A Caregiver’s Worship Playlist for Strength, Rest, and Hope

Are you weary? Who takes care of the caregiver when the caregiver is utterly spent? Whether you are taking care of an aging parent, a spouse with growing health concerns, or a child with special needs, emotional, physical, and mental fatigue is inevitable. Maybe, like me, you found yourself single-parenting while you had your own grief to contend with.

In this blog, you’ll find songs that speak to your spirit. Rather than focusing on a specific genre or decade, I chose these songs based on their lyrics. These timeless songs about Christian service span 150 years.

My 38-year-old husband’s death zapped my energy and depleted my strength. My mind was in a fog and things like reading that once brought me joy, no longer did. To avoid my children glimpsing the worst of my grief, I’d flee to the backyard and weed flowerbeds. Many songs hurt me, but I found myself listening to certain lyrics on repeat, songs that resonated with my overburdened heart.

1. One of my two favorites during that time was “Stars” by Skillet.

In this song, Skillet sings about God’s magnificent power and the simultaneous intimacy of His concern for us. The line that spoke to me the most was “if you can hold the stars in place, you can hold me heart the same,” because at that point I was so broken that I felt like it would take just as much power to keep my heart from splintering as it would to hold every star in place in the heavens. This song put me in a place of total surrender where I was saying, “God, not I, but You.”

2. “Hallelujah” by Pentatonix

This song speaks of the cost a “hallelujah” often requires. In times of trouble, raising hands in praise requires strength that is hard to come by. There is beauty in a broken hallelujah. Sometimes that is the most sacred sound.

3. “If You Want Me To” by Ginny Owens

This song speaks of feeling lost regarding the path the artist was walking with God. As a caretaker, it is easy to lose ourselves and our needs beneath the weight of the demands that others place upon us. “This isn’t how life was supposed to look,” I often heard myself saying. Owens expresses that same message within this song—a hopelessness in life and a hope in Christ uttered within the same sentiment.

4. “Praise You in this Storm” by Casting Crowns

If you’re caring for someone who cannot take care of him or herself, then you are in the thick of it. Tasks go undone, bills go unpaid, relationships beyond the walls you’ve gotten to know so well are neglected. Life centers around the person you’re caring for. It’s hard to remember, during these times, so I’ll just tell you: God is still sovereign. And He still sees you. You are not alone, even in your storm.

5. “You are My All in All”

“You are my All in All,” written by Dennis Jernigan and published in 1989, is a song that is woven into various threads of my life, and no less applicable from one season to the next. Jesus is my strength when I am weak. He fills my empty cup when there is no one else to fill it. I pray these words minister to you as they have to me.

6. “The Servant Song” by Betty C. Pulkingham and Richard Gillard, 1977

7. “Make Me a Servant,” James and Carol Owens, 1978

“The Servant Song” and “Make Me A Servant” are similar in theme with an equally powerful takeaway. One particular night in the throes of my late husband’s cancer battle, our three young daughters contracted a G.I. bug on the same weekend. My husband was vomiting as a result of his chemo treatment and our girls, experiencing explosive diarrhea, were unable to make it to the bathroom in time. As I cleaned trails and splatter of every bodily fluid you can imagine, I pitied myself. I also prayed that I wouldn’t get sick so I could continue taking care of my family, and I remained healthy. When the sun broke the following Monday morning and dawn rose over the horizon, I felt like a battle-worn survivor.

 In Matthew 25, Jesus reveals that when we serve the helpless and the less fortunate, we are expressing love to Him. It’s humbling for me to look back on moments when I felt sorry for myself, or I got angry that I “have to clean up this mess,” and realize that I was cleaning up after Jesus all along.

8. “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms” by E.A. Hoffman, 1887

These timeless lyrics still minister to people nearly 150 years after they were written. “This pilgrim path” reminds us that everything about this life is a temporary journey that leads homeward. How blessed we are to walk in the light of the knowledge that Jesus walks beside us.

 9. “Thank You for Giving to the Lord” by Ray Boltz, 1988

These lyrics are a glorious portrait of what heaven will be like for those of us who take care of the people around us. God uses broken people, loving to the best of their broken ability, to carry out His will. We’ll not know the true, eternal impact here on this earth. That is a treasure saved for heaven, but as Hebrews 13:2 reminds us, “Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.”

10. “Hands and Feet” by Audio Adrenaline, 1999

Let’s end with an upbeat song.

“I’ll go where you send me,” sings the band. The lyrics echo the Great Commission in Matthew 28:18-20.

“Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” 

A caregiver need not go far to fulfill the Great Commission. Yet, the work we do is a vital part of God’s kingdom business. God sees the work you do in secret and honors your offering. May you know the depth of God’s love for you.

Matthew 6: 3-4, “But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,  so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”

Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Katarzyna Bialasiewicz

Author Samantha Evans Tschritter, The Grief Advocate: Unedited, specializes in articulating grief and loss, hope and healing. Learn more at LoveUnedited.com or find her on social media at Linktr.ee/LoveSamEvans.