5. zamar(zaw-mar’) – (verb) to touch the strings or parts of a musical instrument… to make music, accompanied by the voice… to celebrate in song and music… to give praise, sing forth praises…
Ps.21:13 - Be exalted, O LORD, in your strength; we will sing and praise your might.
Singing and music are the natural human response to joy and gladness. I can tell when my wife is happy – she’s singing or humming a tune God made us with hearts that want to sing and make music when we’re glad. Of course, the Psalms are all original Hebrew songs.
Singing and making music are Biblically appropriate ways for us to praise God.
Every culture has its unique musical styles.
Imagine a mighty chorus of praise rising from the earth, praise that begins in the hearts of the redeemed – those from every nation, every language, every tribe.
(Not to mention the song of praise from other living things and even inanimate objects!)
My first attempt at writing a worship song was born for three distinct reasons. 1) I've wanted to be a worship writer for a while, but never put pen to paper 2) The words at the end of Romans 11 seemed meaningful and poetic as I did devotions 3) I was out of a job for roughly a month, leaving me with plenty of time
The latter was, most likely, the primary of the three reasons. That is not to my credit, but true nonetheless; it took a forced period of inactivity for me to finally focus my thoughts and talents enough to write my first worship song.
As a worship aficianado and potential writer, I've always wondered how a worship song is inspired. Does Darlene Zchech write a poetic verse, then fit it with chords? Or does the musical arrangement drive the process? Is it simply spirit-inspired, happening at the same time?
For me, this was a very purposeful time. I can't and won't claim any lightning-bolt moment when I furiously scribbled down lyrics and music in a frenzy of Spirit-led passion. I sat down with Romans 11:33-36 in my mind, and a few chords that I'd been playing over the past few weeks, and decided to write a worship song. The chorus, vocals and chords, had been floating around with me for a while, in one variation or another. The verses and pre-chorus jumped off the page as I wrote them; I like the melody for the pre-chorus better than the verses, but the message of both is the heart of the song, and taken straight from the scripture. The Love of Our God
Who can know the mind of the Lord Unsearchable His ways But He has shown us infinite love Grateful hearts we raise
All we have is from Him All we are is through Him All we do is for our God! (repeat)
Oh the Love….of our God oh the Grace….of our God oh the peace …of our God To Him be glory forever
Who has so much to offer our King To demand His love and grace Lord we stand before You, nothing to give We run to Your embrace (back to pre-chorus)
Basically, this stems from who God is. Romans 11:34 asks "Who has known the mind of the Lord"? Not me, certainly; his ways are unsearchable, and who God is--truly--would blow our mind if revealed. Everything we know and experience of our God is because he reveals it to us. He has shown us his infinite love, his grace, his mercy.
Likewise, "who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?" asks Romans 11:35. Think of the best, most Godly person you know; perhaps Billy Graham, or the Apostal Paul, or another hero of the faith. All the good they've done, all the people they have touched, in the name of the Lord...what is it worth? Do you think anyone -- ever -- has done enough to deserve God's grace and love? Of course not. An honest Christian knows that he/she has nothing to give God in exchange for His mercy; all we can do is run to God. And what does God do? Open His arms in embrace. In love.
Below is an audio recording of this song. It was recorded in a basement with a single, low-quality microphone and minimal accompaniment. Jonathan, myself, and several others recorded several of our songs at the same time. The quality is quite poor, especially the vocals on this song; I'll try to post a clearer (if less-instrumented) version as soon as possible. Please comment and let me know what you think--be gentle!
Psalm 50:23 He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me, and he prepares the way so that I may show him the salvation of God.
This word speaks specifically of a SACRIFICE OF PRAISE…
Praising God when it costs me something, when I don’t feel close to Him, when I feel irritable or out of sorts.
When it demands something of me… that’s when I’m making a sacrifice.
…Blessed be Your name when I'm found in the desert place Though I walk through the wilderness, Blessed be Your name… …Blessed be Your name on the road marked with suffering Though there's pain in the offering, Blessed be Your name… Every blessing You pour out I'll turn back to praise And when the darkness closes in, Lord, Still I will say: Blessed be the name of the Lord, Blessed be Your name Blessed be the name of the Lord, Blessed be Your glorious name. (BLESSED BE YOUR NAME,
Almost any artist, secular or Christian, death metal or worship, reach a peak in their creative/musical journies. For most artists, its typically around the 2nd or 3rd album. An impressive first record gets an artist noticed, but most often the follow up, or third album, is their best effort. The band/artist has matured and developed "their sound" from the first try. They still have the "fresh" factor that older, more experienced groups don't have; after a while, coming up with truly original ideas that don't copy off of ones previous efforts must be difficult.
Once an artist has peaked, most of them recede again to more mediocre songwriting. Only a handful of all-time great artists can claim a continuing history of superb music and songwriting. Even U2, widely considered (including your humble blogger) the greatest of all modern rock groups, are on the downside of their career. They haven't released an album in a decade that could match the amazing production from the 80's.
And so we come to Chris Tomlin. I assumed that Mr. Tomlin's album "Arriving" was his peak as a songwriter; the songs were so good, the consistency and level of writing so high, that I doubted it could be matched in any follow-ups. Then I heard "See the Morning". And I realized that if you have a gift from God, and an annointing from the Spirit to craft songs of worship and praise, than you could conceivably pen glorious songs for the indefinite future (David wrote over 100 Psalms, right?). Chris Tomlin, clearly, has that gift.
Musically, the album delivers a serious rock influx from your typical worship session. Most songs are kickstarted with an electric guitar riff, and barely a song passes without a crescendo of drums. Lyrically, See the Morning follows in the footsteps of Arriving. These are songs to God, about God. The theme of God's glory, grandeur, greatness (and any other g-words you can think of) emerges as a unified whole of praise to Him. This is not Matt Redman searching his soul or Robin Mark transporting scripture into songs about God in our life. Tomlin writes songs about God and centered around His glory.
I'm probably doing a poor job of desribing that subtle difference; after all, worship is, by definition, to glorify something. But different worship styles work for different times/services/churches/people. For example, I recently heard an album from Covenant Life Church (head pastor: Josh "I Kissed Dating Goodbye" Harris). Without exception, each song described man's fallen state, God's grace, and how thankful we are to Him. An excellent theme, to be sure; this is clearly the primary theological basis for the church. Tomlin focuses on the faithfulness and glory of God, which for most people, is the easiest theme to really "enter into".
To steal from the liner notes,
"See the morning...Our God is as faithful as the rising sun. The morning is a place of hope, a place of worship...I pray that these songs help you "see the morning". If you find yourself in the dark night of hardship, grief, or circumstance, know that the morning is coming. And if you find yourself in the best of times, praise God for the morning! Can you see it? Jesus is the Light of the World, the Birght and Morning Star! Let God arise!"
Wow. On to the highlights:
Track 3, Let God Arise. Each fun but mostly forgettable verse leads to a pre-chorus with my all-time favorite musical effect: the slowly increasing build up of crashing drums, leading into a wall of sound for the glorious chorus. If the bridge, "Our God is, a God who, Saves" repeated four times over the grandest pounding drum build-up imaginable, doesn't get you absolutely fired up with Praise... well, thats a shame.
Track 5, Glory in the Highest. The first "worship" as opposed to "praise" song on the album (my distinction lies purely in the tempo: fast=praise, worship=slow. easy!). A beautiful piano intro/verses, nice light chorus...and than at around 2:00, the song transitions using the seemingly omnipresent drum build-up to .... majesty. Just an incredible wall of pounding drums, guitar, and vocals screaming "Glory in the Highest", and heaven in my mind sounds just like that. Worth buying the CD for that moment alone.
Track 6, Awesome is the Lord Most High and Track 7, Glorious. Both previously released on the last Passion CD, and both congregational songs of praise that will surely be sung nationwide.
Track 9, Rejoice. Understanding the mercy, love, and grace of God should lead to one emotion on our part: joy. We rejoice because of who God is.
Track 11, Amazing Grace. Yes, that Amazing Grace. An amazing song, but also played amazingly often, and sometimes I tune the song out because of over-familiarity (not a good trait, on my part). But Tomlin adds in a wonderful new chorus based on John Newton's story: he was a former slave trader before being rescued by God. So Tomlin's new chorus starts with "My chains are gone, I've been set free. My God my savior, has rescued me". A beautiful end to the album.
God's blessing is all over this album. For the second CD in a row, almost every song feels crafted and imbedded with true, passionate worship of our God. I can't recommend this highly enough.
Finally, here's a quick video of "Glory In The Highest" to get you excited until you can buy See The Morning:
