I was up until 4.00am last night (this morning) writing music.
It has become a terrible habit but I just cannot seem to shake inspiration at the odd times in which it finds me.
In last night’s songwriting binge, I penned 5 songs on my guitar in the Praise & Worship genre – which has been the significant theme of my week so far.
Since I’ve been curating and arranging songs for upcoming events at my local church, I’ve been listening to a lot of Christian music of late. I’ve always been moved by powerful lyrics about God and faith but at this somewhat uncertain time in my life, there is a much greater resonance.
Chris Tomlin’s new song God of Calvary in particular has touched my heart. The lines,
And if I never, never lose sight of this place
I will never, never lose sight of Your grace
Your cross is all, all I need to see
Oh, praise the God of Calvary!
are a true reminder of the essence of believing. I’m assured that in the darkest times, all I need to do is turn to God – to the Cross – and I will be saved through His grace.
The material desires and temptations of the world often cause me to stray from my spiritual purpose; they burden me with stress, fear, vanity and idleness and it’s hard to lift myself up a lot of the time.
Worship music helps me reconnect with the truth: that I am loved and always will be, by Jesus my Saviour.
When everything and everyone seems to be against me (myself included), He makes a way for a little light to shine through. The songs that came to me in a flurry last night – these were signs of His light, guided by the Spirit.
Regardless of how this music is meant to exist in the world, it has been written with soulful purpose, with Jesus at the centre of my creativity, my work and my life.
The future is good at making me feel vulnerable, but faith is better at making me strong.
I’m thankful for the blessings of last night and hope to share my music with more people one day. For now, here are the lyrics to one of my original songs – from my heart to yours.
With Jesus
With this voice I can sing
With this voice I can ring out the words buried deep within me
With these ears I can hear
With these eyes I can see all the beauty that wraps around me
For He is my God, my saving grace, a light in the dark I can turn to
When I call His name and I see His face, I know there is more that I can do
With Jesus, with Jesus
I am not alone
With Jesus, with Jesus
I’m home
With these hands I can hold
With these hands I can lift up the people who fall beside me
With this heart I can feel
With this heart I can share all the love that I have inside me
For He is my God, my saving grace, a light in the dark I can turn to
When I call His name and I see His face, I know there is more that I can do
With Jesus, with Jesus
I am not alone
With Jesus, with Jesus
I’m home
The storm will come, the storm will pass
The dark of night will never last
Don’t be afraid out in the cold
Just find your way back home
With Jesus, with Jesus
I am not alone
With Jesus, with Jesus
I’m home
© 2017 Eira Joy Aringay