One of my favorite new worship albums of the year is Melody of Love by Christ for the Nations Worship, who originally introduced the worship classic "Revelation Song." These ambient and beautiful offerings are highlighted by several fresh, distinctive and emotive vocalists, including Leeland Mooring ("Lion and the Lamb"). I'm really engaged by the deep, prayerful and vertical lyrics.
If you are looking for new worship songs to sing with fellow believers, this album is chock-full of congregational offerings, especially "Melody of Love," "I Give It All I Surrender," "Burn Spirit of God," "There Is No One Like You," "Take Us In" and "Incredible Love," which all sing about a passionate pursuit of God and knowing the depths of His love for us. I had the opportunity to interview Hannah Holland about "At the Name of Jesus."
Please tell me the personal story behind this song.
I love songwriting because I feel really close to God when I'm writing a song. A lot of times it's a prayer or based on a Bible passage that inspires me. Other times, I'll put myself in a Bible story.
For this song, one day I was looking up at the big trees in my grandma's backyard, looking up at the sky and thinking about God. I was reading Philippians 2:10, and I was reading it in a new way that day. Thinking about how big God is, there's nothing too big for Him. He's Lord of all. That revelation hit me that day in a new way that I hadn't thought about before. That's the story of how I wrote part of the song, the pre-chorus and the chorus.
My favorite part of the song is the bridge, which sings "Greater than disappointments, stronger than sin's offense, higher than any other, nothing can stand against." I really like the line "greater than disappointments," and I've noticed the students have all connected with those lyrics. We've all struggled with that at some time, whether about our circumstances or another person or a situation in our lives. God is greater than that, and He walks us through disappointments.
Which Bible verses connect to the message of the song?
Philippians 2:3-4(NIV): "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others."
Philippians 2:10-11(NIV): "That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
Philippians 3:7-11(NIV): "But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead."
Philippians 3:13-14(NKJV): "Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."
Psalm 63:2-4(NKJV): "I have seen You in the sanctuary and beheld Your power and Your glory. Because Your love is better than life, my lips will glorify You. I will praise You as long as I live, and in Your name I will lift up my hands."
Jeremiah 29:13(NIV): "You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart."
What is the takeaway message?
When we step back and look at things from God's perspective and not just the moment we are in but an eternal perspective that He has for us, He's working everything for good. You can then have a peace and a satisfaction that you wouldn't find in any place other than in His presence.
The bridge has the powerful declaration that "He reigns." I can sing that over my situation, my life, my family. Here at Christ for the Nations, we can sing it over nations and over the world. Not only is it a declaration of His Kingship and how He is victorious in wars, but also He reigns over our souls, and He is in control of everything. "He reigns" is simple, and it's true.
There are two main threads in this album, His Lordship and His love. "Incredible Love" and "Melody of Love" sing of His love, and this song and others sing about how Sovereign God is over our lives and how personally involved He is with each of us. My prayer is that as people hear this album, each song will minister to them and they will hear how He reigns and He is our King, and He also cares about the tiniest details of our lives and wants a relationship with us.
Lyrics: There is a Name the Father gave the Son
There is a Name that we can call upon
Mountains shake, creation trembles
At the name of Jesus
The enemy shakes, his demons tremble
At the name of Jesus
Every knee will bow
Every heart declare
Jesus Christ our King
Shall reign forevermore
He reigns
There is a Name more brilliant than the sun
There is a Name our hope is built upon
Greater than disappointments
Stronger than sin's offense
Higher than any other
Nothing can stand against
Brighter than earthly glory
Banner and strong defense
And at the name of Jesus
Heaven begins to dance
He reigns
God tells us in the Bible that we are all sinners, and we've all fallen short. We need to serve God because of who He is, not what He does for us. God doesn't promise to spare us from pain, but we need to trust Him. You have to trust Him and wait on Him, wait for Him to orchestrate the plans for your life.
You can take comfort in these words from Philippians 3: "I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things." As the song sings, God is "greater than disappointments." We have nothing to bring to God, and maybe we expect something in return instead of recognizing that nothing compares to the greatness of knowing Jesus. Faith is when we are empty of ourselves and filled with Him and His Holy Spirit.
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. According to God's Word in Jeremiah 29:13, we need to search for God with all of our heart, then we will find Him. In our fast-paced society, how often are we dedicating our whole heart to God? Do we offer up half-hearted prayers, or do we seek Him with all of our heart?
This song totally moves me in my personal worship time. The theme of this song should be the heartbeat of every faithful Christian, and you'll be raising your heart and hands in worship along with it. I'm completely convicted by the strong lyrics and find immense comfort in its truth. Commit your heart to Jesus as your first love. Make it your heart's cry to join in and sing along, "every knee will bow, every heart declare, Jesus Christ our King shall reign forevermore, He reigns." Amen to that!
Watch the music video below.
NRT Lead Contributor Kevin Davis is a longtime fan of Christian music, an avid music collector and credits the message of Christian music for leading him to Christ. He lives in Pennsylvania with his wife and three daughters.
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