With graduation quickly approaching this May, I can’t help but be anxious about the future. These seven songs have become my prayer, and playing them on repeat is helping me to have peace, patience and faith that God will reveal to me His plans.

1. "Take Courage" by Bethel Music & Kristene DiMarco

Take courage my heart
Stay steadfast my soul
He’s in the waiting

This song reminds me of one of my favorite verses, Joshua 1:9: “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” It reminds me to keep going even when I can’t see what’s next. God is working in every moment, and He will finish what He’s started.

2. "Still" by Hillary Scott & The Scott Family

You’re moving mountains that I don’t even see
You’ve answered my prayer before I even speak
All you need for me to be is still

Sometimes I am convinced that if I just keep moving and I just keep organizing and planning what needs to happen, everything will work out as it should. This song reminds me to slow down, not speed up. It reminds me to let go of control and let Him work.

3. "God Help Me" by Plumb

Help me to move
Help me to see
Help me to do whatever you would ask of me

This is my prayer, my cry out to God when I am seriously feeling overwhelmed about not knowing where He is calling me or what He is asking me to do. This song helps me express exactly what I am feeling and gives me confidence that He is listening. Show me the way, Lord.

4. "Different" by Micah Tyler

And I don’t wanna spend my life stuck in a pattern
And I don’t wanna gain this world but lose what matters
And so I’m giving up everything because
I wanna be different

I fell in love with this song the first time I heard it, and I couldn’t stop listening to it. I know that God is calling me to be different, to be in this world, but not of it. I know that He is calling me to a unique path that is different than anyone else’s. I want to keep this drive to “be different”--and to stand out for the sake of the Gospel--with me wherever I go.

5. "I Lived" by Jordan Smith

I, I did it all
I owned every second that this world could give
I saw so many places, the things that I did
Yeah, with every broken bone, I swear I lived

What do you want to say you have done with your life ten years from now? I want to say I lived. I want to say I went places, I saw the world, I accomplished goals, I experienced new things and I conquered my fears. God gives us one life to live, so let’s use it.

6. "Courage (Somehow You Want Me)" by Tenth Avenue North

Oh, God, You don’t need me, but somehow You want me
Oh, how You love me, somehow that frees
To open my hands up and give You control
I give You control

I know what it feels like to let God lead and take control. I also know what it feels like to try and go my own way, to have plans that fall right through my grasp. And I can say that the former much feels much better than the latter. I want to remember to let God take control during this time of not knowing. Because of His great love for us, we can have confidence and trust in Him fully with our lives.

7. "Masterpiece" by Danny Gokey

You’re making a masterpiece
You’re shaping the soul in me
You’re moving where I can’t see
And all I am is in your hands

We need to remember that during this time where we feel like we are being stretched and torn apart, He is the painter and He is making us into the masterpiece that He has planned from the very beginning.