Singer-songwriter Brandon Heath last made his mark with his impressive full-length album, Enough Already, which was my top album of 2022. That album included the hit songs, "Human Nature" and "See Me Through It." He offers a musical style reminiscent of John Waller, John Tibbs, and Josh Wilson. Brandon has strong vocals, personal lyrics, and a testimony of grace that can be heard in each song. His follow-up singles, "He Does" and "Scars," are among the most uplifting, challenging, and encouraging songs of last year. Those songs stand out from Heath's eighth studio album and second LP with Centricity Music, The Ache, one of my top 10 albums of 2024.
Whether as an artist to set the mood for reflection and worship or for personal times of devotion, I rank Brandon Heath highly for fans of truth-telling singer-songwriters. Brandon's vulnerability and ability to connect emotionally in his songs bring me closer to God. I had the chance to speak with Brandon about "Can We Go Home Now."
Please tell me the personal story behind this song.
The looking towards heaven message of this song is a subtle nod to a question my youngest daughter repeatedly asks when we're away from home for more than a couple of nights, even if we're on vacation. I've been thinking about heaven a lot. After my dad passed away in 2017, one month before my first daughter was born. The compounded loss of my mom passing away felt all the more life-altering as an only child.
Yearning for heaven feels like a thing that God put in us. It's this ability to feel connected to people. This has been my season of sorrow, but it helps me to engage with it just by writing about it. That's what music has always done for me. I had some friends ask me if I was okay after they heard this song and this album. I am capturing the same feeling that C.S. Lewis expressed in "Mere Christianity": "If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world."
Which Bible verses connect to the message of the song?
Isaiah 53:3-4 (NKJV): "He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely, He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted."
Matthew 11:28-30 (MSG): "Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to Me. Get away with Me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with Me and work with Me--watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with Me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."
Romans 15:13 (NIV): "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."
Hebrews 13:14 (NLT): "For this world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come."
Lamentations 3:22-23 (NKJV): "Through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness."
Ephesians 3:17-19 (NIV): "And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord's holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."
Philippians 1:6 (NKJV): "Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ."
2 Corinthians 12:9 (NIV): "But He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me."
Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV): "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
What is the takeaway message?
In this song, I ponder my eternal home of heaven, where we'll live one day, just as my mother when she passed away in July 2023. We don't exactly know what heaven's going to be like. We have a few hints in Revelation, but even those are kind of hard to decipher. This has been my season of sorrow, but it helps me to engage with it just by writing about it. That's what music has always done for me. Every record I release is a snapshot of the season I'm in, and I thought this was going to be a record about mourning after my mom passed away. You can talk about heavy things with a joyful spirit, and I have totally embraced paradox in this season. I knew there was going to be sadness, but I also knew there was going to be joy because I knew where my mom was going.
Lyrics
Calling out of nowhere
Father are You out there
I've been feeling kind of scared
Made me want to say a prayer
So much I don't understand
Is it all part of a plan
Is time still in Your hands
Is the glass running out of sand
I know this world is a gift
But You know how broken it is
Could you come pick us up
'Cause we miss You so much
And our bags are all packed
But then we could just leave 'em
We sure love this place
But now it's getting late
And it looks like the sun's going down
Can we go home now
(Home now, home now, home now)
Can we go home now
(Home now, home now, home now)
Can we go home now
You've given me a blessed life
Two kids and the best wife
The kind you want to hold tight
But something doesn't feel right
Can't sleep in my own bed
Find peace in my own head
Keep thinking 'bout what You said
"See you soon, but not yet"
You know the hour and the day
So it's probably not mine to say
Could you come pick us up
'Cause we miss You so much
And our bags are all packed
But then we could just leave 'em
We sure love this place
But now it's getting late
And it looks like the sun's going down
Can we go home now
(Home now, home now, home now)
Can we go home now
(Home now, home now, home now)
Can we go home now
I wonder if I'll miss the sunset
Remember this world or forget
Will I get to sit by Your side
What's it gonna be like
I wanna see my room in Your house
I wanna hear my name from Your mouth
Been waitin' for You my whole life
Could you come pick us up
'Cause we miss You so much
And our bags are all packed
But then we could just leave 'em
We sure love this place
But now it's getting late
And it looks like the sun's going down
Can we go home now
(Home now, home now, home now)
Can we go home now
(Home now, home now, home now)
Can we go home now
Closing Thoughts
"Can We Go Home Now" reminds me to make Jesus the Lord of my life and for every activity and thought in my life, pointing to His complete Lordship. God's strength is made perfect in our weakness, and that biblical truth is perfectly portrayed throughout this album.
In any situation, God will make a way for His children. As we look at the fallen world around us, we all need to lift our eyes to God and put all our faith and hope in Him. It's in our weakness that God is made strong. It's only through God's grace that we can overcome our emotional conflicts of feeling invisible and conspicuous at the same time.
This is one of my favorite songs of the year. We serve a loving and merciful God who accepts us as we are, not who we pretend to be. I love singing this song back to Jesus, telling Him plainly that I need no other than Him. This anthem of praise is a daily prayer. It asks God to come and change our hearts and lives in a way that our behavior and the way we live flow from Him living inside of us. What a powerful expression of what it means to accept that God never leaves or forsakes us. He is all we need.
A soft melody frames the transparent, vulnerable, and moving track "Can We Go Home Now." God promised that His mercies were new every morning. Whatever your situation, know that God is always with you.
"If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world," wrote author C.S. Lewis in his book, "Mere Christianity." As believers in Christ, we know that we're made for God. We were all created to find our home in Him.
When I read the Bible, I'm strengthened with the truth that fear, worry, and anxiety are not God's plans for my life. So, trust God's Word completely--no matter the circumstances.
So, when you sing this song, the devotional thought is whether you are submitting your life to the truth or just singing the words. God wants you to boldly approach the throne of mercy and grace to receive and obtain what you need from Him. When you acknowledge your identity in Christ, your burdens are removed. I can't get enough of the beautifully poetic and powerful expressions of faith in this song.
This song is about crying out for God's presence and desiring to know Him personally. Let's strive to know God, and He will come to you. You have the privilege of knowing Him. Brandon writes and sings his breath, given to him by God, into anointed new songs to encourage us. You'll be blessed by this encouraging song which is a poignant song with a convicting declaration: "I wonder if I'll miss the sunset/Remember this world or forget/Will I get to sit by Your side/What's it gonna be like/I wanna see my room in Your house/I wanna hear my name from Your mouth/Been waitin' for You my whole life." Amen to that.
NRT lead contributor Kevin Davis is a longtime Christian music fan and a passionate collector. He credits Christian music's message for guiding him to Christ. He resides in Pennsylvania with his wife and three daughters.
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