Our Songs: "The Love of Our God"

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!