Radio single "Satellites" (Jake Niemi Radio Remix) by Jason Eaton Band has permeated my soul, and I find myself regularly singing the hope-filled lyrics written from God's perspective: "Never gonna let you go / I'm always going to be there / My love for you will never change / that's how much that I care."

The song really brings me comfort, especially in the bridge "It took a whole lot to give / It took a whole lot to do / It took a whole lot of love / To give My life for you!" The song is great for fans of emotional alt-rock like "Just Say Jesus" by 7eventh Time Down. I had the chance to speak with Jason Eaton and guitarist Mark Maggard about the song.

Please tell me the personal story behind this song.

Mark: March 21, 2013 I began working on this song. The line "never gonna let you go, I'm always gonna be there" came to me, and it reminded me of God's love for us as expressed in Luke 15 where Jesus shared about leaving the 99 sheep to find the one lost sheep. Then, later in Luke 19, Jesus tells us "the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost." So, I wrote the song and brought it to the band, and the guys liked it. At the time we were writing songs for our upcoming album and we had 8 or 10 songs written. Our producer/co-writer for Satellites, Kene Bell, who is also a 2 time Dove and Grammy winner, selected this song to be our lead single. We are so blessed to have Kene on this project!

He had some ideas for the song which included bringing out the reggae guitar part. I was actually trying to conceal that aspect of the guitar part, but when our bass player heard the song, he started playing a reggae bass line. I told him to just play a smooth bass line instead. A month later, our producer worked with us to finish the song, Jason's vocals, and the vision of bringing out the reggae feel of the song. We composed the final version together. At the end of that session, we felt really good about what we had.

Jason: There were also a lot more lyrics originally, but we decided to simplify the song and worked together on that. We wanted to make it a concise message. Zephaniah 3:17 is my favorite Bible passage. I've been a singer as long as I can remember, and singing has been a big part of my life. When I was a teenager and gave my life to Christ, I really started diving in with some heavy vocal training, and in my personal Bible study read that passage about God singing over me.

It really resonated with me because I had never really thought of God as a singer. I knew He created music, but I never thought of God singing over me. To know that my aroma, if you will, is so pleasing to God that He would sing to me really connects with me. I sing to my children and my wife out of love. Magnifying that by how much God loves us and expresses that by singing over us is very powerful and moving.

Which Bible verses connect to the message of the song?

Luke 15:4 (VOICE): Jesus: "Wouldn't every single one of you, if you have 100 sheep and lose one, leave the 99 in their grazing lands and go out searching for the lost sheep until you find it?"

Luke 19:10 (NKJV): "For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost"

Zephaniah 3:17 (NKJV): "The Lord your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing."

What is the takeaway message?

Jason: I really hope people take that message away of how much God loves them, and loves us so much that He is singing over us. We have another song, "Who Am I," which is also based on Zephaniah 3:17 with the perspective of God asking the question, "Who Am I to you?" A lot of our songs have that bent of God talking to us as His children. If you've ever seen a map of the satellites in the sky, they literally cover the globe and you can't even see the planet when you magnify the images of all of those satellites.

Mark: For me, what Jesus did on the Cross is the most important thing. It is liberating and amazing. The concept is so significant, and the love of Jesus is worth pondering daily. That is love in action, atoning for our sins.

The song is being sung from God's perspective. For us, the focus of our ministry is an extension of the same mission as the church, to exalt Jesus, to evangelize the lost and to edify the church, building up God's people. How do you do that? Exalting Jesus is step one. Our music is Christo-centric, God-centered. Satellites are just an example of the accessibility of God. They are always crossing the sky.

Lyrics:
Never gonna let you go
I'm always gonna be there
My love for you will never change
That's how much that I care
The sunshine and the rain
Will get you through your pain
My number's never gonna change
So call me any day or night
Anytime

Satellites across the sky
Any day or night, anytime
Fireflies light the sky

Always gonna let you know
How I'm gonna be there
My love for you will never change
That's how much that I care

The sunshine and the rain
I'll carry you through the pain
My number will stay the same
So call me any day or night
Anytime

Satellites across the sky
Any day or night, anytime
Fireflies light the sky

Any day or night
I'll be by your side
Day or night
Anytime, anytime

It took a whole lot to give
It took a whole lot to do
It took a whole lot of love
To do what I came to do
It took a whole lot to give
It took a whole lot to do
It took a whole lot of love
To give My life for you

Any day or night
Anytime
Satellites cross the sky
Any day or night, anytime
Fireflies light the sky

Any day or night
I'll be by your side
Day or night
Anytime, anytime

Any day or night
Anytime
Satellites cross the sky
Any day or night, anytime
Fireflies light the sky

It has been said that people remember song lyrics better than sermons. This is a wonderful opportunity for songwriters to share the truth of the Gospel in Christian music, which is how I was led to Christ.

The beauty of a song like "Satellites" is to allow the concept of God singing these words of comfort over us and to celebrate His joyfulness in finding His lost sheep. It is a beautiful picture of His love for us. When you listen to the song, allow the thought of Jesus singing "It took a whole lot of love to give My life for you" to bring you to a place of worship. He wants a relationship with us, and He is rejoicing over us with singing, which blows me away every time I think about Zephaniah 3:17.

The key takeaway for the song is found in these lyrics: "Always gonna let you know how I'm gonna be there / my love for you will never change / that's how much that I care." You don't have to strive anymore. You can't earn your way into Heaven. Jesus already paid that price for us. When you are feeling alone or confused about the world and life is overwhelming, you can always know that Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today, and forever. His love for us will never change, and nothing can separate us from it. That's cause to celebrate. Satellites are described as heavenly bodies circling the world, observing and advising it. Look up to Heaven and know that's where our Help and our Hope comes from. Amen to that!

(Watch the music video here.)