It's my prayer that my Behind the Song devotionals will encourage readers and be an influence to people's individual walks with Christ--or maybe to even lead people to Christ if they haven't yet made that decision.

Here’s how it all started: My pastor challenged me to consider “fasting” from music during the Lenten season leading up to Easter 2008, knowing that I credit my salvation due to the biblical messages “behind the songs” in Christian music leading me to seek Jesus--starting with the debut Jars of Clay album. The songs “Liquid”, “Love Song For A Savior” and “Worlds Apart” emotionally caused me to seek a personal relationship with Jesus for the first time.

A few years later, I was listening to an album by the band Raze in my car and at the end of the album the lead singer gave his personal testimony and asked the listener to say the Sinner’s Prayer with him. I pulled over to the side of the road and sobbing uncontrollably I gave my life to Jesus that day in November 1999. My wife was eight months pregnant with our first daughter, Natalie.

My pastor suggested that I needed to give up my idol (music) and focus on God’s Word and perhaps write about the biblical messages behind my favorite songs in Christian music. I approached NRT Founder Kevin McNeese with the idea and he graciously agreed to post my original article. Four years later--almost to the day--this is my 300th devotional.

Dave Barnes’ new studio album, Stories To Tell, is loaded with honestly crafted songs with a strong pop sound. There are songs for those who are hurting, have regrets and want to express their emotions. Just like “God Gave Me You,” this album expresses the impassioned feelings of someone who puts into words and catchy melodies the everyday experiences of life, love and heartbreak. I find myself singing many of these songs in my head throughout the day. The songs invite you into Dave’s life and leave you with the desire to better express your emotions to your loved ones. Dave’s lyrical “gourmet” phrasing in his relatable and catchy songs has established him as the preeminent folk style singer-songwriter in the business.

Stories To Tell is Barnes’ fourth studio album for Razor & Tie and a first for Barnes on many levels. The album presents a stylistic departure from his previous releases. Adding more programming and synth sounds than his previous albums, Stories To Tell did not suffer from rules and restrictions when it comes to instrumentation.

Using orchestral accents, syncopated percussion alongside his soulful, impassioned vocals, the album introduces Barnes’ fans to eleven finely tuned and honestly crafted songs with a strong pop sound. Barnes’ last album, the 2010 release What We Want, What We Get. The album features the GRAMMY-nominated song “God Gave Me You,” which garnered a GRAMMY nomination for Best Country Song as recorded by Blake Shelton.

I had the great opportunity to interview Dave Barnes about "Mine To Love," the brand new song from Stories To Tell.

Please share the background that led you to write the song "Mine To Love."

As you know with having children of your own, you have certain expectations when you are ready to have a child for the first time. I wrote this song about 20 weeks into my wife’s pregnancy with our first child. We were still in that period of not knowing what was going to happen, and there was this weird risk in my writing the song at that time. You let your heart and head go somewhere creatively that could possibly hurt later if things don’t go as planned or go well. I remember playing the song for my wife and she loved it, and thought we shouldn’t play the song for too many people at that time not knowing what might happen.

My mom and I were talking on the phone and we were catching up about the pregnancy and some friends of hers had just had a baby with Down’s Syndrome. We were talking about the juxtaposition of the expectations and realities of parenthood. They didn’t know it was going to happen so it was one of those revelations of real life. Their baby was healthy but they didn’t know about the Down’s Syndrome. We didn’t know if we were having a boy or girl, and we found out he was a boy when he entered the world. My mom told me the great thing about children is no matter what, you say to yourself, "This child is mine to love unconditionally." It was one of those moments where I wanted to hang up and start writing a song once my mom said that phrase. That perfectly sums up how I feel as a new father.

Please tell me about any Bible verses that connect to the message of the song.

Zephaniah 3:17: “The LORD your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.”

How can listeners apply that message when they listen to the song?

It’s interesting, at least to me, because I was so emotional writing this song. I had never been that emotional writing a song before. I literally had to stop a couple of times just from getting so welled up with my feelings. It was an awesome song to write. What’s funny is that songs that come quickly like this one can be a real struggle because then there’s this second wave where you question yourself. It was so emotion packed, I didn’t think a lot about if the lyrics were perfect or if the music was engaging and well-written. I just had to let it be and trust that the emotion I felt when I wrote the song would sustain it.

I sheepishly played it for a couple of friends, and it was overwhelming how people responded to it emotionally which was most important. They didn’t say “great hook” or “killer melody,” but just knowing my situation and their own situation, it was an overwhelming response. People were very supportive of the song. I love songs like this one that have stories before they even start their life. It feels more ordained and what’s supposed to happen instead of me writing some songs and saying let’s pick a single. This song has something to say and I think any song that affects me when I write them seem to have the same effect on listeners. I truly leaned on that, and the song has had a great response. I hope all parents can relate to what I’m singing about in this song and I hope people can relate to the themes of wanting to live life well and not let life pass you by.

Lyrics:
You might wanna close your eyes
It’ll take some time adjustin’
Welcome to your life
You’re everything you’ll someday be

There’s a weight off my shoulder
There’s laughter in the air
You are the answer to every midnight prayer

You’re mine to love
We have all been waitin’ on you

You’re mine to love
Come into these open arms
It took some time to wait it out
But I see it now, you’re worth all the dreaming of
You’re mine to love
You’re mine to love

You might wanna take your time
Takin’ all this technicolor, yeah
We’re on your side
Let us be the one you need

There’s a life on my shoulder
Laughter in the air
You are the answer to all those midnight prayers

You’re mine to love
We have all been waitin’ on you
You’re mine to love
Come into these open arms
It took some time to wait it out
But I see it now, you’re worth all the dreaming
You’re mine to love
You’re mine to love

Every time that my heart was broken
Every time that I’ve lost my wings
I forget when I look into your face

You’re mine to love
We have all been waitin’ on you
You’re mine to love
Come into these open arms
‘Cause I’m right here
It took some time to wait it out
But I see it now, you’re worth the dreaming of
You’re mine to love
You’re mine to love
You’re mine to love
You’re mine to love

So you might wanna close your eyes

What’s so relatable is how Dave Barnes’ “relationship” songs are relevant for everyone--but especially if you know Jesus, then you know the ultimate answer to the quest for love can only be found in Him. I have three young daughters and this song really makes me smile, especially during when Dave tenderly sings, “By your side, let us be the ones you need… you are the answer to all those midnight prayers, you’re mine to love, we have all been waiting on you.”

Parenthood is a gift to be cherished, and this tender and sweet song perfectly captures the emotion in the bridge: “Every time that my heart was broken, every time I lost my way, I forget when I look into your face, you’re mine to love.”

I can totally relate to that unconditional love relationship with my children. Although this is a sweet and loving song from a mother or father to a child, it is also a profound picture of how God feels about us as His children. Children also love us unconditionally and God wants us to be a picture of His love back to them. Remember that God loves you and there is nothing that we can do to make Him love us more. God hears us crying and He wants us to know that He’s always listening and He’s with us always. The ultimate comfort I take when I listen to this song is that thought that God is also singing over us: “you’re mine to love.”

The song is beautiful and encourages me how much God loves me. The thought that God rejoices over us with singing is incredible and He is worthy of all of our praise and devotion. In his devotional book Glory Revealed, David Nasser says: “Every song we sing to the Lord is a duet and not a solo. The most marvelous thing about a relationship with God is that it is truly a dialogue. We aren’t just sitting here on earth worshipping a Creator who simply soaks us our love, rather He’s so involved in our affection, He’s in the midst of it.”

I love that God sings back to us. One of my daily devotionals in trying to grow in my walk with Jesus is to sing to Him every day. I consider it a privilege to share the biblical truth "behind the song" to readers weekly. I felt called to start this ministry based on my life verse, Isaiah 6:8: "Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for Us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’" To God be all the Glory! Amen.