Notes on Worship

Short commentaries on the scripture behind worship songs. Each post pairs a passage with the song that draws from it.

• The Line That Was Written Over Rubble — The most quoted line about God’s faithfulness sits in the middle of a poem about a starving city. Great Is Thy Faithfulness / Thomas Chisholm & William Runyan · Lamentations 3:22-23
• The Oldest Words You Sing on a Sunday — The chorus of “The Blessing” is not a lyric. It is a text a priest was ordered to say out loud. The Blessing / Elevation Worship, Kari Jobe & Cody Carnes · Numbers 6:24-26
• Three Songs, One Parable — Jesus told this story in about ninety seconds. It has been carrying worship music ever since. Build My Life / Housefires · Matthew 7:24-25
• The Chapter Worship Keeps Returning To — Seventy-six songs in this catalog reach for Romans 8. No other chapter comes close. He Will Hold Me Fast / 11th Hour · Romans 8:38-39
• Through, Not Around — Most songs on Psalm 23 skip the green pastures and go straight to the valley. Even Though I Walk / Bethel Music, Paul McClure & Hannah McClure · Psalms 23:4
• The Angel Says Come and Look — Matthew reports the resurrection by pointing at an empty shelf of rock. Grave Robber / Crowder · Matthew 28:5-6
• The Father Runs — The son rehearses a speech for the whole road home. He never finishes it. The Prodigal / Josiah Queen · Luke 15:20
• The Valley and What Happened There — Ezekiel is walked through a valley of bones and asked if they can live. His answer is careful. GOD DID! / Sons of Sunday · Ezekiel 37:1-14
• A Peace That Does Not Make Sense — Paul promises peace and then immediately admits it cannot be explained. Heart of Mine / Darrel Walls & PJ Morton · Philippians 4:7
• Tears That Have Already Become Seeds — The psalmist moves from exile to restoration in six verses. The movement is not linear. Psalm 126 (With Shouting Joy) / Brian Sauve · Psalm 126:1-6
• The Question That Has No Answer — Paul taunts death. It is one of the strangest moments in his letters. Fighting For Us / Hillsong Worship · 1 Corinthians 15:55
• Grief That Has Already Been Carried — Isaiah 53 is a text about weight and who bears it. Josh Garrels knows where the song lives. Trainsong / Josh Garrels · Isaiah 53:4-5
• The Name That Holds — John uses the word 'behold' like a man who cannot believe what he is about to say. Louder Than the Lies / Big Daddy Weave · 1 John 3:1
• What It Means to Lay Something Down — The elders cast their crowns before the throne. Bri Babineaux sings the same impulse in a different key. All / Bri Babineaux · Revelation 4:10-11
• The Stable and the Stars — Luke gives us almost no detail about the manger. That restraint is part of the point. In the Bleak Midwinter / Chris Renzema · Luke 2:7
• The Psalm That Knows Your Name — David writes about being known by God before he was born. The intimacy of it is almost difficult to read. Politicking / Lecrae · Psalm 139:14
• Three Words That Changed the Shape of Everything — Jesus' last words in John are not a cry of abandonment but a declaration of completion. Fighting For Us / Hillsong Worship · John 19:30