NEW MUSIC
I AM THEY Song Focus - “ Faithful God ”
One of the things that draws me to the music of Citizens is the almost liturgical foundation of many of their songs . They write congregationally friendly music that mirror the important elements of Sunday worship including prayer , communion , invitation , repentance and forgiveness . A perfect example of this is “ Forgive Us ” which is an honest song of personal repentance recognizing the healing power of Jesus blood that is directly followed by the upbeat and bouncy , “ Light of Your Grace ” which gives attention to how God responds to our cry for mercy . Their understanding of liturgical form ( even in a non-traditional form ) and theological significance of these songs says they were crafted with purpose and a lot of forethought .
“ Altogether Good ” brings things to a close as Sandra McCracken lends her seasoned voice in this perfect duet that is simple , vertical and boasts of the unmatched goodness of God .
This is another great album from Citizen . Their writing is biblically on point and they hit the bullseye on writing songs that the church needs to be singing at this time in history . Heaven in Our Sights brings us back to the feet of Jesus while calling Christians to keep their focus on Him and reminding us that we are destined for Heaven . This is a great album .
Hope in the midst of despair seems to be a common topic of many modern worship songs these days . It is a timeless theme that fits our current circumstance in 2020 in the midst of a global pandemic , raging wild fires , civil and racial unrest and a recent Presidential election . There has never been a more appropriate time to declare the hope we have in Jesus as the Body of Christ than right now .
Carson City , Nevada based worship artist , I Am They have been climbing the CCM charts for a few years now with their soulful modern rock vibe . Their latest single , “ Faithful God ” is a creatively written anthem that brings hope in the midst of seemingly desperate times .
Verse one begins with a ballad-type piano riff as Abbie Parker sings soulfully about being shrouded in the midst of hopelessness , surrounded by darkness and yet clinging to the faithfulness of God through it all .
The chorus is easy to grasp and filled with melodic hooks while reminding us how our life story is still being written and that our God overcomes every obstacle as sings “ against all odds , He is a faithful God ”. The part that gets me and is worthy of focusing on is the line , “ I trust You with my life ” which begs the question , “ Do I really trust God with my entire life ”? How often have we as the church sung similar
lines over the years without really thinking about them ? I found myself wrestling with this question as I sang along . When things get really tough , when life ’ s curveballs are impossible to hit , how much do I honestly trust that God ’ s will for me is the best , especially when I want to do my own thing ? Such questions reveal the nature of a well-written song .
Verse three paints a lyrical picture of a God who is with us through every crashing wave that life throws at us and that through it all , He holds us and hears our cries for help .
The bridge boasts of how God ’ s promises always hold together while harkening us back to 1st John chapter 4 as we are called to “ dwell in His love forever ”. These two lines are the climax of the song as we are reminded that by dwelling in His love at all times , we can have confidence on the day of judgement that we belong to Him .
Thematically , “ Faithful God ” is about as simple and obvious as you can get . God ’ s hope in the midst of despair is almost being overdone nowadays but I Am They have done a superb job of writing a congregationally friendly melody that has that “ sticky ” quality that is simple yet complex . The chords and song structure are easily learned and adaptable by most worship teams and lyrically there are phrases that make you think about your own faith . This is a great song and I can ’ t wait to teach it to my congregation .
Gerod Bass Worship leader in Tacoma , WA . Mentor with Worship Catalyst . Singer , songwriter , guitarist with a passion for impacting lives for the sake of the Gospel . www . oslc . com