Q&A with Singer-Songwriter and Author Caroline Cobb
Caroline Cobb is a singer-songwriter and author whose work imagines the return of Christ and meditates on the future promise when all God’s redeemed will live with him in eternity. One of our staff writers, Timarie Friesen, recently caught up with Caroline to discuss the heart behind her songs and writing. What follows is a snapshot into that conversation designed to encourage fellow creators, including writers within the GCD Writers’ Guild.
[Timarie]: Caroline, when did you start yearning for Christ’s return and the new heavens and new earth where he will reign as King, and we’ll live with him forever?
[Caroline]: “As I have gotten older and experienced more, it seems the bad news of living in a fallen world becomes more tangible. I’ve seen sin and signs of exile in my own life and—more and more—in the world around me. I’ve watched friends walk through sickness, mental health challenges, difficult marriages. I’ve seen death and miscarriage take its toll. I’ve been saddened when spiritual leaders fail, people walk away from the faith, and ugly divisions arise in God’s Church. I’m sure many of you have experienced something similar.
“I have a theory that artistic types tend to feel the weight of these things even more deeply than the average person.
“And yet, even as the bad news has grown bigger in my view, the good news of Jesus has also expanded. I believe that as we acknowledge our sin and desperate need, the gospel of Christ becomes even more beautiful. And as we acknowledge our exile and homesickness here, the reality of the new heaven and new earth becomes even more glorious.”
[TF]: “How has writing about God’s redemptive story planted you on this path of imagining and longing?”
[CC]: “I'm realizing that much of my work—whether it be in music or writing—deals in paradoxes like these. The ache of Advent ushers in the joy of Christmas (Advent for Exiles, B & H, 2024). The hunger we feel makes the home we find in God all the better (album: A Home & A Hunger). The gospel is a ‘table only the hungry find’ and ‘a mountain only the lame can climb’ (song “There is a Mountain”). I feel compelled to be honest about the bad news of our exile and sin in my music and writing because I am also pointing to the good news of Jesus. I want people to savor the gospel and rejoice!
“Yes, Jesus has broken in as the Light in our darkness. Yes, Jesus offers us freedom from the power of sin and shame. I certainly want to write and sing about that. But Scripture also tells us that we are exiles and citizens of a heavenly kingdom (1 Pet. 2:11; Heb. 11:13; Phil. 3:20). We are eagerly awaiting the day when we see our King face-to-face, and he wipes each tear away (Rev. 21:4). As a Christian writer and songwriter, I find that I keep coming back to this tension between the already and the not yet of Christ’s kingdom. Our faith is lived here in this space between, where real grief and cries of ‘how long, O Lord?’ are welcome. In fact, they point us (and our readers!) to the strong hope we have in Christ. In this sense, every album, concert, and book I do is meant as an invitation to both deeper longing and deeper joy.”
[TF]: “You end your recently published book, Advent for Exiles, saying, ‘When Jesus comes again on the last day, our story—in one sense—will come to a close. Our long exile will be over, the shadows and thorns expelled by the radiant beauty of God’s presence. But, in another sense, our story will be just beginning.’ What would you tell a writer to remember as they start the year with a desire to write about things that point to Christ and embody truth about God's love and character?”
[CC]: “To my fellow writers and creators, I want to say what I also need to hear: your work matters. Carving out an hour or two a week to write—even when the dishes are still piled high in the sink. Putting down your phone or your to-do list in order to read deeply or be in God’s Word. Writing an article or a poem—no matter the expected size of the readership. Leaning into your gifting or calling—even when other callings seem more important, efficient, or useful. Although we don’t quite understand why or how or what it looks like day-to-day, I believe Scripture tells us that these things matter in God’s economy (for more on why I believe this, see “Making Music for God’s Glory”). As you sow goodness, light, truth, and beauty into the little plot of land God has put in front of you, you are somehow planting seeds for a New Eden (see Day 22 of Advent for Exiles).
“Knowing that writing does matter in God’s kingdom, I would encourage you to get very practical. Carve out space once a week to write and guard that time. Put away your phone. Put away the world’s definition of success. Create an achievable goal and a corresponding timeline. Decide what you want to write about ahead of time. Tell a few trusted friends your plan and ask them to keep you accountable. Lean into your GCD writing community. Get feedback and share your work.
“Then, watch in wonder as God causes the seeds you have planted—by His Spirit, in His power, for His glory—to grow into something new, something beautiful.”
[TF]: “Caroline, thank you for these words and for creating music that sows ‘goodness, light, truth, and beauty.’ Could you leave us with a few lines from a song of yours that points to the hope we have as exiles in the already and the not yet?”
[CC]: “Sure! The first song that comes to mind is ‘Comfort, Oh Comfort,’ which comes from passages and imagery in the book of Isaiah. Other songs that specifically do this would be ‘Behold, Behold’ (Revelation), ‘Be On the Lookout,’ and ‘There Will Be a Day’ (Isaiah 2).”
“Comfort, oh comfort
To every place that is scorched and dry
Comfort, speak comfort
To every darkness in need of the light
In the wilderness, the green of Eden
In the wasteland, the garden blooms
Up from the desert, springs a river
For He is making everything new
Comfort, oh comfort
There is a highway through this dry land
They will call him a Man of Sorrows
And like a seed, buried deep to rise again
In the wilderness, the green of Eden
In the wasteland, the garden blooms
Up from the desert, springs a river
For He is making everything new
Comfort, oh comfort
For the ransomed will return with a song
And with joy, we’ll come into Zion
And all our sorrow, all our sighing will be gone
In the wilderness, the green of Eden
In the wasteland, the garden blooms
Up from the desert, springs a river
For He is making everything new”
To learn more about the GCD Writer’s Guild and how you can join this community, follow the link!
Caroline Cobb is a singer-songwriter and author who loves to tell God’s Story, helping you rehearse and respond to it as you go about your everyday life. Caroline has released five “Story-telling” albums, including Psalms: The Poetry of Prayer, and she recently published her first book, Advent for Exiles: 25 Devotions to Awaken Gospel Hope in Every Longing Heart. Her work can be found at Christianity Today, The Gospel Coalition, The Rabbit Room, Risen Motherhood and more. Caroline and her husband Nick live in Dallas with their children Ellie, Harrison, and Libby where they are members of White Rock Fellowship.
