It's been a few years since a movie hit the screen that could compel a variety of artists to lend their voices to a set of unique songs for an "inspired by" soundtrack. The Shack has proved to be a movie that could create just that response, with The Shack: Music From and Inspired by The Original Motion Picture collection boasting offerings from some of contemporary music's finest in a variety of genres, including "Stars (The Shack Version)" by Skillet, and "HARD LOVE" by NEEDTOBREATHE featuring Lauren Daigle. The thread of God's love and eternity is also found throughout the tracks by Dan + Shay ("When I Pray"), Tim McGraw & Faith Hill ("Keep Your Eyes on Me"), Lady Antebellum ("Lay Your Flowers Down") and for KING & COUNTRY's rendition of "Amazing Grace."

If you had the opportunity to attend last year's Winter Jam, then you were treated to Ireland's We Are Messengers and their energetic and worshipful set, including "Everything Comes Alive," "I'm on Fire," "Magnify" and the worshipful "I Don't Have the Answers." Their new song written for The Shack, "I'll Think About You," is the only song from the compilation that can be heard in its entirety in the film, featured in one of the most emotional moments of loss and catharsis. I had the chance to speak with Darren Mulligan about "I'll Think About You."

Please tell me the personal story behind this song.

Our publisher at Word Records approached me and asked if I would be interested in writing a song for the movie. I said I'd love to. I was writing songs at the time with a friend of mine, Ben Backus from the band for KING & COUNTRY. We'd been working on various tracks and decided to work on this song together. 

They sent us a scene from the movie where they were looking to use our song. I went to my bedroom and I just sat there and asked God what He wanted me to write. All of my songs come from personal relationship stories and testimonies of actual experiences that I've had. For this song, it was for a funeral scene in the movie where the man has lost someone he loves very much. Thankfully I haven't really had that experience as an adult. What I did was think about my wife and what the Lord has done in our lives, and I imagined a time when either she would lose me or I would lose her and how that grief would feel. Then I tried to find the hope for that time. 

I sat with my acoustic guitar and came up with a melody, and then I went to Ben's studio and we worked on the song. We've done twenty or thirty revisions of this song for the movie. We're really happy with how it ended up. It's a beautiful moment in the film, and we believe that the song matches up perfectly.

Which Bible verses connect to the message of the song?

John 20:29 (NKJV): Jesus said to him, "Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." 

Hebrews 11:1 (NLT): "Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see."

Ephesians 2:1 (NKJV): "And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins."

Ephesians 2:6 (NIV): "And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus."

Ephesians 2:10 (NLT): "For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago."

Revelation 21:3-5 (NIV): And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and He will live with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then He said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true."

What is the takeaway message?

The idea of the song is that we have this hope, that whenever we leave our mortal bodies we will go to be with the Lord and go to be with the people we love. If the Scriptures tell us anything, they are full of hope, and Jesus Christ is that hope. He is that hope for us. 

On a very human level, this song expresses that Jesus is still with us in our human hurting and human suffering. In the song where it says "I don't know where you're going but I'll meet you there," it's not saying "I don't know you're going to Heaven." I do know that, but our minds aren't able to fully comprehend what that means. I don't know how the journey to Heaven really looks, but I know and I'm certain that I'll meet you there. 

Really what it deals with is that even when we leave or people leave us and we have this hurt that remains with us, when we don't know what to sing, we'll sing about them and sing about Jesus. When we don't know what to think, we'll think about them and think about Jesus. You can't separate losing your loved ones from the hope we have in Jesus Christ. 

I keep going back to Ephesians 2, my life passage, as for me personally it is the most beautiful part of the Scriptures. It talks about who we were and where we came from, and our hope is assured that we will be found in Heavenly places with Christ Jesus. Those who have gone ahead of us, we have a certainty: they aren't going to a possibility but a certainty. 

The song is an attempt for me to talk and sing about loss in a certain way and to leave the listener with the hope that one day every tear will be wiped away. There will be no more suffering and no more sorrow. This movie opens up a conversation about eternity and where we are going after we die. Who is Jesus? Who is God? Who is the Holy Spirit? What is grace? As Christians, we don't often get to do that in a mainstream setting. 

We aren't looking to the movie for theological and doctrinal certainties. There are people who haven't heard the name Jesus. It's important for them to ask about Him and make a decision. Movies and music can start conversations, and my hope is that the conversations end up with people falling in love with Jesus. The Scriptures speak clearly about who Jesus is. Ideally people who haven't even thought about God will think about Him. We need to embrace the opportunity to have conversations about Him.

Lyrics:
I don't know where you're going but I'll meet you there
I can't blame you for leaving but it's still not fair
And when I don't know what to sing
I'll sing about you

Now I don't know what to do now that you're not here
I don't know how to love, don't know how to feel
When I don't want to believe

I'll believe in You
I'll believe in You
I'll believe in You

If all I can do
To keep her here with me
I'll remember you
Won't you remember me

If all I can do
To keep her here with me
I'll remember you
Won't you remember me

And when I don't know what to think
I'll think about You

The soundtrack is a completely worshipful and reflective album, providing a reverent compilation of songs as a companion for this stirring film based on the best-selling book The Shack. The fourteen tracks are sung with an amazing passion and with unashamed praise and gratitude for God's faithfulness and love. The eternal love of God is beautifully expressed in the compelling songs of hope, fitting for a movie about the nature of God's love.

This song reminds me that we need to have the type of faith that Jesus describes in the Bible: "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." Being a Christian means that you walk by faith, not by sight. Remember the definition of faith in Hebrews 11:1: "Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see." Remember this Scripture passage: "God saved you by His grace when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it" (Ephesians 2:8-9). 

In today's culture, it is hard for people to accept that the entrance requirements for Heaven are repentance and spiritual rebirth. 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 and disappointments point us to God and how much we need Him.

The worship band We Are Messengers beautifully captures our need for hope in Jesus and His promise of Heaven for those who love Him and put their faith in Him. That sentiment is expressed in the song: "When I don't want to believe, I'll believe in You." This song is a tender reflection about what it means to have hope in Christ. Sometimes it is hard to believe that God loves us so much that He knows us intimately and wants to fill our hearts with love. No matter what you are going through or if you are dealing with loss, this song provides a gentle reminder: "and when I don't know what to think, I'll think about You." Amen to that!

Watch the music video below.