Sandra McCracken says Psalm 43 has been chasing her for years. For starters, she has a songwriter’s appreciation for its distinct structure. It begins with a complaint (“Why have you rejected me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?”), moves to a place of surrender (“Send out your light and your truth; let them lead me”), and ends in praise (“Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God”).
This same progression has been a theme in Sandra’s life and even serves as the inspiration for her new book, Send out Your Light, in which she explores the light God has placed within each of us and the seasons of darkness that eventually lead us to greater intimacy with our Savior.
“Suffering is unavoidable,” she says, “but it’s meant for our good and His glory. It’s a hard teaching until you’re clinging to it.”
Sandra McCracken is an accomplished singer-songwriter with 14 solo albums and writing credits for chart-topping Christian artists. However, words like “fame” and “public persona” immediately make her nervous.
“It would just be so easy to become intoxicated by the flattery or success rather than knowing who you are,” she explains. “The more feedback you get from the world or the work or just your 24-hour day, the more you have to hear God’s voice. The way He speaks to us and promises who we are is not based on our performance.”
To maintain this perspective, Sandra is constantly grounding herself in scripture. It started from the time she was three years old, with her mother helping her memorize Bible verses by writing them on index cards. As a writer, Sandra is now known for the ways she incorporates scripture into her music. She even released an album simply entitled Psalms, putting into song some of the passages that have been most meaningful to her.
A few years ago, as she walked through her own season of loss and divorce, she saw firsthand the transformational power of these verses in her life. She had to ask herself, what did she truly believe to be true about God? And she found her answer in Psalms 62 and 63.
“This psalm tells me my soul finds rest in God alone. I knew that before, but now I really have to hang onto it. And when you don’t have anything else to hang onto, you realize that is enough.”
Listen above to our full interview with prolific singer-songwriter and author Sandra McCracken. And be sure to order her new book, Send out Your Light.
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