I remember the first time I heard debut hit single "Run" by Kutless in 2002. I was a new believer, and the band won me over with the emotional and prayerful lyrics from God's perspective: "Why do you run, why do you hide? Oh don't you know I just, just want to be with you?" I can't listen to the last stanza without getting emotional: "Find a place of solitude, and I'll speak to you as you pray to Me. Don't you know I'm waiting here, waiting for you to read and hear My Words. I'm waiting here missing the time the times we shared, well, please come to Me."
 
Following the worshipful 2014 release Glory, Kutless deepens its catalog of worship offerings with Surrender, an electrifying set of hard-edged rock-and-worship originals. The group's ninth album for BEC Recordings brings back the heavy sound that launched their career woven with vertical lyrics of praise, including lead single "Bring It On." The heart of worship is something the band loves bringing to their audiences, sharing and coming together as one to give glory to God. I had the chance to speak with Kutless lead singer Jon Micah Sumrall about "Bring It On."
 
Please tell me the personal story behind this song.
 
The idea behind this whole song is that I feel whenever I see the news, there are constantly these horrible things happening. Day after day, how many more terrible things can we see and hear about? Traveling as we do as a band, we get a read on our country and our culture. As we travel around the world through different countries and regions of the world, we're left with this feeling that the world is getting darker and darker. In the fifteen years we've been doing this as a band, it seems like it has gotten worse. You're left wondering what is going on, and it's easy to get focused on the darkness. 
 
Thinking about that, it's not about the darkness. We're not meant to focus on darkness, but on God and hope and His love. The hope for believers is that Christ is coming back one day and He'll make all the wrongs right. He'll push out all of the darkness when He brings in His Kingdom. Right now, the world is under the rule of Satan. Of course that's why it's so dark. When Christ comes back and sets everything right, that's something we can look forward to and get excited about.
 
Which Bible verses connect to the message of the song?
 
Luke 11:1-4 (NKJV): Now it came to pass as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples." So He said to them, "When you pray, say: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
 
John 15:20 (NIV): Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his Master.' If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed My teaching, they will obey yours also.
 
John 16:33 (NIV): "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
 
Acts 20:24 (NKJV): "But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God."
 
Revelation 22:20 (NKJV): He who testifies to these things says, "Surely I am coming quickly." Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
 
What is the takeaway message of the song and album?
 
We wanted this song to point people to hope, looking for Christ's return and not focusing so much on the tragedies and darkness. We get caught up in these movements about whatever is wrong, and then whatever is wrong that we protest creates new problems. We get violence and unrest. We focus on the wrong stuff by looking at the darkness. We end up creating more darkness.
 
This song is all about saying "God, bring in Your Kingdom." We can't wait. We want Him to come back and make things right. That's what we're going to focus on and look forward to. It's not just that God's coming at an undisclosed time in the future, and we're on our own until then. God is here and active and a part of our lives now, but this world is under the reign of darkness and death. Until Christ comes back and resets all of that, we'll continue to struggle, but it doesn't mean we are totally on our own.
 
From a sonic perspective, we started out as a west coast rock band in the late 1990's. We've incorporated that into our worship music as well, like with "Strong Tower," which is a guitar-driven song. We worked with our original producer Aaron Sprinkle again for Surrender, and we had a blast making this album. There's a lot of qualities from our earlier album that you'll hear in this new album. I'm excited about it, and people who have listened to us for a long time should enjoy it. There's something for everyone on the album.
 
The album is called Surrender because that's a theme that runs through a lot of the songs. God's been teaching me that I need to trust Him and surrender to Him. I've tried to fix things on my own, and sometimes I can't fix it. The Lord has shown me that I shouldn't try to do things in my own strength, and rather than relying on my own strength God has positioned and put me in situations that were bigger than I could handle and out of my control. Instead of putting on my work gloves, I have been hitting my knees. I've seen how God comes in at the eleventh hour so that He alone is glorified and we can't take any credit. Learning to surrender and trusting God in that way has been huge exercise of true faith.
 
Lyrics:
All the pain in the headlines
All the heartache of our crimes
The innocent, the helpless, here and gone
So we call out to Your name, save us, from our shame.
We're crying out to heaven, how long…
 
There's a new world on the way
When this one is gone, gone, gone
We're ready Jesus, bring it on, bring it on
We've had enough of darkness
We're waiting for the dawn
There's a kingdom coming
Bring it on, bring it on, bring it on
 
We are holding, to the promise
Even now You are with us
Our every hope is in what You will do
Every wrong will be made right
Every tear will run dry
We're praying that day is coming soon
 
We're waiting… We're waiting for You Jesus
We're waiting, for You
 
This song has a catchy and engaging feel, and the theme is a great reminder and challenge to say "bring it on" for Christ in our worldly culture and society. As we look at the fallen world around us, we all need to lift our eyes up to God and put all of our faith and hope in Him. For the saved in Christ, one day "God will wipe away every tear, there will be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying." As believers, we all need to live for Heaven and not get depressed or angry about our fallen world. Pain and suffering point us to God and how much we need Him.
 
Persecution of our church in America is coming. Certainly we face daily spiritual warfare. The Lord also tells us about sifting wheat and chaff in His Word. This album lights a fire in Christians to know and proclaim what you stand for, no matter what the world tells you to do. Don't compromise. Don't forsake God or be ashamed of the Gospel. Stand up for what you believe. There is an infectious urgency to this song. As we live in these last days, it is very important to think about what you would be found doing if the Lord were to return today. 
 
This song has become my personal anthem, and I sing along at the top of my lungs the sincere and emotive lyrics of hope that something better is coming in the refrain: "There's a new world on the way, when this one is gone, gone, gone, we're ready Jesus, bring it on, bring it on." The song also causes my heart to sing along with this glorious promise in Revelation 22:20: "He who testifies to these things says, 'Surely I am coming quickly.' Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!"
Amen to that!
 
Watch the music video below.