I recently had the pleasure to listen to Laura Story’s new album, Open Hands. I like Laura’s music, so I was excited to learn more about what inspired the songs on this album and listen to the tracks. The title track, Open Hands is about worshiping God with your hands open. Instead of clenching your fists when you feel things slipping away, open your hands and let God know that it is all his. That is a very powerful message!
“We never get to a point where we can do life apart from complete and total daily dependence on Jesus,” Story admits. “The irony is the less control we have, the more peace we have and the more, I would even say, success and joy we find. It’s a contrary picture to what the world tells us, but it’s gaining through letting go.”
Open Hands is the follow-up to 2013’s critically-acclaimed God of Every Story, and in the years that have passed since her last release, Story has given birth to twins, making their brood a family of five. Now, as a mom to three kids—Josie, Benjamin and Griffin—the posture of “open hands” feels more necessary than ever before as she juggles ministry and motherhood.
Tracks on the Album:
- Death Was Arrested
- Open Hands
- You Came Running
- Give You Faith
- For The Love Of My King
- Awake My Soul (A 1000 Tongues)
- Whisper
- Every Word You Breathe
- Majesty
- Extraordinary
- Grace Abounds
A parade of A-list songwriters, including Matt Redman, Matt Maher, Mia Fieldes, Hank Bentley, Sarah Hart and Seth Mosley, among others, pepper the album’s 11 tracks. Through writing sessions both alone and with others, Story began to gradually see this common thread of surrender emerge.
Give You Faith is a favorite of mine, it talks about how the greatest thing you can give your children, is faith. It is a very sweet ballad of a mother to her child. Laura talks about how she won’t be a perfect parent, she will let them down, disappoint them but, she will earn their trust and give them faith.
Story isn’t afraid to write about grace at work in the middle of unexpected, unexplainable situations. She can only write from experience and how she’s seen God redeem the darkest chapters of her own life. “My greatest goal is always for my story to encourage listeners to believe that they, too, can live out their faith in the midst of hard circumstances,” she says. “I truly believe that the songs we sing and the songs we write act as the soundtrack for people’s faith. So I want to give people the most substantial tools that give them the clearest picture of who God is and who they are in Christ.”
Another song I really like is, Grace Abounds. It talks about times when we feel the world is broken, when it feels like hope cannot be found. Sadly these days, feelings like that creep in far too often. This song addresses that and reminds us that even in the darkest times, Grace Abounds.
“When it feels like hope can’t be found, when we don’t even know how we’re going to put one foot in front of the other,” she continues, “Scripture teaches us that’s when grace abounds.”
Giveaway
Would you like a chance to win this inspirational album? If so, enter our giveaway below.
Laura Story, Open Arms CD Giveaway on Mommy Ramblings Rules:
Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway. If you have won a prize from our sponsor Propeller /FlyBy Promotions in the last 30 days on the same blog, you are not eligible to win. Or if you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.
Please enter the giveaway using the Rafflecopter widget below. Good Luck!!!
