Health And Family

Sing praises to lift your spirit up

WELL-BEING - Mylene Mendoza-Dayrit - The Philippine Star

April 11, 2017 | 12:00am

I practically plunged into turbulent waters, spreading myself thinly over too many projects. Week after week, I have been working without a break. Don’t get me wrong. I love what I do, but when you hardly have any rest, it is very easy to crack especially when you find out people around you have been dishonest.

How do you go from grrrr to grateful? How do you turn tiredness to thirst for more? How do you lift yourself from sadness to joy? How do you calm your nerves and quiet your soul?

I get a lot of help from the Spotify Praise and Worship playlist. I listen to the songs in the morning as I sip my coffee and at night before sleeping. There was a time I would go through the Bukas Palad albums on Spotify as well but this past month, I have been touched by a lot of the praise and worship songs.

Two of the songs that tug at my heart are No Longer Slaves by Jonathan and Melissa Helser and Trust in You by Lauren Daigle.

Here are excerpts from Trust in You:

Letting go of every single dream, I lay each one down at your feet

Every moment of my wandering, never changes what you see

I try to win this war I confess, my hands are weary, I need your rest

Mighty warrior, king of the fight, no matter what I face you’re by my side

When you don’t move the mountains I’m needing you to move

When you don’t part the waters I wish I could walk through

When you don’t give the answers as I cry out to you

I will trust, I will trust, I will trust in you.

Truth is you know what tomorrow brings. There’s not a day ahead you have not seen

So let all things be my life and breath, I want what you want Lord and nothing less

You are my strength and comfort. You are my steady hand

You are my firm foundation. The rock on which I stand

Your ways are always higher, your plans are always good

There’s not a place where I’ll go you’ve not already stood

Daigle wrote Trust in You with Mabury and Michael Farren. “My grandfather had just passed away and he and I were super close. When I lived in Baton Rouge and went to LSU, I lived with him. He was so much fun and one of the most influential men in my life. He was the first person really close to me that I had lost. I was telling Michael Farren about it and he told me about a book he was reading by a man who once worked for Mother Teresa. Upon arriving, she said, ‘Is there anything I can do for you?’ And he said, ‘Yes, you can pray for me. You can pray that I have clarity.’ And she said, ‘No, I am not going to pray that you have clarity because clarity is the last thing that’s holding you back.’ He said, ‘Mother Teresa, what are you talking about? You have had clarity your whole life.’ She said, ‘No, I’ve never had clarity. I’ve only had trust.’ When I heard that, I knew it was not about seeing the big picture. It’s about trusting that the Lord is going to be there for you.”

Last year, Daigle was honored with her second career Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song for Trust In You from her award-winning and gold-selling album, “How Can It Be.”

“You unravel me, with a melody, you surround me with a song

Of deliverance, from my enemies till all my fears are gone

I’m no longer a slave to fear, I am a child of God

From my mother’s womb you have chosen me, love has called my name

I’ve been born again, into your family. Your blood flows through my veins

I am surrounded by the arms of the Father

I am surrounded by songs of deliverance

We’ve been liberated from our bondage

We’re the sons and the daughters. Let us sing our freedom

You split the sea so I could walk right through it

My fears were drowned in perfect love

You rescued me and I will stand and sing I am a child of God (No Longer Slaves)