Sarah Kroger ‘A New Reality’

Written by: Laura Chambers (5/6/2024)

Nobody who lived through the COVID-19 pandemic escaped without being affected. Even if you may have not become ill yourself or lost a loved one to the disease, it still leaves us with questions, as most major events do – war, romance, career changes, accidents; all can cause us to question our faith, especially when it seems like God is silent. The sudden paralysis of disruption can be jarring.

Sarah Kroger’s experience echoes that of many; yet, despite her struggles with the big questions of life, she began to see the disguised blessings inherent in any trial. A New Reality encourages us not to forsake God in our troubles or abandon Him because of our questions; instead, be brave enough to ask and quiet enough to listen.

First, “No Filter”, in which Kroger is painfully honest about her doubts, failures, and questions. There’s something cathartic about not pretending to be a better version of oneself in an (ultimately unsuccessful) attempt to impress someone who already loves you. She asks God to overcome her unbelief, fully surrendered.

“Giving Up” proclaims the opposite; that despite all opposition and struggle, we will continue to trust God to carry us through it. How can we give up on Him when He has proven faithful time and again? We can’t rely on what we know, but rather who we know. We

“Human” affirms that Jesus knows how we feel when we experience beauty and pain, having been born as a man, He is fully human. Yet He is also fully God, and king over all the universe. He is the perfect combination of both.

“Glory Be” is a doxology elevating God as Father, Son, and Spirit; creator, savior, helper, shepherd, lamb. None are greater than He is.

“Still Yours” longs for the innocence, fearlessness, awe and faith of the past. We can shed the layers of trauma and doubt by remembering that who He is has not and will not change, nor has the depth of His love for us.

“A New Reality” assures us that when the bloom is off life’s rose, we can escape the stagnation we’ve sunken into by seeing the world through God’s eyes. There is so much more to reality than we’ve allowed ourselves to imagine or remember. No matter what we feel, we need to cling to the truth about God, life, creation, and ourselves.

In “Something Greater”, Kroger expresses faith that God is going to bring good things out of the darkness. Whether it’s just around the corner or a lifetime away, we can believe everything He promised will come to be.

“Communion” seeks to see God’s love and majesty in our surroundings. Enfolded in the peace of His presence, we can experience an ethereal calm, the polar opposite of the frantic, cacophonous environment we usually inhabit. Becoming closer to God is an experience like no other, one which we would sacrifice everything to have.

“Humbled Heart” is a song of worship from one who is fully aware of how great God is, and how unworthy we are. When we consider the gift of His sacrifice, how He lowered Himself to die for us, we reciprocate by surrendering and offering Him praise.

“Who Is This King” focuses on God’s power and might, declaring Him to be “the King of Glory” who is unequaled. The song encourages us to cry out in praise and celebration of this fact.

Sarah Kroger proves to us that it is possible to weather the storms that damage our faith without helping the wind demolish it with our bare hands. If we listen, we can hear God’s voice; if we look, we can see His influence; if we wait, we can feel His presence. A New Reality opens our hearts to what was already true, waiting for us to reach out and experience it for ourselves.

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