Jamie Grace's latest song, "Beautiful Day," from her new album, Ready To Fly, is more than just a fun, catchy tune. 

Like David writing his Psalms filled with songs of joy to the Lord, and like Jamie's previous album, One Song at a Time, this song has a modern day melody and message that we all need to hear: "take me away on this beautiful day."

I have three young daughters and they are super excited to hear a new album loaded with more upbeat and edifying messages by one of their favorite female artists. As a Christian father, I couldn't be happier with these new vulnerable and confessional offerings. I love how Jamie is expressing such important topics as purity and identity in a fun and relatable way. An example of that type of song is her hit single, "Beautiful Day." I interviewed Jamie about the song.

Please tell me the personal story behind writing this song.

This song started in the studio. I was with my producer, Chris Stevens, and we didn't have the album finished but we were pretty sure about most of the songs that were going to be included. We knew we had agreement but we weren't sure exactly what we agreed about. We thought maybe there was another song out there before we finalized the idea for this song. We started playing around with some guitar parts, and then he asked me to get on the microphone. 

I started singing some random melodies, vocal ad libs, and scatting, and we ended up using a lot of those melodies in the intro of this song from that first writing session. From there we felt like we had a melody. We brought in TobyMac to help with some lyrics, and then we brought in my sister Morgan Harper-Nichols as the fourth writer on the song. It was a very collaborative and impromptu writing session. We were supposed to be working on something else, and thought, "Why don't we try just one more time to sing a new song?" We did, and we ended up really liking it. It was very spontaneous, and I feel like it was a God thing. We can't plan for those God moments.

Which Bible verses connect to the message of the song?

Psalm 118:24 (NKJV): "This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it."

Psalm 59:16-17 (The Voice): "But me? I will sing of Your strength. I will awake with the sun to sing of Your loving mercy Because in my most troubled hour, You defended me. You were my shelter. I will lift my voice to sing Your praise, O my Strength—for You came to my defense. O God, You have shown me Your loving mercy."

Psalm 33:3 (The Voice): "Sing to Him a new song; play each the best way you can, and don't be afraid to be bold with your joyful feelings."

What is the takeaway message?

This song has a message saying that in spite of what we're going through, every day is a good and incredible gift because God made it. In my young life I learned that every day can begin worshiping my Creator. The entire concept of the album is being ready even when you don't know what the Lord has planned for your future. I realized I don't have to have my whole life figured out to start my journey. This record is about being in the waiting with God, yet while you're waiting being ready to move, ready to fly, when the timing is right. 

Our joy can't be dictated by what our day looks like. God is our refuge. We may not always feel good or right or going the way we prefer, but we need to focus on the blessings that God has given us. The only way to do that is choosing every morning, every hour sometimes, to humble ourselves and run to God as our refuge and our strength and to center our lives on Him. 

So many times, in church or in community we are encouraged to think when good things are happening or things are going our way or the fight is over, then it's a beautiful day and a good time to worship the Lord. That's true, but we should also worship the Lord in the days where it is not necessarily going the way we've planned or things are not going how we'd prefer them to go. When our prayers don't get answered the way we thought they should have been answered. Still, those are beautiful days. 

I remember being a kid growing up and I would say, "This is not my day," or, "I'm having a bad day," and my dad would always say to me, and still does, "this is the day the Lord has made, rejoice and be glad in it" from Psalm 118. This doesn't have to be your day, and everything may not go the way you want it to go, but today is God's day and that's worth rejoicing about. I was taught that growing up and I saw it modeled before me. My parents went through so much, and my dad is pastor of a church that he started when I was a baby. 

This song is about seeing each day as beautiful and rejoicing and being glad in it. There were days when we were struggling to pay the bills, and I was really sick, and we thought we would lose our church building, like all families that face difficulties, and I still remember seeing my parents worship the Lord and praising Him, and not allowing their situation depict how they were going to worship Him. I saw that from a very early age and I was so blessed by that. I've taken that experience into the song. It's not just about days when the sun is shining, but also when the earth is shaking and the skies are falling, the Lord's love, and His peace and comfort are still standing strong.

Lyrics:
Wake up and smile cause it's been awhile
It's been like a whole day since I stopped so You could hold me
This child awaits, strong in the faith
Lord you are the refuge that I can't wait to get to
'Cause I can't let a day go
Can't let a day go by
Without thanking You for the joy that You bring to my life

And ooh there's something 'bout the way Your sun shines on my face
It's a love so true, I could never get enough of You
This feeling can't be wrong, I'm about to get my worship on
Take me away, It's a beautiful day

When trouble seems to rain on my dreams
It's not a big, not a big deal, Let it wash all the bugs off my windshield
'Cause You're showing me in You I'm free
And You're still the refuge that I've just got to get to
So I won't let a day go
Won't let a day go by
So put the drop-top down, turn it up, I'm ready to fly

And ooh there's something 'bout the way Your sun shines on my face
It's a love so true, I could never get enough of You
This feeling can't be wrong, I'm about to get my worship on
Take me away, It's a beautiful day

I've got no need to worry, I've got no room for doubt
No matter what's coming at me, You'll always be the beautiful I sing about
There ain't no limitations to Your amazing grace
And there's something 'bout the way Your love shines on my face
Oh no I could never get enough of You
This feeling can't be wrong, I'm about to get my worship on
I'm gonna sing a brand new song, Yeah I'm about to get my worship on
Take me away on this beautiful day

In describing the writing process of the song, I love how Jamie said some of the lyrics of the song, "sing a brand new song," which is also the Scriptural connection and message behind this song, to "Sing to Him a new song" Psalm 33:3a (The Voice). 

The phrase "sing a new song" is found a few times in the Psalms, and I love the rest of the translation of Psalm 33:3b: "play each the best way you can, and don't be afraid to be bold with your joyful feelings" (The Voice). That type of biblical exhortation is exactly what Jamie is doing with this wonderful new song of praise and joy, dancing before the Lord like David. 

One of the key messages found in this album is to not have your joy be based on your circumstances. Jamie has had to deal with health issues, including her Tourette's Syndrome, and has not allowed that to diminish "getting her worship on" for God. If there's a word that best describes Jamie's music ministry, it is joyful. That's a wonderful testimony to the Truth of God's Word which consistently tells us to not be afraid to be bold, and to not be ashamed of the Gospel. This song is a great way to express that joy, thankfulness and dedication to God that we should all have as followers of Jesus.

(Watch the lyric video here.)