Growing up, my mom would always say to prepare your heart before church on Sunday. For me, this meant listening to music to get into the right mind space of going to worship before the Lord. This has not changed the older I've gotten. Below is my Sunday morning playlist that always gets me ready to praise the Jesus I love.
Warning: there's a lot of Hillsong.
1. "Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)" by Hillsong UNITED
This song never gets old and that bridge is truly a cry of my heart: "Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders/ let me walk upon the waters, wherever you would call me/ take me deeper than my feet could ever wander/ and my faith will be made stronger in the presence of my savior."
2. "Reckless Love" by Cory Ashbury
This is a pretty recent song, but I can't begin to tell you how obsessed with it I am. It's a great reminder of the Lord's love for us, and it is so important to realize how mind-blowing that love is and how we need to just open our hearts to accept it because we could never do anything to deserve it. Listen to this chorus: "Oh the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God/ oh it chases me down, fights till I'm found, leaves the 99/ I couldn't earn it, I don't deserve it, still you give yourself away/ oh the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God."
3. "Desert Song" by Hillsong UNITED
This is my shower song. I LOVE this song. It's a reminder that in every season, we need to praise the Lord. We need to praise him when we are in the desert and dry and feel like we have nothing to give. But we also praise him when we are booming and in a harvest season, because "I know I am filled/ to be emptied again."
4. "What a Beautiful Name" by Hillsong Worship
This song is my jam. The name of the Lord, and Jesus Christ our King is wonderful, powerful, and truly beautiful.
5. "The Rock Won’t Move" by Vertical Worship
This is a new-ish song as well, but I love it so much. It's a song to remind you that even when everything in life is changing and shifting and we don't feel solid at all, we have the God, our rock who doesn't move: "The rock won't move/ and his word is strong/ the rock won't move/ and his love can't be undone/ the rock of our salvation."
6. "Good Good Father" by Chris Tomlin
This is a classic. We use the word good so much in our vocabulary that is loses the essence of the word. We don't always have the best words to describe the Lord, but it's important to remember that he is the only truly GOOD thing in this universe, and he is a good, good father.
7. "One Thing Remains" by Passion
I remember being in eight grade when this song really took root in my heart. I would cry every time I heard it. I've moved past that stage in my life but it's still a must on my Sunday morning playlist. It's overwhelming to have someone love you so much when you genuinely don't deserve it, even more so when that person is your creator and the one who has seen all your flaws and mistakes —YET God still loves us. "Your love never fails/ it never gives up/ never runs out on me."
8. "In Christ Alone" by Passion
This is an oldie but a goldie. It's one of my all-time favorite songs. And it's so important to prepare your heart by recognizing that there is no other way to eternal life than through our Lord and Savior, Jesus: "And as he stands in victory/ sin's curse has lost its curse on me/ for I am his, and he is mine/ bought with the precious blood of Christ."
9. "I Am Not Alone" by Kari Jobe
This song is a great comfort whenever facing the trials of this life. There are so many daily battles we face, and often we can feel so alone in our struggles. But the hope we have in Christ is that we are never alone: "When I walk through deep waters/ I know you will be with me/ when I am standing in the fire/ I will not be overcome."
10. "Who You Say I Am" by Hillsong UNITED
This is a new song, but it's a definite jam. Identity is such a battle in today's world. There are so many things that the world tells us we need to be and tells us we aren't. Sometimes it can be so daunting. But it's important to remember our identity is ONLY found in Christ, who calls us his children: "Who the Son set's free/ oh is free indeed/ I'm a child of God/ Yes I am."
11. "So Will I (100 Billion X)" by Hillsong UNITED
This is probably my favorite song at the moment and a wonderful one to prepare you for church. The song is talking about how if all the things in the universe that the Lord created worship Him, then so will I. We are the Lord's creation. He gave us this gift of life—we should use it to worship him: "And as you speak, a hundred billion galaxies are born/ in the vapor of your breath the planets form/ if the stars were made to worship/ So Will I."
It is important to prepare your heart to worship the Lord and I love a good jam fest on Sunday morning. But it's most important to know that we are not called to only sing these songs and worship on Sunday, it's a daily thing. We can daily come before the Lord and worship him with our singing, our obedience, and our lives.
