I've been listening to a lot of pop on the radio lately, which is odd since I usually only listen to Christian radio. I enjoy jamming out to some of my favorite hits, but I also realize why my heart cannot take the "secular" music constantly. This world is falling apart around us, and the writers understand that. But here's the problem. They have no hope.
One of my favorite songs right now is called "Just Breathe" by Jonny Diaz. It helped me through some rough stuff in my life. The song is about stopping, breathing, and giving everything to God. Whenever I get overwhelmed with my problems, I listen to this song on repeat because it gives me hope. My problems are not my own. They belong to God, as I do, and He will handle them for me.
In 2 Chronicles 20, multiple armies are coming against Judah all at once. King Jehoshaphat is terrified and cries out to God to save them. The Lord's response is something I always remember. "He said, 'Listen, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Listen, King Jehoshaphat! This is what the Lord says: Do not be afraid! Don't be discouraged by this mighty army, for the battle is not yours, but God's" (2 Chron. 20:15). If God took care of His people so well back then, why would He not take care of me now? Jonny Diaz's song reminds me of this fact every time I listen to it.
One of my favorite songs right now is called "Just Breathe" by Jonny Diaz. It helped me through some rough stuff in my life. The song is about stopping, breathing, and giving everything to God. Whenever I get overwhelmed with my problems, I listen to this song on repeat because it gives me hope. My problems are not my own. They belong to God, as I do, and He will handle them for me.
In 2 Chronicles 20, multiple armies are coming against Judah all at once. King Jehoshaphat is terrified and cries out to God to save them. The Lord's response is something I always remember. "He said, 'Listen, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Listen, King Jehoshaphat! This is what the Lord says: Do not be afraid! Don't be discouraged by this mighty army, for the battle is not yours, but God's" (2 Chron. 20:15). If God took care of His people so well back then, why would He not take care of me now? Jonny Diaz's song reminds me of this fact every time I listen to it.
I heard a song on the radio the other day that reminded me of this one, but it wasn't Christian. I paid special attention to the lyrics and nearly cried when I realized the difference. The chorus is almost the same, "Breathe, just breathe. Oh breathe, just breathe." Even the melody is close, but the messages are opposites.
There is no "come and rest at my feet" or "I am all you really need." There is no solution, no hope. All the singer can do is breathe and hope without reason that she will make it to another day. The drunk boy is still drunk, the heartbroken girl is still heartbroken, and the singer has nothing to tell them except breathe and wait it out.
The melody can be the same, and the lyrics can be similar. However, without the message of hope, this song is empty. "Life's like an hourglass glued to the table." This is true, but what will we do with that time? We can "cradle [our] head[s] in our hands", or we can do something worthwhile. The only way the world can have hope is through believing in Christ. Hebrews 11:1 states, "Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see" (NIV). What this singer does not understand is that there is hope. Hope comes through faith, and one cannot have a concrete foundation of faith unless it is in Jesus Christ. Only then can we truly breathe and release our fears to someone who can (and will) conquer them. Only then do we have real hope.
The melody can be the same, and the lyrics can be similar. However, without the message of hope, this song is empty. "Life's like an hourglass glued to the table." This is true, but what will we do with that time? We can "cradle [our] head[s] in our hands", or we can do something worthwhile. The only way the world can have hope is through believing in Christ. Hebrews 11:1 states, "Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see" (NIV). What this singer does not understand is that there is hope. Hope comes through faith, and one cannot have a concrete foundation of faith unless it is in Jesus Christ. Only then can we truly breathe and release our fears to someone who can (and will) conquer them. Only then do we have real hope.