Jordan's music has energy and infectious enthusiasm. His songs also have celebratory messages of faith. Admittedly, I can't help but worship along loudly in spirit and in truth. The combination of his stellar vocals, up-tempo melody and OneRepublic-like musical inflection really brings home the solid gospel messages.
His music really hits home with the message: God's grace washes us clean in the river of His Holy Spirit, and we become a new creation in Christ.
I must say Jordan's recent singles “Glorify” and “Next to Me” from his new release, Say It, a nominee for a We Love Award for Album of the Year, has really caught my ear. I had the chance to speak with Jordan about “Glorify.”
Please tell me the personal story behind this song.
From the moment we started writing "Glorify," I wanted it to serve as a marker for the next season. Seasons can change within an hour. This, of course, has taken on a whole new form since the COVID-19 pandemic started. I want this song to launch someone into a mentality of joy that can only come from the Lord. The word 'glorify' means praise and worship. But, the sub-context of the word is to acknowledge and reveal the majesty and splendour of God by one’s actions.
I recently came out of a hard season of anxiety, stress, and messed-up priorities. Now, all I want my life to do is to glorify Him. I want to reveal the majesty of God by my actions. I feel like this word 'glorify' summarizes my entire life. What I want my life to represent. I want people to remember that my life revealed how good and amazing God is.
Before we started working on new music, I asked the Lord to give me something to say. He told me to, 'say everything that’s on your heart, say everything that you’ve been through, be as vulnerable as possible, tell the world the thing that you’re terrified to tell the world.’ Sometimes, I think the things you’re scared to bring to people are, most likely, the most impactful. Psalm 86:9 says, “… and they shall glorify Your name.”
Which Bible verses connect to the message of the song?
Psalm 91:1-2(NKJV): "He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust."
Psalm 150:6(NKJV): "Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!"
2 Corinthians 2:15(NIV): “For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.”
Psalm 46:1(NIV): "The Lord is our refuge and strength, a very present help in times of trouble."
Romans 5:3-5(MSG): "There's more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we're hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we're never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary--we can't round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit!"
Ephesians 2:4-5(NIV): "But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions---it is by grace you have been saved."
What is the takeaway message?
My family has been praying for a surge of new believers to come at this time. That’s what God is doing right now. We believe that He will heal us of our sicknesses and our diseases. God is pushing all our nations together. People have been saying, ‘we’re all in this together.’
God has revealed a lot to me in this season. And, I think He’s gearing me and my team up for something special. I’m really honoured to be a part of the ride right now. I just want God to be honoured through it.
One of the hopes I have is we’ll see more people saved, running into the arms of Jesus, because of the time we're living in. For me, I’m going to be the most vulnerable, God-loving, Jesus-focused person I can be. I want to show people who I am.
Our world is in fear, and for good reason. But, the beauty in this hard season is that Jesus is still on the throne and in control. What an amazing time to reveal the majesty of our God. For believers to come out of the woodwork, donating their time and encouraging people by speaking life and truth over them. I want this song to be the diving board into the next season of hope. Be a representation of the hope we have in God.
Lyrics
You gave a heavenly breath And now it’s air in our chests That’s why we’re Singing it back to You For every battle, You’ve won For everything that You’ve done And everything that You’re gonna do
Seen too much To ever doubt it Feels so good I wanna shout it Yeah when I really Think about it All I wanna do All I wanna do is
Glorify Your Name We came to glorify Your Name That’s why we came That’s why we came To lift Your Name Come on and sing, oh
Glorify Your Name We came to glorify Your Name That’s why we came Yeah, we were made To lift Your Name All the Church sing, oh
So let Your glory be heard Until it covers the earth Don’t wanna wait for The rocks to shout We got a reason to praise This is the song of the saved No, we ain’t gonna turn it down
Every day we got a reason
Cause church ain’t Only on the weekend Yeah, when I get That kind of feeling
All I wanna do All we wanna do is
Glorify Your Name We came to glorify Your Name That’s why we came That’s why we came To lift Your Name Come on and sing, oh
Glorify Your Name We came to glorify Your Name That’s why we came Yeah, we were made To lift Your Name All the Church sing, oh
Every day, every day We’re gonna glorify, glorify Every day, every day We’re gonna glorify, glorify
Every day we got a reason Cause church ain’t Only on the weekend
Every day, every day We’re gonna glorify, glorify Every day, every day We’re gonna glorify, glorify
Yeah, when I get That kind of feeling I gotta sing
Glorify Your Name We came to glorify Your Name That’s why we came That’s why we came To lift Your Name Come on and sing, oh
Glorify Your Name
We came to glorify Your Name That’s why we came Yeah, we were made To lift Your Name All the Church sing, oh
Every day, every day We’re gonna glorify, glorify Every day, every day We’re gonna glorify, glorify
Come on and sing Glorify Your Name We came to glorify Your Name
Closing Thoughts
"Glorify" 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."
Jordan expresses with transparency his walk with the Lord and how he relies on God during his battles with self-doubt and anxiety. The beauty of the Kingdom of God is that we can confess to one another that we all have the aforementioned feelings. Not to mention we have the scriptures in the Bible to bring us comfort. Whatever you're going through, remember that God's grace is bigger than your struggle.
As believers, it would be powerful if we show our witness of God not only in our times of hardship but also in celebration. Celebrate God and His blessings with joy. Joy isn't just a happy emotion. It's also a deep peace and understanding, knowing that we are loved without a shadow of a doubt.
Don't be ashamed to sing of your dependence on God. And, don't be afraid to show Him reverence. What circumstances in your life, beyond your control, that you can turn over to God? Allow Him and His supernatural ability to take you to places that you can't handle on your own.
"Glorify" really connects with me as a believer, a fellow husband and a fellow father, in sharing Jordan's sentiments behind the song. You can hear Jordan’s vertical expressions of relying completely on God for His breath, and the Holy Spirit to sustain him. I absolutely love Jordan's intentionality and complete focus on God's provision in his life. The song has quickly become one of my daily devotional prayers of thankfulness to God for showing me grace and forgiveness despite my failures.
We serve a loving and merciful God who accepts us as we are, not who we pretend to be. No matter our circumstances or where we're coming from, we can all agree that all glory and honour belongs to God. Ultimately, God's plan for us is to use our circumstances to draw us to Himself.
Something I've been challenged by is to think about whether I'm living as though I believe with all my heart, soul, mind and strength. And, then, I have to ask whether I can represent Him as His follower. That's a worthy calling, and one to pursue with all that we have and all that we are.
"Glorify" is a comforting message saying that there's always hope. Breathe it in like oxygen. God's hope will turn whatever you are going through into something different for His glory. I hope you feel the same joy and hope in Christ that's expressed in this song. Remember that “Every day we got a reason/Cause church ain’t only on the weekend.” Gratefully accept that God’s gift of love is yours to freely receive when you accept Jesus as your Savior.
I love how this song gives us words to express our gratitude and reminds us to sing out to God: “Glorify Your Name/We came to glorify Your Name/That’s why we came/Yeah, we were made/To lift Your Name.” Amen to that.
Have a blessed Christmas season and lift the name of Jesus. And, yes, amen to that.
NRT lead contributor Kevin Davis is a longtime fan of Christian music, an avid music collector, and credits the message of Christian music for leading him to Christ. He lives in Pennsylvania with his wife and three daughters.
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