A Soundtrack of Faith

What does your faith sound like? I asked this question in a faith talk circle years ago and it sparked some of the most vulnerable conversations our group had ever had. 

I felt the room go quiet. I could see the thoughts turning; the remembering, the recognizing.

And when songs were shared, line by line, emotion by emotion, memory by memory, I began to see how truly different faith can feel to us. In different lives, different day-to-days, different needs appeared in the words each of us clung to.

Some reached out into the verses for reassurance that a loving God was still present. Some sang identities over themselves they felt had been stripped away. Some wanted to sing out their joy. 

We listened to each other’s songs and heard each other’s faith.

So I asked the question again. I sent out messages to friends, acquaintances, and loved ones, hoping to hear what the current steps in their stories of faith sounded like.

Molly shared from the song “You Saved Me” by UPPERROOM: 

‘Cause I’m in love
I cannot remember what I was doing before I met You
I’ve been captivated
By the love that saved me. 

Isabel saw her faith described in “The Proof of Your Love” by For King & Country. She shares the line, Let my love look like you, and what you’re made of.

She added the line, We’re praying for your rain to pour, from “Holy Spirit Come” by Patrick Mayberry. Isabel said, “I love how Patrick uses rain to symbolize the new growth that is possible when your heart is set on the Lord.”

Diane recognized renewal in “Amazing Grace,” which she experienced as “A song of comfort and hope, forgiveness and redemption.”

Diane also brought up songs that showed other aspects of her faith. The first was “Cat’s in the Cradle” by Harry Chapin. 

In her words, it “tells the story of a father who is too busy to spend time with his growing son. In the end…the aging dad reaches out to spend quality time with him, but the son has grown up to be just like his dad.”

She finished with Simon and Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” She defined it as a “timeless anthem about unwavering support, loyalty, and unconditional comfort during life’s deepest hardships.” Her personal playlist showed a range of different emotions and experiences that faith can comprise—even simultaneously.

Stephen shared lyrics that painted his understanding of God’s identity:

Awesome Ruler, Gentle Redeemer,
God with us, the Living Truth…
Manger Born, but on a tree, You died to save humanity,
You are the Living Word.

Sunny reflects on hurt caused within Christianity, while retaining hope for a relationship with a God who is perhaps misunderstood. In “Jesus From Texas,” Semler sings: 

Oh what a terrible honor it’s been
to learn that my blessings are things you call sins
I’ll spend the rest of my life tearing down
the Jesus from Texas you put in a crown
But I won’t give up on you. 

Sunny also expressed a deep hope in humanity, with lyrics from the song “People.”

And people are my religion
because I believe in them
and people are my enemies
and people are my friends
I have faith in my fellow man
and I only hope that he has faith in me.

Sarah shared a faithful need to

Shut your brain up long enough to hear the lowly hum.
Underneath what’s detectable with eyes
Every particle’s vibrating with the one life.

This longing to notice the essence of creation is expressed in “One” by Birdtalker.

Kayla shared that different songs guide her through different seasons. This current season carries the melodies of “The Doxology” and “In the Garden” by C. Austin Miles.

Miki pondered and wondered with “Where Were You” by Ghost Ship:  [God] said, ‘Where were you the day that I measured the banks and stretched the line over all the earth and carved out its cornerstone? 

She also shared a hearty commitment from “Hillbilly Hymn” by Nathan Evans Fox:

When the Lord comes back I’m gonna do my best,
to share my okra and cigarettes.
Leave some tall grass for all the critters rest
When the Lord comes back I’m gonna do my best.

April, in the midst of motherhood, turned to a song she’s heard often: “Who You Are” from Disney’s “Moana.” She felt the song both described who she is and explored who God is.

As I sift through these experiences, some ring with gratitude for a faith that feels deeply like love. Some express grief, confusion, curiosity. Some voices brim with tears—and hope.

Many voices, many different words, many different tunes, all of it sounds like faith. I realize collective faith sometimes sounds less like a song and more like a playlist.