This song is the first one I've intentionally written because I desperately needed it.
My album deadline was coming up and there were still a lot of things I needed to get done for many of the songs. I wanted to record some extra guitars and percussion parts as icing on the cake. Oh, and harmonies, don't ever forget the harmonies! After all that was done, I would need to mix all of my songs and do a couple of revisions until I sent it in to get mastered. It was a really long to-do list, and based on my understanding of my own procrastination, I knew it would be a stretch to get everything done that I wanted to do in time. And being the perfectionist that I am, I knew I would be disappointed when it came time to sacrifice some things on my list.
These things were on my mind a lot in the past month, from trying to sleep at night to driving to and from school, to day dreaming in my Political Science class. All my pondering about what I should record next or what I should get done during the weekend took up all the real estate in my daily attention span that I had none left over for God. When I realized that, I was astounded at myself. All the work I was doing and all the energy I was putting in it are supposed to bring glory back to God, but the way I was doing it, I was trying to bring glory to myself. I admitted to myself, and later to God, that I wasn't giving God the attention he deserves. My devotion had been sitting between the front two seats in my car. My Bible app had been left on whatever verse I had open from God knows when. I didn't even remember where I left my physical Bibles (but I know they're somewhere in my house). I was supposed to be working on this project with God, but I felt like I told God to talk to the hand, like I didn't need his help.
It's like buying flowers for your mom on Mother's Day, then liking the flowers so much that you kept them for yourself. And more than likely, your mom knows how to take care of flowers better than you do, so in your hands, the flowers will wilt away prematurely.
I remember watching an All Sons & Daughters video where David and Leslie shared about how they wrote songs for their church because there was a need for their weakened congregation to be closer to God. I always thought that if you're going to write a song out of a need, it'll be something you need to say to God, or it's something where God speaks the words of the song to you. But I remember the songs that have touched me deep down in my soul the most are the songs we sing during worship. Songs that don't really say much or ask for much, but they just praise God for being who he is. That's why I decided that I needed to write a song, an anthem, for myself to sing, and that every time I sing it, I would be reminded of how great God is in my life.
This song starts out with a simple confession of who God is to me. God is great, and his love is precious to me.
The second half of that verse came from my mentor and friend, David. During a church planning meeting, David opened his devotion with a prayer in which he prayed, "Lord, let your Word be the land which we walk upon." I might have heard this prayed a thousand times, but this time it hit me because I remembered how much I needed to dig back into the Bible.
The rest of the words in this song are, by and large, inspired by a sermon series my pastor Chris Ng did on stewardship. He laid out four truths about who God is. I've always held these truths in my heart, but it took someone laying it out and telling me once again for me to realize how true they were.
The first is that God is good so that I don't need to look elsewhere for satisfaction.
You are good, my heart may find
No one else to satisfy
The second is that God is great so that I don't have to be in control.
God, the greatest
None can compare
The third is that God is glorious so that I don't have to fear.
Glorious, your light will shine
Always cast my fears aside
The fourth is that God is gracious so that I don't have to prove myself.
Oh, gracious king on heaven's throne
Holy is the one who knows
There is also a verse that is my confession to God. Like the line from the third truth, it didn't make its way into the song, but I'll share it with you here:
I confess I've gone astray
I've turned my eyes a downward gaze
But I know your promises are true
You'll always lead me back to you
This song is my anthem. Its my reminder of who God is. And when I am reminded of God's greatness and his goodness, I pray that I won't reduce him to a passing thought in my head.
I pray that this can be your anthem too, a compass to lead you back to God, even if its just a bit closer than you were before.
Stay tuned for the "Run Love Run" album! It's almost ready for release! I'll be releasing a free 3-song sampler EP sometime this week! (You're the first to know!)
Peace, love, and sugar-free pudding (yeech!)
-Brandon
