Is this song about God or your girlfriend?

Sometimes I wonder what our Christian singers/writers are thinking when you can’t tell if the song is more about a boyfriend/girlfriend or is referencing and praising God/Christ, a deity (and so much more).  I should be able to tell by the text, right?

I am definitely not opposed to new and contemporary music but I hope that our compositions in the 21st century will still be recognizable as church music and not love songs.  I think it’s great when hymns get updated and arranged to contemporary music (e.g. RUF Hymnbook).  If you’re a composer and can’t come up with in-depth, theological, rich text, please just open up your bible to the Psalms or your hymnal.  I’d recommend the Trinity Hymnal.  Jacob gave one to me as a Christmas present a few years ago.  Yes, I was laughed at in my Hymnody class at Moody when I told the class during my presentation that I requested it for Christmas.  (Red, blushing cheeks were present).

Okay, back to the text issue.  Below are a few songs that I would say could be sung by anyone to their significant other and would be completely applicable.  Notice the lack of the names of God or Jesus Christ.  There are a lot of names out there, friends.  We should use them as clear identification of who we’re singing about.  Really.  The grammatical reality is that “you” is not supposed to be capitalized when referring to God/Jesus. Hence, I don’t consider capitalization of “You,” “Your,” or  “You’re” as ample evidence of God in the text.  Below are a few songs from a top 20 list on a Christian radio station (that shall not be named).  It was not hard to find lyrics that fit the “girlfriend” characteristics.

Matt Maher – Hold Us Together
From the album Alive Again

It don’t have a job, don’t pay your bills
Won’t buy you a home in Beverly Hills
Won’t fix your life in five easy steps
Ain’t the law of the land or the government?
But it’s all you need

And love will hold us together
Make us a shelter to weather the storm
And I’ll be my brother’s keeper
So the whole world would know that we’re not alone

It’s waiting for you knocking at your door
In the moment of truth when your heart hits the floor
And you’re on your knees

And love will hold us together
Make us a shelter to weather the storm
And I’ll be my brother’s keeper
So the whole world would know that we’re not alone

This is the first day of the rest of your life
This is the first day of the rest of your life
‘Cause even in the dark you can still see the light
It’s gonna be alright, it’s gonna be alright

This is the first day of the rest of your life
This is the first day of the rest of your life
‘Cause even in the dark you can still see the light
It’s gonna be alright, it’s gonna be alright

Love will hold us together
Make us a shelter to weather the storm
And I’ll be my brother’s keeper
So the whole world would know that we’re not alone

NEED TO BREATHE – Something Beautiful
From the album The Outsiders

I feel the waves crashing on my feet
It’s like I know where I need to be
I can’t figure out
No, I can’t figure out
Just how much air I will need to breathe When your wave crashes over me
There’s only one way to figure out Will you let me drown Will you let me drown

Hey now, this is my desire
Consume me like a fire
Cause I just want
Something beautiful to touch me
I know that I’m in reach
I am down on my knees
And waiting for
Something beautiful

And the water is rising quick
And for years I was scared of it
We can’t be sure when it will subside
So I won’t leave your side
No I can’t leave your side

Hey now, this is my desire
Consume me like a fire
Cause I just want
Something beautiful to touch me
I know that I’m in reach
I am down on my knees
And waiting for
Something beautiful

Matt Brouwer – Sometimes
From the album Where’s Our Revolution

Sometimes I’m afraid of what I might not get to say Sometimes I believe that everything is what it seems And we’re just too scared to try Do we have what it takes when hope and clarity melt away To rise above our mistakes If we don’t know any other way And we’re just too scared to try

When it feels like there is nothing left It feels like this is as good as it gets It feels that way sometimes So let’s take a second and catch our breath And realize this isn’t over yet It just feels that way sometimes

Sometimes there can be so much more beyond what we see Sometimes I’m amazed how we see the world in different ways And were just too scared to try

When it feels like there is nothing left It feels like this is as good as it gets It feels that way sometimes So let’s take a second and catch our breath And realize this isn’t over yet It just feels that way sometimes

Meredith Andrews – Can Anybody Hear Me
From the album As Long As It Takes

I’m staring at these empty walls
Wondering when You’ll visit me again
When will You come?
If there is anything at all
Coming in between our love
Please show me, ‘cuz I am barely hanging on

Can anybody hear me?
The silence is deafening
Why do You feel so far away?
When I know You’re here with me
But I just need faith to see
Nothing can separate me from Your love

Believing what I can’t see
Has never come naturally to me
And I’ve got questions
But I am certain of a Love
Strong enough to hold me when I’m doubting You’ll never let go of my hand

I will trust in You, even in the moments I can’t find you, and I will hold on to Your promises of love You’ve never failed before

I know You can hear me
When the silence is deafening
Even though You seem far away
And I know You’re here with me
But I just need faith to see
Nothing can separate me from Your love

O ye of little faith

In our ladies’ bible study this week we are looking at Psalm 95, which references Exodus 17 in vv. 7-11. What always surprises me when I read about Israel (no matter how many times I read it) was their stubbornness and lack of faith. God had drawn them out of slavery in Egypt and they feared that they would die of thirst in the wilderness. They knew they were God’s chosen people but at times they still flagrantly sinned against him. Israel also doubted that their God-ordained leader, Moses, would be able to shepherd them well. As is the case so many times in Israel’s history, here in Exodus 17, God chooses to show mercy and he provides water for them to drink.

This story in Exodus is short, but an incredibly familiar one in my life. I so often lack the faith I need to trust in God and I choose to grumble and complain instead of looking at God’s care in my life and resting in his sovereignty. I struggle with anxiety, some of it warranted, but most of it is simply generated by my restless heart and desire to control.
I have no doubt that my life would be much improved if I had faith and trusted in God completely. I don’t know if I’ll ever fully reach that point in life, this side of heaven, but I pray that I can be reminded of Israel’s cyclical mistakes so that I can avoid them as God allows and learn to follow after his heart.

I’m also thankful for the example of Israel. It is a picture of how God’s faithfulness never ceases to his children. He will always redeem and show mercy upon them. It’s nice to know at times that even though I am a great sinner, I am still beloved by God and saved by the love, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. So,

Today, if you hear his voice,
8 do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah,
as on the day at Massah in the wilderness,
9 when your fathers put me to the test
and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work.
Psalm 95:7b-9