Your Mercy is the newest release from one of Christian music's most prolific and beloved worship leaders, Paul Baloche. His songs have blessed worshipers for twenty years, including cornerstones like "Open the Eyes of My Heart," "Hosanna (Praise is Rising)," "Above All," "Your Name," "Just to Be with You," "How Great is the Love," "The Same Love," "He is Risen" and "Your Mercy."

Those songs all express the deep love Jesus has for us and how His mercy and grace is something we don't deserve, which causes our hearts to overflow with gratefulness. His songs are great expressions of our thankfulness back to God. "More Than I Deserve" was co-written with Meredith Andrews and also appears on the Vertical Church Band album Frontiers, along with their version of "Your Mercy." Paul Baloche also has his own version of "Found in You" on his album Your Mercy. I had the chance to speak with Paul in person along with Andi Rozier at Vertical Nights Tour in Bensalem, Pennsylvania about "More Than I Deserve."

Please tell me the personal story behind this song.

One of us started off this songwriting session with that phrase, "more than I deserve," which is often how a song starts. I believe that phrase was in a journal. With my Catholic background, I tease how that could be thought of as a guilt-based concept, like saying I'm not worthy of grace, or coming from that perspective of not thinking you are qualified or good enough for God. Oftentimes a phrase like that can lead to thoughts, which leads to a song. 

We finished writing the song together, me, Meredith Andrews and her husband Jacob, in a garage with lawn mowers that smelled like gasoline, sitting on coolers. It was really hot that day. We were tweaking the verses, and I remember discussing with Jacob and Meredith our identity and how we sometimes measure our value, which can make us feel like we are worthy or unworthy, deserving or undeserving. We measure our value sometimes based on our performance or how we are doing. The discussion and dialog was about finding our identity, and we thought it would be cool to include the word "identity" in the lyrics, to sing and confess that in a worship song, like "this is who I am in Christ." We are daughters, we are sons, not because of who we are but because of what He has done.

Which Bible verses connect to the message of the song?

2 Corinthians 5:21 (NIV): God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.

Isaiah 64:4 (VOICE): Nothing like that had ever happened before--no eye had ever seen, and no ear had ever heard such wonders, But You did them then for the sake of Your people, for those who trusted in You.

1 Corinthians 2:9 (VOICE): But as the Scriptures say, No eye has ever seen and no ear has ever heard and it has never occurred to the human heart all the things God prepared for those who love Him.

Colossians 1:10-14 (NIV): And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Philippians 2:9-11 (VOICE): So God raised Him up to the highest place and gave Him the name above all. So when His name is called, every knee will bow, in heaven, on earth, and below. And every tongue will confess "Jesus, the Anointed One, is Lord," to the glory of God our Father!

Hebrews 2:17 (NIV): For this reason He had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that He might become a merciful and faithful High Priest in service to God, and that He might make atonement for the sins of the people.

Hebrews 4:15 (NKJV): For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. 

Revelation 21:5 (NIV): He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then He said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true."

What is the takeaway message?

The song includes the phrase "I'm known by You and loved." Oftentimes people are afraid of being really known and don't want people to know who they are. We make that confession and then confess that we have nothing left to prove or hide. Sometimes we only want people to know the best versions of ourselves, like on Facebook and Instagram where we are constantly putting out our best persona. 

When writing a song as a worship pastor, I'm mindful that as people sing this, I'm helping them by giving them a prayer to sing and help them express these thoughts. Mindful of that, we are trying to serve others with a song and prayer reinforcing who they are in Christ, giving them affirmations that they are covered by Your blood, known by You and loved, and my identity is knowing that I am Your child. 

In the Bible, when something is repeated we know that God wants us to remember it, so we repeat in the song "I am grateful to be called Your child." In the gift of Jesus, we get the gift of salvation, forgiveness, transformation, sanctification and all of the gifts He gives us as His children. His constant faithfulness is more than I deserve, and we want a posture of humility that apart from Him, we can do nothing. We have nothing to bring, but His grace and salvation is a gift, lest anyone should boast. By grace through faith we are saved. It is important to confess that more than all the riches of this world and all the treasures I could hold, what matters the most is Jesus. The song pivots from us and our identity to putting our eyes on Jesus and His Kingdom.

Lyrics:
I am covered by Your blood, I'm known by You and loved
With nothing left to prove or hide
By Your grace, I am redeemed and my identity
Is knowing that I am Your child
I am grateful to be called Your child
 
Oh what a gift You gave, oh what a price You paid
More than I deserve, more than I deserve
Your constant faithfulness, Your every promise is
More than I deserve, more than I deserve
 
You are generous and kind, Your presence satisfies
Calming every hidden fear
What a selfless sacrifice, the love that gave me life
Oh Lamb of God, You brought me here
 
More than all, more than all the riches of this world
More than all, more than all the treasure I could hold
More than all, more than all the riches of this world
More than all, more than all the treasure I could hold
 
For no eye has ever seen, no ear has ever heard
The glory that will be revealed
Every tear is wiped away, no sorrow will remain
The kingdoms of the earth will kneel
For the Kingdom of our God is here
More than I deserve

Worship is really about submission, and our roles as worshippers are really defined in this song: to just be amazed and in awe of God. Worship is about giving God our best, offering all of ourselves to Him. All we can do is submit to Him and give everything we have to Him. In any situation, God will make a way for His children. That passage from 1 Corinthians 10:13 is a wonderful promise. 

This song is a great celebratory anthem about what it means to have hope in Christ. Sometimes it is hard to believe that God loves us so much that He knows us intimately and wants to fill our hearts with love. We don't have to be pretend, hide, strive or stand on our tiptoes to meet some mark. He knows our brokenness inside and out, and because of what Jesus did on the Cross, He sees us as righteous. God sees us as He sees His Son. It's not our righteousness or appearance or talent or gifting, it is just Jesus. 

As Christians, we are God's adopted sons and daughters, and we are "fearfully and wonderfully made." Don't let the world tell you who you are. It doesn't matter what you look like if you have Jesus on the inside. That's where we can find our true identities, in Him. I'm completely convicted by the strong biblical lyrics and find immense comfort in this song. Commit your heart to Jesus as your first love. As we prepare for Easter, make it your heart's cry to join in and sing along: "Every tear is wiped away, no sorrow will remain, the kingdoms of the earth will kneel, for the Kingdom of our God is here, more than I deserve." Amen to that!

Listen to the song below.