Sarah Kroger, a Nashville-based singer and songwriter, has a gift for leading worship and for using gifts for the glory of the Lord. Despite releasing five albums and being a GMA Dove Awards nominated artist, Kroger had to learn to navigate anxiety and shyness at a young age to be able to share her deep love, and talent, for music.
In her youth, music became a powerful and joyful medium for her to communicate with the Lord. A divine encounter at a youth conference led Kroger to discovering music is love language. At this conference, Kroger heard a powerful message from the Lord that became the theme of her musical career. “If you have a gift from God and you’re not using it, you are denying the glory of God within you,” Kroger shares with reverence.
Sarah Kroger sat down with Root & Vine to have an inspired conversation about music, faith, loss, hope, and more while filming her episode of Our Story Our Song. Join us as we go behind the scenes of this episode to get to know the artist behind the music.
Raised traditionally Catholic, Kroger’s aim is to seek to live an authentic relationship with God. Her music offers messages of connecting to God, seeking Him and learning to truly find our identity in Him. In writing her song Belovedness, after reading “Life of the Beloved” by Henry Nowan, she found herself on a journey to rediscover her identity as a beloved child of God.
“Every day, we’re bombarded by these voices, the voices of the world, the noise of lies that we believe, the fears we have swirling in our head,” says Kroger, “But what if we could still that noise and listen to the voice at the center of our being that says ‘You are my beloved one?’”
Openly sharing a real relationship with Christ, Kroger demonstrates authenticity in sharing vulnerable moments during her faith walk. At one point, Kroger recalled how her connection with God came easily until one day she began to struggle to feel His presence. She shares that it was a struggle to pray, to hear Him, to feel Him, and even to go to church. Kroger was left questioning if it was her fault.
“It’s not about blame, actually,” Kroger explains. “It is about the fact that it was a season, a part of our journey, a part of our relationship, that for whatever reason, God allowed. And I still don’t know what the full fruit of that season will lead to. But I have enough of a glimpse of it to know that not only was I never alone, but the Lord was with me in it.. The darkness is as much of a gift as the light is.”
When it comes to connecting with God, Kroger finds peace and joy in being amongst nature. His presence in nature has been an eye-opening experience that she finds herself constantly seeking. “Nature reveals His unfailing presence and His beauty. I think nature speaks to His character and who He is,” she shares “ I can’t put Him in a box and figure Him out. He just has to be experienced and He invites us to abide in Him.”
Kroger has a heart for more than just being in nature, but also to care for it as a steward of His creation. “It is so wonderful that we have a God who loves us so much that He is just present in all of these things that we see?” she says, taking in the nature surrounding her. “One way I am trying to take care of this sacred Earth is thinking about practical things,” she explains. “Not keeping the water running when I am brushing my teeth, recycling, turning off lights when I leave a room,” Kroger shares. “I think if each of us made a concerted effort to try to do that, and make those decisions in our own lives, then this world would be a better place.”
Kroger knows that He is in everything in Creation. “I just love nature so much you guys,” she says with a smile as she dabs a tear away from her eye.
Her love for creation and music are interconnected for Kroger’s creativity. For her, nature challenges her to pray without ceasing and to enter into the song that is already happening around her. “That’s really what nature is. It’s singing God’s praises and it challenges me to do the same,” Kroger says.
Behind the scenes on the set of Our Story Our Song. Image: Kelly Chashchin
In her song “No Filter,” Kroger shared what it was like to feel God’s presence in nature while questioning with a sense of vulnerability. “Is it ok to feel you more in nature than inside the church buildings,” the lyrics read. Kroger shares how awful it felt to carry that question in her head, words she didn’t initially want to share. But with encouragement from those around her, she chose to share the song as a reminder to those who listen that it is okay to ask questions, to wrestle with things. “If we can’t be brutally honest with God, then who can we be honest with?” Kroger asks.
Kroger’s songs hold significance to her relationship with God and demonstrate what it looks like to live authentically within that relationship. Kroger’s song, “Still Yours,” is a song about her relationship with God and how it can change. Like any relationship, it comes with good days and bad days. “Choosing faith beyond feelings and choosing to believe that there is nothing that can separate me from the love of God, even myself,” Kroger shares.
In this season of life and of faith, Kroger feels like she’s in uncharted territory. Not knowing what her next season of faith will look like is hard, but she knows one thing for certain.
“I feel like I am being invited to surrender,” she says with a smile.
In this season of Our Story Our Song, Sarah Kroger takes us on a musical journey, sharing stories and lessons in the lush expansion of nature and invites us to consider the vastness and wonder of interacting with the Creator and Creation. She performs live under radiant light breaking through the stained glass windows of a charming chapel and takes to the serenity of nature to talk about her life, faith, and music. Subscribe, like, and comment for more behind the scenes exclusives.
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