seven worshipful songs for those who don't like worship music

i don’t enjoy most popular, contemporary worship music. here is what I listen to instead...

I don’t enjoy most popular, contemporary worship music.

Although this is partially because I’m tired of hearing the same similar-sounding songs over and over for the past decade, the problem runs far deeper.

In my experience, as life and faith become increasingly complicated, the platitudes of most contemporary worship music become less impactful. Singing happy and hopeful songs about God’s love and goodness function like ibuprofen, masking the spiritual ache of doubt, frustration, and longing. But, when the song ends, I am still left without a remedy for the source of such symptoms.¹

In return, I’ve often sought out music that is not always branded as “worship” music, yet feels incredibly worshipful to my ears. In them, I hear an authenticity that cannot be mass produced, tagged with a CCLI number, and distributed on SongSelect (worship leaders, you know what I mean).

These songs don’t numb the ache; they heal the soul. In these soft melodies and prophetic words, I’ve felt the Spirit moving and speaking in my own life.

There are many songs and artists that have been meaningful to me in this way. Below I’ve listed a few and (if you’re on Spotify) included a playlist to follow:

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I’m curious to know what songs have impacted you in this way? Let me know in the comments and I’ll add them to the Spotify playlist at the bottom of this post .

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I remind myself I am blessed, I am blessed
I remember now I can rest, I can rest
Your my daily bread, your my daily bread
Teach my heart to worry less

Teach my heart to worry less
I remind myself I am fed, I am fed
All my needs are met, all my needs are met
Your my daily bread, your my daily bread

Teach my heart to worry less
Teach my heart to worry less

I saw a river of people
That sprung from an ancient spring
From the heart of a walled-in garden
That flowed from a raging stream
I saw a river of gladness
From the heart of God's delight
Into a sea of faces
Faces like stars in the night

Jesus, Jesus
Save me from the tyranny of the familiar
Jesus, Jesus
Show me the face of God in every human creature

Gotta cut down the weed, gotta eat healthy
Soul, mind, and body, detox mentally
Take out the dirty laundry, make room for clarity
Therapy every week, gotta do all these things 'cause

If I don't have You, I'm lost
Lost, I'm lost

All the grief is hard to bear
Sit with me ‘til the moon looks fair
It’s okay, okay I swear
Good and grief feel more real when shared

Don't let this darkness fool you
All lights turned off can be turned on
I'll drive, I'll drive all night
I'll call your mom

Oh, dear, don't be discouraged
I've been exactly where you are
I'll drive, I'll drive all night
I'll call your mom

Cry havoc in the evening
Sirens in the morning
Peace by the afternoon
I was planning on leaving
Unless you really need me
I'm just trying to keep up with you

I know that I'm walking a treacherous line
There's breath on the glass
But death on the vine
Havoc in the evening
Silence in the morning
How is it so loud
When it's quiet

There’s a conundrum in the wisdom of my spirit
Whitewashed hymns and the deadliest sins pushed me to my limit
But when you deconstruct you’re shit out of luck for a minute
But after the last bend you can break it all down to rebuild it
You and me have gone bad in a good way,

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1. I recognize that this is not the case for everyone. Plenty of folks have wonderful stories of how a popular worship song helped them through death, loss, grief, and the like. I am not suggesting we should do away with worship music, but instead offering my experience with and response to CCM.