in my rotation. It’s like a prayer to ask for sole focus on Jesus. The chorus sings, “Give me an undivided heart. I want to love you with every part,” and it really resonates down to your soul. Having an undivided heart centers our will with the Lord’s will for our lives, and when you need healing and peace, what more could you ask for?
12. Whitney Houston – I Look to You
It’s safe to say we probably all know this last artist I am highlighting here today. I have loved this song and Whitney's vulnerability while singing it since it came out. This album, also titled “I Look To You,” was Whitney’s last before her passing, which feels pretty poignant. The lyrics that really hit closest to my healing heart have always been, “Winter storms have come and darkened my sun. After all that I’ve been through, who on earth can I turn to? I look 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 Almost There: A 30 Day Journey Where Tomorrow’s Uncertainty Takes a Back Seat to the Promise of Today and loves using the gift of writing to usher readers towards a life that relies on Jesus.
