التخطي إلى المحتوى الرئيسي

"Listen to Our Hearts" by Avery Stafford: When Words Fall Short of Worship


Have you ever felt something that is so profound that you can't find the right words to describe it? How do you explain a love "that goes from east to west and runs as deep as it is wide"? How do you describe something as simple as the flavor of a strawberry? That's the beautiful tension that Avery Stafford sings about in his cover of the song "Listen To Our Hearts." 

Avery Stafford - Listen to Our Hearts (Radio Edit)"Listen To Our Hearts" is a classic praise and worship song written by Geoff Moore and Steven Curtis Chapman. Avery Stafford recorded it for his album "Undignified" in 2004, after discussing it with a friend following a worship concert. His friend was impressed by the jazz-influenced version of this beloved song and encouraged Avery to consider recording it. This recording features Tony Bolivar (saxophone). Until now, "Listen To Our Hearts" had never been released to radio. 

The lyrics are about the moment when our words fall short, when even "a thousand years" wouldn't be enough to express our gratitude and awe. "Words are not enough to tell You of our love." Our God is able to hear beyond our limitations. He knows "all our hopes" and "all our fears," and He listens to our heart. 

That doesn't mean that we can sit back and think that there is no need to praise because God can hear our heart! The song reminds us that true worship doesn't require perfect words. It's your heart-cry that really matters. May this rendition of the song help you discover how your wordless devotion actually creates the most beautiful song.

(Related scripture: Psalm 51:17; Psalm 139:23–24; 1 Samuel 16:7)

Connect with Avery Stafford

Would you like to hear more CCM music? Then check out our Christian playlists on: https://www.christiandance.eu/playlists

PS: Did you know that the posts we have on Christian Music Today also contain the backstories that artists have shared with us? Check it out on: https://christianmusictoday.eu/

Tags:

Popular posts

"When I Saw The Light" by Tyler Philip Ratcliffe: Folk, Grace, and the Moment Everything Changes

“When I Saw The Light” captures something painfully familiar — the trap that routine can bring. Tyler Philip Ratcliffe wrote this folk anthem as a follow-up to “This Little Light of Mine,” drawing on his bluegrass roots and the spirit of Bill Monroe’s classic to tell a story many will recognize in themselves. The verses don’t sugarcoat it. “Same faces, same mistakes, same places // Promise that I change it all tomorrow”  — the trap we need to be aware of… The routine masquerading as life. But Ratcliffe doesn’t leave the listener there. The chorus lifts everything: “I traded fake for something honest // Finally doing something right.” That’s the turning point! What makes this song land is its honesty about the moment before a breakthrough. When numbness sets in, when you’ve exhausted every other option — that’s when the light (His light) breaks through. Ratcliffe captures the surprise of grace: “I wasn’t looking for religion // Wasn’t searching for the truth.” Nobody ever is. And ye...
More >>

"Hard Times" by Matt Rees: Finding Faithful Ground When Life Comes Apart

Hard times have a way of stripping everything back. Matt Rees knows this well — and "Hard Times" was came out of one of those seasons. The Michigan-based singer-songwriter has spent years writing music that builds up the church and glorifies God, and this song carries that same honest, unpolished faith. What makes it remarkable is the posture Rees takes. Rather than crying out from the pain, he's thanking God for it. "I thank You for the hard times // when You test what's in the depths of my heart." That's not wishful thinking… That's hard-won conviction coming from the slow & dark times, and the confusing times when everything comes apart at the seams. Rees names them all, and then he names what happens next: God shows up! The chorus wraps it together…. "This life ain't always easy // but You're always faithful and true." Simple, true, and more important…. it's enough! Because when you've lived through the kind of sea...
More >>

"Psalm 10 (Do You See)" by Red Letter Society: Honest Faith, Bold Trust, and the Hope of God's Reign

Injustice is hard to sit with. When evil goes unchecked, and the vulnerable are overlooked, even the most faithful hearts may be wrestling with silence from heaven. Red Letter Society's "Psalm 10 (Do You See)" is about that struggle. This song is part of the band's ongoing psalm project and gives the church honest language for prayer. Instead of wrapping pain in comfortable platitudes, it voices the raw cry found in Psalm 10: "Why, O Lord, do You stand so far? Why hide Yourself so I can't see?" That's not a crisis of someone's faith; it's faith being real, and there is a big difference between the two. Featuring Jordan West, the lyrics move through the frustration and toward a confession. In the chorus, you'll hear the weight shifting: "To You the helpless commits himself, in You the orphan finds their help." This is trust that is forged under pressure. In the bridge of the song, you'll hear the resolution, a resolution th...
More >>