Praise and Thanksgiving: A List of Worship Songs for You

One night around the dinner table my kids were asking my husband and me, “What are your favorite and least favorite sounds?” Of course, as parents, our least favorite sound is the whining and complaining of a child. However, my favorite sound has been the same as it was when I was in high school. When I got my first chance to drive alone, I’d cruise out of my parents’ driveway and CRANK UP THE MUSIC full blast until it filled the car and I could FEEL the music. The exhilaration of a deeply moving song that engages the heart…there is nothing to compare to it.

In FMC one of our core values is to Practice Praise and Thanksgiving and the way we do that is often through praise and worship. It’s a deeply moving way for me to engage my heart in prayer. It seems that music can do that—speak directly to the heart and allow the heart to engage more deeply.

My heart has been in all sorts of places: tired of doing the good things, slow in showing virtue, exuberant with zeal, excited for apostolic activity, full of consolations and graces, and just plain closed off and unwilling to follow. So fellow travelers, wherever your heart is today, I offer you a few contemporary praise and worship songs to re-engage your heart.

If your heart is anything like mine, it often needs a good reminder of the Gospel. These songs are a great way to “preach to ourselves” the good news of Jesus’ love and freedom for us! I hope you enjoy them at FULL VOLUME while you’re driving in your car (and sing along no matter what your voice sounds like) for “He who sings, prays twice!” (CCC 1156).

Songs for when you’re waiting on a promise from the Lord, but it’s not here yet:

Flowers – Samantha Ebert

Prophesy Your Promise – Bryan & Katie Torwalt

Songs for when your heart is feeling discouraged, desolate, or bleak:

Joy in the Morning – Tauren Wells

Don’t You Give Up on Me – Brandon Lake

Songs when your heart feels the weight of its sin:

Clean Heart – Bryan & Katie Torwalt

Belovedness – Sarah Kroger

Songs when you just can’t get enough of God’s goodness and you see it all around you:

You Keep Getting Better – Maverick City Music

That’s Who I Praise – Brandon Lake

Songs for when your heart needs to be reminded of a battle cry:

Battle Belongs – Phil Wickham

The King is Alive – Jordan Feliz