I used to get very nervous sharing a song or an idea because I was afraid my novice-self would be found out. I was afraid that I was writing out of lack of experience and so I wasn’t a real song-writer (whatever that means). For a while I felt like I could only write from experiences I have had.
When I released God of All Comfort, which has turned out to be my favorite song to share, I cried. It felt like a waste. I was convinced it was stupid or too “bandaid” level for the depths of pain that we encounter in our world. I was sure that I was not capable of writing a song about the depths of grief when I have not experienced nearly as much grief as many people I know.
But I felt like the Lord said, you’ll need this song one day. Decide who you believe I am before it is tested.
As a pastor I often feel unqualified to walk with people through pain and in writing this song, God was teaching me that His character is the thing to lean on, not my experiences or lack thereof.
But, I still felt like it would be poorly received.
Since releasing this song, it is the one that the most profound stories have come from. It is the one I consistently receive feedback for. Through funerals, devastation, loss of family and friends. The Lord has shown up in the most brutal of situations that I don’t feel comfortable even putting into writing. Things I’ve never experienced. Unimaginable loss. I would never have thought I could pen something meaningful for these situations, but the Lord prompted me to write it and He is using it.
If you’re sitting on something that you feel like God gave you to write, I encourage you to release it. You never know what God will do with it.