by Raechel Roman
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” –Galatians 5:22-23 ESV
I was talking with someone from our church family, and as soon as I finish telling you this story, some of you will know exactly who I’m talking about. She shared with me about one of her teachers who would teach her students to sing, “The Joy of the Lord is my Strength.” If you don’t know this song, when you see me in church, you can ask me about it and I’ll sing it to you.
I learned this song in Sunday School, too. But the Lord did something extra special with this song for her. She wouldn’t just sing it when she felt joyful and happy. The Lord would bring the song to her heart, and she would sing it to herself whenever she felt sad, hurt, angry, afraid, or experienced intense grief.
When she shared this with me, I recognized this as a lesson the Lord had been teaching me, too, but through different songs and in different seasons of my life. For example, when I was a very shy, timid child living in an unhealthy family dynamic, the song that the Lord consistently reminded me of was, “You are my hiding place. You always fill my days with songs of deliverance. Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You… Let the weak say I am strong in the strength of the Lord. I will trust in You…” This helped teach me about the protection found in Psalm 91, and I learned that I’m safe in Him and find my strength in Jesus.
In middle school and into high school, the song became, “I walk through the garden alone. While the dew is still on the roses… And He walks with me and He talks with me and He tells me I am His own, and the joy we share as we tarry there none other’s ever known!” During that time, friends, relationships, and acceptance were very important to me. I learned that I have a deep relationship with a living God who loves to spend time with me even when others don’t, or when I had to choose rejection over fitting in, if fitting in meant doing something I wasn’t supposed to do.
Later, in my twenties, when I was holding on for dear life to a crumbling marriage, it was, “I love You God, I will stand and worship. I will give You praise. To You my hands I raise. I release my pride, a living sacrifice. You are my delight. To You I give my life…You saved me and I will be forever Yours.” This song taught me to fix my eyes and heart on Jesus no matter how impossibly difficult or disappointed I was feeling.
Singing these songs was not just a comfort or coping mechanism for me and my friend. It was a training ground to learn to fix our thoughts on Jesus and to destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.
What struck me so profoundly about what my beautiful sister in Christ shared with me is that she sang “The Joy of the Lord is my Strength” in every season, and it shows! She shines the light of Jesus so beautifully, and the fruit of the joy of the Lord shines through her in a way that is profound, beautiful, and remarkable. Similarly, the songs the Lord led me to sing in each season produced the fruit of the Spirit in me, too. Each of these songs shaped and fashioned our identity in Christ.
Her story reminded me that the truths we return to in song can become deeply rooted in our hearts. These songs became more than familiar melodies; they helped us remember what is true about God, even when our circumstances and emotions made it difficult to see clearly. And that is especially important in our most vulnerable moments.
When we are experiencing strong emotions, it’s a sign that the tender, vulnerable parts of our hearts are being exposed. The enemy plays dirty and often comes to attack us at these very moments of vulnerability. But the beautiful sacrifice that Jesus made for us on the cross 2,000 years ago means that even the simplest childlike song, sung by the most helpless and hopeless among us, can become a powerful reminder of His truth, love, and presence in the darkest situations. Even babies and children can sing a simple song and stand in His Word, standing in the authority, safety, love, joy, and power of the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. What a miracle! Thank You, Jesus!
There are probably many songs that helped shape your identity. We often sing about how much we love God, and He loves when we sing to Him. But He also wants you to know that He loves you, too. He wants you to know, in those tender places of your heart, just how much He loves you. He hasn’t given up on you. He hasn’t forgotten about you. Your story is not over or winding down; your story has just begun!
And there is one Sunday School classic that brings us back to this foundational truth. Do you remember this oldie but goodie? “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so… Little ones to Him belong; they are weak, but He is strong.”
When we sing the song “Jesus Loves Me,” we remember how we can know for sure that Jesus loves us. We can’t know it by our circumstances or our financial status, and we can’t know it by who likes us or doesn’t like us. The only way that you and I can know for sure that “Jesus loves me” is because “the Bible tells me so.” In that truth, there is great comfort and freedom, joy and love.
So I invite you to sing “Jesus Loves Me” through every strong emotion, positive or negative, until Jesus’ love becomes a sweet fragrance and an incense offering to the Lord in every season. Let’s allow this truth to become such a special and real part of who we are that we truly believe and know the truth that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.
Now let’s spend a few moments to invite the Lord by the Holy Spirit to open up a personal dialogue with Him. You can start by reflecting on the questions below:
Reflection
Has Jesus ever reminded me of a song when I was experiencing grief, anger, betrayal, loss, or neglect?
Are there any songs that fuel past seasons of sin and backsliding that I need to repent of and renounce, so I can receive Jesus’ forgiveness, healing, and love for those seasons?
What song is Jesus inviting me to sing through big emotions now?
What fruit of the Spirit might be produced in me after a season or two of being saturated in this song?
Prayer
Jesus, I want You to heal my heart of past hurts and pains. I’m tired of cycles of sin and setbacks. Jesus, help me to find my anchor in You. I need You to grab hold of me when times are tough, when temptation is crouching at the door, and I need You to deliver me from evil. I believe You can and will do it because the Bible tells me so.
Jesus, I repent of the sins that You are bringing to my mind now, and of sins I still don’t know I’ve done or am doing. I choose to be Your disciple and do things Your way. Help me live a life that’s pleasing to You all the days of my life.
I ask all these things in Jesus’ name. Amen.