Songs for Hard Times

8 Christian Country Songs for Hard Times

One song for each kind of hard time, each one rooted in Scripture

Is there Christian country music for hard times?

Yes. These eight Christian country songs by Maverick at the Cross are each written for a different kind of hard time, from grief and fear to feeling worn down, and each one points to what God’s Word says about it.

Find your song ↓

Hard times don’t all look the same. Some hit all at once like a storm. Some wear you down slowly. Some come from your own failures, and some come from losing someone you love.

Each song below was written for a different kind of hard time. Find the one that sounds like where you are, listen, and read the Scripture behind it.

Sovereign Hand lyric video by Maverick at the Cross
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When you can’t catch a break

Sovereign Hand

The car breaks down, the bills pile up, the job falls through, and it all seems to hit at once. Sovereign Hand is a reminder that none of it is outside God’s control.

The chorus draws on Jesus’ picture of the house built on the rock: when the rains and the floods come, the one who stands on Christ still stands (Matthew 7:24–27).

“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.”

Proverbs 3:5
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Mercy Reaches Down lyric video by Maverick at the Cross
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When you feel like you’re going under

Mercy Reaches Down

Sometimes it’s despair and sometimes it’s sin, but either way you’re in too deep and can’t climb out. Mercy Reaches Down is about crying out to God from that place.

Jeremiah thought his hope had perished. Then he remembered that God’s mercies never fail, and that mercy still reaches further down than we can fall.

“It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.”

Lamentations 3:22
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Coming Dawn lyric video by Maverick at the Cross
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When you’re waiting in the dark for morning

Coming Dawn

When you’ve failed, Satan is quick to remind you of it, and the night can feel like it will never end. Coming Dawn is about opening God’s Word and having your eyes turned to Jesus and what He did on Calvary.

Remembering what Christ did, and the day you bowed your knee to Him, gives you hope to hold on through the night until the dawn comes.

“But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not.”

Luke 22:32
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Hold Steady lyric video by Maverick at the Cross
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When you’re worn down and can’t see the road ahead

Hold Steady

Life isn’t the picture you imagined, and you can’t see what comes next. The not knowing wears you down. Hold Steady points back to Peter on the water: when he began to sink, Jesus’ hand was already there.

God doesn’t always show you the road ahead, but He promises to finish the work He started in you.

“He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.”

Philippians 1:6
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Standing on the Stone lyric video by Maverick at the Cross
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When life is shaking and you’re afraid

Standing on the Stone

When everything around you is shaking, it’s tempting to dig in and try to stand in your own strength. Standing on the Stone says we don’t stand because we’re strong.

We stand because Christ is the Solid Stone, and the battle is His.

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”

Psalm 46:1
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Onward to Zion lyric video by Maverick at the Cross
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When you’re tired of fighting and want to quit

Onward to Zion

A long hard season wears you down until quitting starts to look like rest. Onward to Zion is a call to keep moving forward: keep praying, keep believing, keep doing what you know is right.

The moment you turn your back on the fight is the moment you’re most exposed.

“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”

Galatians 6:9
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Follow Thou Me lyric video by Maverick at the Cross
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When everyone else’s road looks easier than yours

Follow Thou Me

Right after Jesus told Peter how he would die, Peter looked at John and asked, “Lord, and what shall this man do?” Follow Thou Me is for the hard season when you catch yourself measuring your road against someone else’s.

Jesus’ answer to Peter is His answer to you: stop watching the other man’s road, and follow Him on yours.

“If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me.”

John 21:22
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Grandma’s Joy lyric video by Maverick at the Cross
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When you’re grieving someone who walked with the Lord

Grandma’s Joy

Losing someone who loved Jesus hurts, especially when you never got to say goodbye. Grandma’s Joy grieves with hope.

For those who die in Christ, goodbye isn’t the end. The words you didn’t get to say are waiting for the day you meet again at home.

“That ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.”

1 Thessalonians 4:13
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For pastors, small groups & Biblical Counselors

Walking with someone through a hard time?

Every song above has its Scripture, discussion questions, and a printable guide on its own page. They’re free to use in your church, small group, or counseling ministry.

See Ministry Resources

Questions

Questions About These Songs

Is there Christian country music for hard times?

Yes. These eight Christian country songs by Maverick at the Cross are each written for a different kind of hard time, from grief and fear to feeling worn down, and each one is rooted in Scripture.

Is there a Christian country song about trusting God when everything goes wrong?

Yes. “Sovereign Hand” by Maverick at the Cross is a Christian country song for when you can’t catch a break, built on Proverbs 3:5: “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart.”

What is a Christian country song about not giving up?

“Onward to Zion” by Maverick at the Cross is a Christian country song for anyone tired of fighting and tempted to quit, built on Galatians 6:9.

What is a Christian country song about grief?

“Grandma’s Joy” by Maverick at the Cross is a Christian country song about grieving someone who walked with the Lord, with the hope of 1 Thessalonians 4:13.

“We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed.”
2 Corinthians 4:8–9
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Most of these songs come from Out of the Dust, one redemption story from the first encounter with Jesus to the final victory.

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