He rejoices over you with singing

The songs that helped me through hard seasons.

These songs have been fundamental in the hardest seasons of my faith walk. They met me in moments where faith felt more like clinging than confidence.

Looking back, I can see how God used music to steady me, to remind me who He is, and to remind me who I am. This playlist holds a few of those songs.

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LISTEN HERE!

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track 1: "salve" / lena jade

I first heard this song on a run in 2025. It was the first time I'd ever heard heard a song with the word Yeshua in it and I was so moved. I cried out Yeshua for weeks without really knowing what it meant.

Yeshua is the Hebrew word for Jesus. I was crying out "Jesus" without realizing it. The name Yeshua literally translates to "He saves".

Looking back, the significance of that hist me. I was asking for saving—for deliverance—before I even knew I needed it.

The artist saves Yeshua for the end of this song and it was such a breath of fresh air to me and a reminder of who He is to me.

"Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear."

Isaiah 65:24

track 2: "Be Still" / Olivia Georgia

I absolutely overplayed this song in 2023. I associate it with my first national title in track because it was my most-played song at the time.

The line "I made you to paint color in the sky" resonated. I didn't fully understand what it meant, but it opened my heart to the idea that God made me for a specific purpose. It helped me to believe I could win.

In 2020, I was a favorite to win nationals in Albuquerque. New Mexico. Then COVID hit, and the meet was canceled. I was devastated.

Three years later, in 2023, nationals returned to Albuquerque. I don't know what would've happened in 2020, and I can't assume I would have won. But having the opportunity come back to me, and then winning, felt like a God-did-it story. It was the kind of story I'd always dreamed of having.

And then He did something like that again.

At Olympic Trials in 2021, I fell. I was crushed. There was only one girl in that race who checked on me afterward—and she did it twice. Once at the track, and again later at the airport.

At Olympic Trials in 2024, I made the Olympic team—with that same girl.

I knew in my heart it was another God-did-it moment. [I'm realizing in writing this that both of these took years to see a turn around, and things got more dire before they got better.]

Because of this, I put my hope in Him—to heal and redeem every loss and every wound. Sometimes that redemption looks like a second chance or a victory. Sometimes it looks like peace. Sometimes it looks like joy. And sometimes it won't look like anything but a mess until the day I stand before Him. I

So when I hear "I made you to paint color in the sky." what I hear now is: I made you for My glory.

If you follow my track career, you might notice I've have quite a few series of unfortunate events. I see them as opportunities for God to be God. For Yeshua to deliver me in a way that only He can.

"He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us."

2 Corinthians 1:10

track 3: "In Your Midst" / Allie Paige

The bridge of this song captured exactly what my heart wanted at the time: "to know you and be known."

I think I first heard it around 2022. It was my introduction to worship music outside of corporate church worship. I remember thinking—wait...there's a whole world of worship music beyond Sunday mornings?

From then on, I felt this tug on my heart to write into this space. But I didn't feel worthy.

He's been incredibly patient—sowing into our relationship, strengthening me (or weakening me, honestly) enough to share this part of my story and shift the focus. it's not about whether I'm worthy. It's about the fact He is.

"But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light."

1 Peter 2:9

I'm so grateful for lena jade, Olivia Georgia and Allie Paige! Their music has blessed me more than I could ever say.

track 4: "teach me, lead me" / Nia Akins

I wrote this song in 2022. Around that time, I was truly coming to terms with my own sinfulness (as I will be for the rest of my life).

The grace of God is honestly insane when you think about it. We are all sinners. We've all messed up. But, as my community group leader joked: "instead of saying 'you can go kick rocks,' Jesus chose to die for us in our place.

That sill blows my mind.

"Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil—"

Hebrews 2:14

He is more than worthy for a song about His grace!