Pray for Jerusalem | with Aaron Shust | episode 285

Bonjour! Stephanie here. I am excited to share the inspiring insights from my recent conversation with recording artist Aaron Shust on the Gospel Spice podcast! Together we invite you to journey deeper into faith through worship. Aaron opened up about his faith journey, music career, and deep connection to scripture and different cultural influences.

Listen here: https://www.podcastics.com/episode/280030/link/ 

You can also watch the conversation on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/gospelspice 

Aaron and I discussed the importance of experiencing Scripture through different perspectives and interpretations, emphasizing the value of humility and teachability in growing in faith. He shared how diverse cultural influences have shaped his songwriting and deepened his understanding of God's word, with a key focus on the Messianic Jewish culture.

 Aaron remains truly humble and teachable, as well as always curious to learn more. This is the hallmark of someone who is walking closely with the Lord. God gets all the glory, and we get to delight in Him through it! It is essential to surround ourselves with people who inspire us to walk closer to God.

Inspired by his experiences and love for Scripture, Aaron shared his ongoing desire to pray for the peace of Jerusalem, leading to the creation of his latest song, "Pray for Jerusalem" based on Psalm 122. His commitment to writing songs based on Scripture is truly a testament to God’s faithfulness and goodness, and the depth of Aaron’s faith and creativity.

MORE ABOUT WHAT TO EXPECT IN THIS CONVERSATION

Stephanie welcomes acclaimed worship leader and songwriter Aaron Shust to discuss his inspiring journey as a musician and a devoted follower of Christ. Aaron shares how his deep-rooted faith has not only shaped his musical compositions, but also transformed his spiritual walk.

Aaron Shust's artistic evolution presents a compelling narrative of exploration and cultural immersion. His pilgrimage to Israel in 2016 served as a catalyst, reigniting his fascination with ancient traditions and compelling him to delve into the practices of messianic Jewish communities. This journey ignited a creative flame within Aaron, prompting him to infuse his songwriting with influences from his global travels, including the captivating sounds of Scottish music and the evocative melodies of Middle Eastern traditions. By embracing sonic elements from his expeditions, Aaron adds a vibrant and culturally diverse dimension to his musical repertoire.

Aaron Shust's latest endeavor, "Pray for Jerusalem," stands as a testament to his unwavering dedication to encapsulating scriptural inspiration within his music. Rooted in the profound call to pray for the peace of Jerusalem, this poignant composition echoes the enduring devotion to scriptural narratives, weaving together the threads of prayer, faith, and melodic exaltation. Through this musical creation, Aaron extends an invitation to unite in prayer for the ancient city, encapsulating the spiritual essence of the Scriptures through his heartfelt melodies.

Growing up in a family immersed in a love for both the Bible and music, Aaron's childhood was shaped by the harmonious fusion of these two elements. His early exposure to the Hebrew scriptures, coupled with his mother's affinity for music featuring the word Yeshua, laid the groundwork for a profound connection between faith and melody. Central to Aaron Shust's creative process is the imbuing of his compositions with the profound essence of Scripture. His deep reverence for biblical teachings and Jesus' words has led him to craft songs that serve as soul-stirring embodiments of faith and reverence. By weaving the timeless wisdom of Scripture into his musical tapestry, Aaron breathes life into age-old verses, ushering his listeners into a realm of spiritual contemplation and melody. His musical creations exemplify a harmonious marriage of faith and artistry, igniting the hearts of his audience with the eternal resonance of God's word.

Aaron Shust's captivating account unravels the profound interplay between faith, musical expression, and the timeless resonance of scripture. It is a joy and a delight to welcome him on Gospel Spice this week!

A FEW OF AARON SHUST’S MOST POPULAR SONGS:

My Savior, my God (2006)

To God alone (2009)

My hope is in You (2011)

Cornerstone (2014)

No one higher (2014)

Ever be (2016)

MORE ABOUT AARON SHUST

Aaron’s fascination with music—with unique sounds, melodies, progressions, and techniques—has always been a salient part of who he is. From an early age, Aaron has felt most at home in front of a piano. Just as innate to Aaron is his love of God’s Word—of wrestling with the Scriptures, with the hard and beautiful things they say, and the way they foretell and fulfill a picture of a suffering servant, King Jesus.

You’ll hear these twin loves in Shust’s music, from his debut success with “My Savior My God,” winning the 2007 New Artist, Songwriter and Song of the Year. Later, as he grappled with a surprise Down Syndrome diagnosis for one son and waged a war with chronic illness for two, he continued to declare “My Hope is in You,” a song which spent 14 weeks at #1, and “Ever Be,” which debuted at #3 on the NCA chart. Aaron bolsters the faith of his listeners and surprises them, too, as with his 2014 Christmas Album Unto Us, recorded with the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra. With this collection, Shust turns conventional classics into something fresh and adds his own work to the canon of Christmas music.

Over the past several years, Aaron has delved deeply into friendship with Messianic Jews, both in Nashville and Israel, as well as into the Hebrew Scriptures and Jewish tradition that they yield. Here, Aaron and his family have found not only friendship, but also a depth of insight into the rich background of the Yeshua Aaron proclaims, and what this depth of meaning can bring to believers today.

You’ll hear the reverence Aaron has developed for this Jewish heritage in Heaven + Earth: The Psalms Project. From melodic patterns and Middle Eastern instruments to passages sung in Hebrew and collaboration with Israeli musicians, Shust is determined that the listener will steep in the Psalmist’s musical vocabulary and therefore, have an intimate and imaginatively accurate experience of this ancient treasure of praise, lament, and contemplation.

Shust, a native of Pittsburgh, makes his home in Nashville with his wife Sarah and their sons Daniel, Nick, and Michael, as well as a growing menagerie of pets.

Connect with Aaron at https://www.aaronshust.com/ as well as YouTube and on social media.