Worry is a ruthless and an inexorable boss to work for.Those of us who have toiled for him know:not only is worry is notorious in not paying any dividends for our tomorrows, but he robs us of todays strength.Yet, in our foolishness we are often more than eager to sign up whenever his recruitment notice gets uploaded.And as soon as we are in his employment we know the awaiting tyranny that no Union can rescind.We have all been there.Its 3 am in the morningeven the family dog is asleepbut we are wide awake, tossing, turning and staring into the ceiling.We have tried counting sheep but when it comes to sheep number 39 we drift back to grinding our worrisome millstone. Instead of counting sheep, Michael Sykes recommends that only way to pry away the onerous clutches of worry is to pray.3 AM, which contains 10 prayers and devotional songs and 2 instrumental interludes, helps us to combat the tyranny of worry.

Almost everyone in the music scene knows who Sykes is.Over the years, Sykes has amassed for himself over a dozen Dove ward wins and multiple Grammy nominations as a singer, composer as well as a producer.But it is in the last category that Sykes shows his flying colors.He has produced some of the land mark records of Southern Gospel/Christian music including the iconic Oak Ridge Boys Dove award winning From the Heart, Canton Junctions Show Me the Way, Gaither Vocal Bands Pure and Simple and the recently released Cornerstone Sanctuary Choirs Glorify.While many of the records Sykes have helmed are variegated in tempo with some (like the latest Cornerstone Sanctuary Choirs latest effort) even veering on the majestic, 3 AM is a ratiocinative affair.It is like what Nebraska is to Bruce Springsteen or The Calling is to Mary Chapin Carpenter, 3 AM is an acoustically driven album full of ballads with lyrics that are reflective, personal and at times honestly raw.

Call My Heart is what sets the ball rolling.The song recalls Sykes waking up at 3 am one Tuesday morning plagued with a worrisome soul.Instead of allowing his famished appetite to feast on worries, he turned rather to God. Sykes raspy breathy vocals convey such vulnerability as well as sheer honesty that truly ministers to those of us who have allowed worries to rob us of our sleep.Hitting the nail on the head as to the cause of our worries is the piano based Risk.Often our worries burgeoned from our insistence of us wanting to own our tomorrows; we want simply to be in control.Here God through Sykes gently asks us:Would you gamble on a dime/Would you walk and follow blindly/When youll never see/Would you risk it all/Risk it all for me. Hold Me, Jesus is a heart tugging screed spotting the inner turmoil within our hearts in our inability to fully trust Jesus.Thus, instead of pushing us to try harder, Sykes asks for Jesus to hold us in our times of our weaknesses. Refining Fire, on the other hand, deals with the tacit value of trials over a countrified guitar-laden setting.

The instrumental Relentless the Winds though having an inveigling title actually has a soothing tenure reminding us that though the storms may be relentless, we would trust in the Lord are always protected.And the ensuing track He Whispers Sweet Peace puts to words such a truth in this hymn-like worship ballad.At the end of the day, it all boils down to who our boss is.If we work for worry, the remuneration is nothing but destruction.But if its the Lord we serve, then not only will our tomorrows be superannuated, but our todays will be filled with joy.