Finding God in a Song

Have you ever heard a song that broke your heart wide open?  Maybe you were going through a difficult season or a trial and it felt as if the singer knew the details of your life. How could they have put into words all you were feeling? It was a song that touched my heart during one of my toughest trials that reminded me God will always see me through.

My name is Angie Haube. My husband, Dan, and I have been at Bridgeway for about 15 years now. A few months back, my father became too impacted by Parkinson’s Disease and Lewy Body Dementia to live without constant care. His insurance was not enough to cover it, so he came to live with us for what turned out to be the rest of his life. When I tell you I was overwhelmed physically, emotionally, and mentally with this new season of life, I’m not even telling you half of it! But God, in His infinite grace, gave me a song.

You see, I am a member of Bridgeway’s Choir,  and one week, right in the middle of the mess my life had become, I opened Planning Center (where the musicians of Bridgeway get their music in preparation for serving) and listened to a song that I’d never heard before.  

“I remember how You provided

How You held me through the night

And I remember how You sustained me

When You stepped in to save my life…

Jesus, I was tossed in the water

But I never went under

You were always on time

And Jesus, when I went through the fire

You were right there beside me

And You were always on time…”

That song broke my heart wide open, in the best way possible. Someone had captured my testimony with notes, chords, and words and sang it back to me. The Holy Spirit ministered deeply through that song to remind me in the middle of one of the hardest seasons I’ve had, that I was sustained and held. God had always been right on time! Amen!

That wasn’t the first time music drew me closer to God and, I know it won’t be the last. Music is God’s gift to us, for in His infinite wisdom and intentional design, God has wired our brains to respond to music!  

Scientists have discovered that when we listen to music, nearly every part of our brains lights up simultaneously in MRI images. Music has been shown to have positive emotional, physical, and mental effects such as reducing anxiety, lowering blood pressure, and increasing memory.  Its impact spreads across and connects all the networks of the brain!  

For as much as any kind of music can have these benefits because of how God designed our brains, for me, Christian music has changed my life. 

As a brand new believer 45 years ago, Christian music laid a spiritual foundation for me. I hadn’t grown up in a church or learned much about Jesus when I was saved at a youth rally when I was 14 years old. One of the first things I did was join the youth group of my local church and then when I discovered there was a youth choir, I joined that too.

The songs we sang taught me just as much as my Bible study did about who God is and who I am because of Jesus.  

“Amazing Grace” taught me that I stood in need of grace that God provided through His Son and that grace will lead me home to heaven.

 “In the Garden” showed me the power of private time with God where “He walks with me and talks with me and tells me I’m His own.” 

As I grew in my faith, I learned that music didn’t just teach me about who God is, but it also allowed me to worship Him.  

And hearing “Always on Time” that day literally brought me to my knees in worship, singing and telling God that there’s never been a time He hasn’t seen me through.

I’m sure I’m not the only one to whom God has given a song. I know many of you can testify to hearing just the right song at just the right time in your life. So I’m ending this post with an opportunity for you.

Every year around this time, Bridgeway holds auditions to join the choir, and right now we are accepting applications in the Church Center App.  We need worshipers who can lead others in worship! 

If you’re a person who loves to worship God through music, complete the registration and then come out on Sunday, August 9th, to audition.  All you need is the ability to carry a tune and the desire to worship God through music. The Holy Spirit will do the rest!