Matt Maher is best known for writing the worship anthem “Your Grace Is Enough.” His newest album, Alive Again, captures the penetrating spirit and charisma Matt Maher’s worship songs have become known for in a live setting. This compelling, 12-track journey he hopes will lead people “back to their own hearts” and “prompt listeners to stop and ask some tough questions about who they are and where they are letting God maneuver in their hearts."

Matt's current single, “Hold Us Together,” is a powerful anthem for these troubled times; a rallying cry to demonstrate that the love of God, evidenced by the church, can make a difference.

I got the opportunity to interview Matt about his song and this is what he shared with me.

Please tell me the personal story behind writing this song.

I was on a plane traveling from Phoenix to Nashville, and I remember the plane was almost completely empty. It was at a time when there was much concern about keeping the economy afloat. I found myself thinking, "is this what it's going to look like if enough people lose their jobs?" So I was just praying for people who were becoming homeless and jobless and what would I say--what could the church say? The next day I wrote this song with Steve Wilson in about 30 minutes. It was really a very simple desire to have a song that would reach into people's lives with a compelling message.

Please tell me about any Bible verses that you used to write the song.

Well, I think I'm referencing two Scriptures. The first is Matthew 6:25,
when Jesus is telling everyone, "why worry about what you eat, where to stay, what to wear.” The second is Revelation 3:20, where Jesus is talking about Himself coming and knocking on the doors of our hearts. The second verse of the song is akin to that sort of thinking.

What do you consider to be the take-away message for listeners?

If you love God and consider yourself a follower of Jesus, then it's time to rise up and love. It's time to rise up and serve. It's time for the Church to shine and be salt and light in darkness and uncertainty. When we do that as the church, we make visible the invisible love of God.

Here are the lyrics:

It don't have a job
It don't pay your bills
Won't buy you a home in Beverly Hills
Won't fix your life
In five easy steps
Ain't the law of the land
Or the government
But it's all you need

And love will hold us together
Make us a shelter
To weather the storm
And I’ll be my brother's keeper
So the whole world will know
That we're not alone

It's waiting for you
Knocking at your door
In the moment of truth
When your heart hits the floor
And you're on your knees

This is the first day
Of the rest of your life
This is the first day
Of the rest of your life
‘Cause even in the dark
You can still see the light
It's going to be alright
It's going to be alright

I can’t get enough of this great new worship anthem and the emotion and biblical truth that Matt brings to the song. Jesus tells us throughout the Bible that love is all we need and commands us to “love one another.” He loved us so much that He came to die for our sins, and yet even as Christians, we create so much conflict and strife among ourselves. Every now and then a song comes along that I can really sing as a daily prayer in response to my Savior, and this is an especially great song to consider as we prepare for Easter. As Matt challenges in the chorus, “love will hold us together, I’ll be my brother’s keeper, so the whole world will know that we’re not alone.” Consider those words when you make decisions and keep God’s command to “love one another.”