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"You Give Me Rest" by Carli Lessing: Surrendering Weary Burdens


(by Jasper Tan) I've heard of Carli Lessing and her work before, courtesy of another Christian artist that I closely follow. She once collaborated on a song with Mary Ozaraga, a fast-rising Independent Christian Artist from the Philippines. Being a huge fan of Mary's music, I'm quite familiar and fond of her work. I made mention of Mary because Carli's latest song, "You Give Me Rest" reminds me so much of Mary's songs. I guess there's a reason why both of them clicked and collaborated on a song. But this new version of the song is actually an acoustic version of an old song of Carli's. I had to go back and listen to the original version just to have a better feel of how much a three-year-old song had changed. While the original version had so much going on musically (albeit in a good way), this acoustic version totally changed the whole dynamic of the song. This features a more laid-back sound that is piano-driven, which eventually featured a more soulful rendition.

Carli Lessing - You Give Me Rest (Acoustic Version)Carli shares that "she wrote the song as a prayer asking God for the rest only He can give." And this acoustic version is the perfect rendition that suits nicely with the mood that she was in when she originally wrote the song. The soothing melody of the keyboards running through her fingers feels like God's reassuring touch that he is always there for the tired and weary. Matched by Carli's expressive vocals as she sings the chorus line "You give me rest…," the song touches the weary soul beautifully. In a very busy, hectic, and demanding world that we live in, sometimes the worldly demands just siphon all our energy. And to a fault, we sometimes neglect our personal relationship with the Lord. It is good to be reminded through this song that God will always be there for us as a respite from these demands. And while we search for avenues where we can restore and refill our energies, these will just feel empty without God being in control of our lives. The only way to nourish the soul is to be still in God's presence. And let his love and grace sink in as we are enveloped in his warm embrace.

Whenever we feel tired and weary, let Carli's song "You Give Me Rest" be the one that accompanies us as we recharge in the comfort of God's loving embrace.

(Related scripture: Matthew 11:28; Psalm 46:10; Isaiah 26:3)

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