Skip to main content

Zachary Ray - Refuge



Zachary Ray drops a new track called Refuge, a song with quite a story behind the song. Words cannot properly summarize Zachary's story, so we are sharing what Zachary shared with us about his track.

"Refuge is a song that's straight out of my journal during an incredibly difficult season. 

The song Refuge came from a cry to the all-knowing God when I was in a place of isolation - feeling surrounded by people and friends that loved us but feeling alone at the same time. 

After my wife Amanda gave birth to our stillborn daughter Chloe, there were very few words of comfort that helped. Although people were praying and offering their words of comfort it felt like a season of being abandoned by God, and the dreams of holding our little girl were stolen and shattered. Grief is a funny thing. The initial sting and pain become dull over time, but the memories and dull ache continue to come in waves. I don’t think our hearts are created for this world to overcome “grief” from tragedies or loss of loved ones; it becomes a part of our story, our life. We become a different person. The beautiful thing is that God stays the same and meets us where we are. I can honestly say God tangibly became my refuge in one of the darkest times in my life. He brought healing into my soul like no earthly person could. We may never be the way we were before, but He shapes us into a new, and often stronger, person.

I wrote the lyrics of this song with a good friend of mine, Joel Reimer. He and his wife Brandi suffered the loss of their baby boy, Harbour, when he was 4 months old. We both experienced extremely dark situations, but I know this song is not just for people with our type of journeys. It is for the person who is feeling alone, abandoned or deserted in a hopeless situation. It’s a song of hope for me. People need to know it’s ok to feel their way through their story, knowing God is with them on every page. I know other people have their own way of dealing with grief and life’s battles, but I know what worked for me. It was to find refuge in the all-knowing finding refuge in Jesus."


Thank you Zachary for sharing with us. I am confident that this song will also encourage others to find refuge in Jesus Christ.

On Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/0PhOTX730xKqqqZjOUpSJD
On Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/refuge/1480744420?i=1480744422

Also on our playlists: Christian Dance Monthly - https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7xui88VQPaulfg60MIcBle

Popular posts

"Dancing On Water" by Mary Oz: When grief has no power over Hope

(by Jasper Tan) I have always been a huge admirer of Mary Oz's music. Since the moment I discovered her songs, without fail, I've always made it a point to add them to my playlists. If there was one CCM artist from the Philippines who deserves to be heard on a global scale, then my vote belongs to Mary.  Her latest single, "Dancing On Water" (which is a part of her forthcoming album), is a pure acoustic folk/rock song that talks about breakthroughs from grief. As Mary shares, "Grief can swallow you whole, but it's not a life sentence. The morning will come, and with it, Joy." This is a very empowering statement that seeks to inspire her listeners to take courage, rejoice, leave the sadness behind, and just conquer their fears.  What I love about Mary's songwriting is her deep metaphorical lyricism that makes her songs stand out among the clutter of songs in this age of digital music. You'll definitely know that her songs are very well thought of...

Top 2000 Year-End Chart - Best Christian Contemporary Songs Streamed in 2021 - (HOT CHRISTIAN SONGS)

Our Top 2000 Year-End Chart of the most-streamed Christian Contemporary Music (CCM & CEDM) in 2021.  One single playlist with 154 hours and 36 minutes of listening pleasure. Ranking the 2000 most streamed songs of the year. View our Top 2000 Charts Archive You can listen to the playlist on Spotify:  https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0eGdkgGmwk5k78RupaYxWx We have synced this playlist to Deezer and YouTube (the majority of the songs from our playlist are also on these platforms). On Deezer:   https://www.deezer.com/playlist/8426311062   On YouTube Music: https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSxwvzjqcN_Zy_DopeCUDK8BPxkL8by7e   Don't forget to check out our other Christian playlists on:  https://www.christiandance.eu/playlists

"Meet Me in the Valley" by Tasha Layton: God in the Low Places

We've all experienced times in our lives when everything feels impossible, and it feels like God is nowhere near. Tasha Layton sings about that very struggle in her song, "Meet Me in the Valley." Tasha calls out those painful moments and places them in the context of promises that you can read in Psalm 23. God promises that goodness and mercy will follow us, even through life's darkest seasons.  Tasha shared the main takeaway of this song on her Instagram account: "You are not forgotten. You are not alone. God meets you right where you are."   We often aren't able to recognize His grace until we're desperately needing it, and honestly, we often don't appreciate what we have (and what He has given us) until everything falls apart. But instead of dwelling in despair, Tasha reminds us to look upwards, and ask for His help: "In the middle of the war // Tell me that I'll make it // When I'm not sure // You'll be faithful." We...