The bridge of the Casting Crowns song, “Courageous,” has a great takeaway message for this challenging song and album: “Do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly before our God.” The application for me in this song is to constantly think about loving my wife and children deeply, and walking humbly before God daily.

Atlanta's Casting Crowns has sold more than 8 million albums to date and has been named Billboard magazine’s top-selling Christian act for the past four years. The band recently celebrated its first two RIAA certified Gold singles, “Who Am I” and “Praise You In This Storm.” Over the past eight years, Casting Crowns has consistently delivered music that points believers back to what truly matters, and the band does so yet again on Come to the Well.

With the band's fifth studio album, front man Mark Hall once again takes some of the messages he’s shared with students and parents at his home church, Eagles Landing, and pours them into songs. Like Casting Crowns’ previous albums, Come to the Well is filled with songs that both challenge and encourage believers in their walk. The lead single, “Courageous,” is showcased in the new Sherwood Pictures film of the same title. The powerful lyric exhorts men to lead bold, uncompromising lives for the Lord. I had the great opportunity to speak with Mark Hall about the song “Courageous.”

Please tell me the background message behind the song “Courageous.”

The song is being used in the film of the same title, but it’s also the story I’m living everyday at my home church and as a dad and husband. I was at the National Day of Prayer breakfast three years ago and ran into Alex Kendrick. We started talking about projects and Alex mentioned he was working on a film about fatherhood. I told him we were part-way through a Bible study at my church with about 24 families of fathers with sons called Raising A Modern Day Knight. The study rocked my world. It’s a picture of authentic manhood and pouring that into your son. It’s about being a strategic and involved father.

At the same time, I was teaching my middle and high school guys not to be passive. Our generation of men have become passionate about things that don’t matter and passive about the things that matter the most. We’re spending our lives chasing or watching someone chase a ball. Our purpose for our lives is to know and make our God known. The warriors have become watchers. I used this illustration with my guys about attending epic war movies like “Braveheart,” “Gladiator” and “Lord Of The Rings.” At the end of the films, have you ever noticed the way guys act out at a movie they’ve just watched? As soon as they walk out of a theater, they pretend to be the movie’s hero, even if it means imitating the super levitating karate kick they just saw.

Here’s the thing: Deep down inside, grown men have the same feelings. What is it about us men that fires us up when we watch an action movie? Think about it. We just sat on our butts for two hours and stuffed our guts full of extra salty popcorn and a half-gallon of cola, but after the movie we’re like, “You want some of this?”

Did you base the song on any Bible verses?

Micah 6:8: “He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?”

Ephesians 5:25-27: “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.”

What is the take-away message for listeners about the song?

We were never meant to be watchers; we’re warriors. We’re ready to take on the world. We all have a desire for significance. We want to know we matter. We want to know we count for something. But the best way to count for something is to stand for something--or better yet, for someone. And the only way we’ll ever stand is on our knees with lifted hands.

We have a men’s Bible study at our church called “Man Up.” It’s a group of about 150 men who meet on Wednesdays, and they’re the crowd that is singing in the background on this song. They sang with gusto and a wonderful spirit. Maybe it’s because it’s one place where they’re learning real action heroes are the ones who actually surrender.

When I talk to people about this innate desire, I ask, “Do you ever wonder if maybe it’s your spirit longing to be more than just an audience to somebody else’s fight?” We weren’t created to be the audience. We were created to take part in what God is doing in His world. This song is an anthem of encouragement. It’s one brother reminding all of God’s men we were meant for greatness, and that greatness is defined in contagious and courageous abandonment to Jesus.

When you look in Scripture you see two Adams. The first Adam was passive and watched his wife Eve eat the apple from the serpent. He was right there with her and watched it happen. We’re still reaping that curse today. The second Adam crushed the serpent’s head. That’s Jesus. We need to be all about knowing Jesus and making Him known.

Lyrics:
We were made to be courageous
We were made to lead the way
We could be the generation
That finally breaks the chains
We were made to be courageous
We were made to be courageous

We were warriors on the front lines
Standing, unafraid
But now we're watchers on the sidelines
While our families slip away

Where are you, men of courage?
You were made for so much more
Let the pounding of our hearts cry
We will serve the Lord

We were made to be courageous
And we're taking back the fight
We were made to be courageous
And it starts with us tonight

The only way we'll ever stand
Is on our knees with lifted hands
Make us courageous
Lord, make us courageous

This is our resolution
Our answer to the call
We will love our wives and children
We refuse to let them fall

We will reignite the passion
That we buried deep inside
May the watchers become warriors
Let the men of God arise

We were made to be courageous
And we're taking back the fight
We were made to be courageous
And it starts with us tonight

The only way we'll ever stand
Is on our knees with lifted hands
Make us courageous
Lord, make us courageous

Seek justice
Love mercy
Walk humbly with your God

In the war of the mind
I will make my stand
In the battle of the heart
And the battle of the hand

In the war of the mind
I will make my stand
In the battle of the heart
And the battle of the hand

We were made to be courageous
And we're taking back the fight
We were made to be courageous
And it starts with us tonight

The only way we'll ever stand
Is on our knees with lifted hands
Make us courageous
Lord, make us courageous

We were made to be courageous
Lord, make us courageous

Asbury’s Bible commentary: “In one of the greatest passages of the Old Testament, the Lord summarizes the nature and requirements of true religion. No one can act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly and fail to please God. Before these conditions can be met, every person must seek peace with, and forgiveness from, God. Wesley makes these observations on Micah's key verse: “God has already told you in His Word with what you ought to come before Him. To render to every one their due; superiors, equals, inferiors, to be equal to all and oppress none in body, goods, or name. To be kind, merciful, and compassionate to all, not using severity towards any. Keep up a constant fellowship with God by humble, holy faith.”

Just like the song “Lead Me” by Sanctus Real, this song is a “must own” for all husbands, fathers and young men looking for an honest portrayal of the prayer of a Christian man asking God to lead their lives.

The trademark of Casting Crowns has been their ability to weave challenging lyrics into catchy songs and “Courageous” is no exception. From the first listen, this song fired me up to be more diligent as a husband, father and follower of Jesus. As men, we often struggle with fear of failure and complacency. As Christians, we are called to be bold for Christ and to serve Him daily. We are also commanded in Ephesians 5:25 to “love our wives as Christ loves the Church.” We can’t find true courage in our own strength; we need to trust in Jesus “on our knees with lifted hands.”

It’s time for men of God to show true strength and courage by igniting the passion that we have inside of us by the power of the Holy Spirit. The challenge for me in the song, and hopefully for other men as well, is every time I hear it, every time I sing it, I ask myself, “What kind of man am I?” Not yesterday, not tomorrow--what kind of man am I today? Have I invested in my family emotionally, spiritually the way that God has called me to reach out to them and to lead them. “Lord, make us courageous.” Amen.

(Check out the music video here.)