Secular Music
Mar 4, 2026 | By MG Voelter UT Austin ‘27
What are you doing for Lent?
This question has been circulating in my conversations these past few weeks. But in reality, it’s a polite way to get at something deeper: Are you listening for God’s voice? Are you slowing down to be in His presence? Are you longing for Jesus?
My answer: I have given up secular music. If I have aux in the house, the car, or I’m studying with my AirPods, it's either worship music or silence, which more often than not unfolds into prayer. Obviously, I can’t control what my roommates play or the coffee shops I study at, but whatever I can control, I turn over to God. The first year I did this, it totally changed my brain and the way I desired to consume media. There were days when a secular song would get stuck in my head, and I could not listen to it to satisfy the earworm. Sitting in silence in my car would drive me crazy. I would find myself singing the few songs I knew by heart, including “Introducing Me” from Camp Rock and a handful of Veggie Tales songs: terrible music by the 10th minute of traffic on I-35.
Aside from nearly going mad, this season had another effect: getting bored with the limited reservoir of songs on my lacklustre worship playlist, I began to discover new worship songs and artists. Worship was no longer confined to Sunday mornings but expanded to all the atmospheres I encountered in the week. Josiah Queen and Chris Renzema quickly rose to the top of my Lenten-season Spotify Wrapped.
As I craved to enjoy my secular playlists again, I started a countdown to Easter. My stained sin nature was not anticipating the resurrection of Lord Jesus, but instead the return of the “Harry’s House” album to my queue. Then Easter came. I remember getting in my car the Monday following Easter and bouncing in my seat, excited to put my old playlists back on the car stereo. But when I did, the songs didn't hit quite the same. In the week following Easter, I found myself instead humming and craving the songs of praise I had been forced to listen to during Lent and the sweet time in the presence of Jesus as I embraced the silence, praying to the Father in my car. Even as I stumbled distractedly through Lent, He used it to purify my worship. My longing for music became a longing for Jesus.
Each year since then, I have done this or a similar sacrifice for Lent to remind myself not to idolize noise or to overconsume the voices of the world but instead to turn down the volume of my fleshly desires and listen more intently to the Shepherd's voice. In this extended period of prayer and rhythm of worship, I am reminded to cherish His presence all the more. I extend this question to you: Are you longing for Jesus this Lenten season?
What are you doing for Lent?