Being a dad of three homeschooled girls myself, I was intrigued to see the band OBB perform a set of their songs at Winter Jam last month. The band is made up of three homeschooled brothers, Zach, Jacob and Nicholas Oswald (their name stands for "Oswald Brothers Band"). Having already been a part of the massively successful Winter Jam tour in the past, the band has reappeared throughout the winter of 2017 performing in front of an expected 750,000 people.

My middle daughter and I enjoyed their energetic set of songs, highlighted by a party atmosphere during their closing song "Alright" and their newest single "Sweater" from their upcoming album. Last year, they released a worshipful single "I Need You," which showcases the band's sincere songwriting and vertical focus. I had the chance to speak with OBB in-person at Winter Jam in Reading, Pennsylvania about "I Need You."

Please tell me the personal story behind this song.

Zach: I'm the oldest brother, and when we wrote this song we were really all in a place where we had been broken more than ever before. Our family was going through a time this past year where God was calling us to make a really big change in our lives. He called us to sell our house and go on the road full-time, which was a pretty big adjustment. Being three brothers, we are used to each other, but people don't realize that we also travel with our parents full-time on the road. It is a blessing to have us all together, and it brings a set of challenges as well. 

God was laying it on our family's hearts to sell our house and buy a bus. If you haven't been on a tour bus, they aren't the most spacious place in the world. We sold our house we'd lived in for 18 years, bought the bus and now travel full-time. As we were going through that transition, we were going through the difficulties of space and not having the money for both a house and bus, and we were praying to God "we need You to help us get through this situation." We have struggles, and this song was our prayer. 

Which Bible verses connect to the message of the song?

Psalm 139:1-10 (NKJV): "O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, And are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, But behold, O Lord, You know it altogether. You have hedged me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is high, I cannot attain it. Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.  If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, Even there Your hand shall lead me, And Your right hand shall hold me."

Psalm 150:2 (Voice): Praise Him for His powerful acts, redeeming His people. Praise Him for His greatness that surpasses our time and understanding.
 
Psalm 33:3 (NKJV): Sing to Him a new song; Play skillfully with a shout of joy.
 
Psalm 40:17 (Voice): Meanwhile, I am empty and need so much, but I know the Lord is thinking of me. You are my help; only You can save me, my True God. Please hurry.

Romans 8:28 (Voice): We are confident that God is able to orchestrate everything to work toward something good and beautiful when we love Him and accept His invitation to live according to His plan.

What is the takeaway message?

Zach: Something that really resonates with me in this song is that we don't just say "I need You" once in our lives or in the song, but we need to say "I need You" every single day. I need You God today, I need You God today, I need You God this second. That's why we wrote this song. We don't ever want to stop saying that or think we have it all figured out on our own. We need to keep saying to God "I need You," and always remember that. 

I think as we were writing the song and reading the Psalms, we were thinking of how we would say some of those thoughts as a modern psalm and take these biblical truths like David crying out to God, and say how would we end up saying those thoughts to God?

Jacob: From our set at Winter Jam, we want people to get to know us. We're putting our hearts out there and letting people know we are homeschooled. During our songs, and our last song "Alright" as part of the pre-Jam party, we get to let people know that if we put our faith in God, it's all going to be alright. 

We love to be connected with our fans, so follow us on our social media sites. People who come see us, we want to get to know you, meet you, get to know your story and pray with you. We are very interactive with our friends and followers, and that's part of our ministry.

Lyrics:
First thing I remember
Staring up at the sky
Arms raised up to heaven
My heart comin' alive

A tidal wave of surrender
Was redefining my life
With everything that was in me
Singing out like

I need You
I need You
Oh my God, I need You
Everything my soul requires is found in You

Like the air that I breathe,
You are running through me
Oh, in life and death and all that I go through

I need You
I need You
Oohoohooh I need You

There are times that I'm running
There are times that I fall
But I know You are beside me
Through it all

Wherever I go, yeah
Whatever I do
I can't do it alone, no
I can't do it alone

I need You
I need You
Oh my God, I need You
Everything my soul requires is found in You

Like the air that I breathe,
You are running through me
Oh, in life and death and all that I go through

I need You
I need You
Oohoohooh I need You

Oh, and I could search the world and never find a love like Yours
My heart would be forever lost without You
You

And time will pass
The years will fade.
And the only thing that will remain is the Hope that I can only find in You
You

I need You
I need You
Oh my God, I need You
Everything my soul requires is found in You

Like the air that I breathe,
You are running through me
Oh, in life and death and all that I go through
I need You
I need You
Oh my God I need You
Everything my soul requires is found in You
Like the air that I breathe,
You are running through me
Oh, in life and death and all that I go through 
I need You
I need You
I need You
I need You

God has a plan for "those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28). We really bring nothing to the table. I feel like I am eavesdropping on the band's prayer when I sing along with this song. It's exactly my prayer to God as well. I want this song to be the words in the mouths of my wife and three daughters as well, for this to be their personal testimony. 

The devotional challenge in this song is to think about whether you believe every word when you sing along. Do you acknowledge that you need God like the air that you breathe? Do you recognize that God wants us to lean into Him and that everything your soul requires is found in Him? Allow the Truth to sink in that as believers, holiness, sanctification and being set apart for God's use is found by the indwelling of Christ and the Holy Spirit in each of us as followers of Jesus.

Everything we do is a ministry. Lift up your voice and your life to God and submit to Him. Joy isn't just a happy emotion. It is also a deep peace and understanding, knowing that we are loved without a shadow of a doubt. We should not be ashamed to sing of our dependence on God and show Him reverence. This is a great new worship song and I love to sing to Him: "Oh my God I need You, everything my soul requires is found in You. Like the air that I breathe, You are running through me, oh, in life and death and all that I go through, I need You." Amen to that!

Watch the lyric video below.