Playlist: Sad Songs — Monday
Psalm 42:9
“O God my rock,” I cry, “Why have you forgotten me? Why must I wander around in grief, oppressed by my enemies?” (NLT)
Somewhere around my angsty middle school/early high school years, a friend introduced me to a rock band called Evanescence. Different than anything I’d ever listened to, I soon became obsessed with their brilliant pairing of aggressive guitar riffs with stunning orchestral elements and lead singer Amy Lee’s powerful yet angelically pure voice. It was a whole new musical world for me, including the dark, tragic poetry that composed their lyrics.
At that point, I honestly had no idea what most of their lyrics even meant. But 15 years later, with a bit more life experience under my belt, I now understand why the emotion and struggle articulated through their lyrics and melodies have spoken to millions of people across the world throughout their 27-year career. I find it fascinating, however, that of all the songs they’ve released with themes of pain, fear, anger, and depression, their number one hit is “Bring Me to Life,” a song expressing a desperate plea for salvation:
Wake me up inside. I can't wake up, wake me up inside. Save me, call my name and save me from the dark. Bid my blood to run before I come undone. Save me from the nothing I've become. Bring me to life.
Why has this song resonated with fans more than any other? Perhaps the same reason that Psalm 42 resonates with us so deeply. Not only do both of these songs describe the feeling of despair we’re all familiar with, but they also acknowledge our inability to save ourselves from death and darkness, and a belief that someone else can. Yet in both, you can feel the tension that exists between the belief that someone can bring you out of pain and the reality of not yet being rescued from it.
I’m learning that a lot of life is lived in that tension… in the space between verses 9 and 11 of Psalm 42—“Why have you forgotten about me?” and “I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God.” Navigating that tension well is perhaps one of the hardest things we’ll ever learn to do, but I know it’s possible because I’ve witnessed it in the pages of scripture and in the lives of people who had every reason to give up, every reason to reject God in the face of pain—yet their hope triumphed. So this week, let’s learn together how to, as Scott put it yesterday, “sing the rest of the song.”
Monday’s Reflection
Read Psalm 42 slowly, letting the psalmist take you on his emotional journey of ups and downs and allowing yourself to feel each one. Invite God to speak to you through this song today.
