How about Neil Young’s When God Made Me?
Rain Come Down by EastMountainSouth is a good one if you like Come to Jesus.
also:
Have a Little Faith in Me John Hiatt
Change Tracy Chapman
If it Be your Will Leonard Cohen, also a very pretty Jan Arden version
Actually, many Leonard Cohen songs have quite a bit of religious imagery, in the sense that confusing religious angst with sexual angst and religious ecstasy with sexual ecstasy seems to be a common theme with him. Hallelujah is a good example. Not always uplifting, though.
As I Lay Me Down by Sophie B. Hawkins.
One of my favorite relax and forget the world songs.
I’ll have to wait until tonight to listen to most of these as a lot of the sites are blocked from work, but I have to say, I love that John Hiatt song, especially the Joe Cocker version. The way he sings it all grumpy and imperfect speaks to me about the difficulty of persevering when you think it’s impossible to do so.
43 posts and no one’s mentioned Van Morrison?
And It Stoned Me
Into The Mystic
Brand New Day
St. Dominic’s Preview
Listen To The Lion
If I Ever Needed Someone
Bright Side Of The Road
Full Force Gale
Dweller On The Threshold
She Gives Me Religion
Beautiful Vision
Rave On, John Donne
…etc etc etc
Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, Into My Arms
Billy Joel, The River Of Dreams
I’d post a relevant snippet of lyrics but really, the whole song fits the description in the OP. And I especially like how he uses odd-measure silences in the song to indicate spiritual reflection.
Jars of Clay is a Christian group, but overall their songs don’t namecheck God and they have a good vibe going. Ditto Newsboys (who also are very catchy, even when they’re happily singing about having no breakfast in hell).
Cat Stevens-
Morning Has Broken
It warms this Jewish Atheist’s heart…
I really like the tracks The Story of Our Lives" (ignore the video), Suffer (ignore that video, too!), and Believe by The Echoing Green.
No - Not Clifton.
It was Terrence Robertson - oh god. Just saying his name takes me back.
Breathe Deep (the Breath of God) - Lost Dogs