I Give You My Heart -- Reuben Morgan

He probably could have said that what he meant was that he wanted to be one with the One who made him. For a 20-year old to say “I Give You My Heart” in 1995 may have been really startling for some people, but it wasn’t just a casual short-term objective that Reuben Morgan vocalized, given what he’s done in the nearly 30 years since he wrote this ballad for the Hillsong church (see a picture of its convention center here). Dozens of songs and albums later, Reuben’s initial foray into songwriting for this Australian church movement in hindsight has seemed like a personal life goal that he visualized and has realized. He wanted to sing to Him and about Him, and that’s what Reuben has done unswervingly. This wasn’t just some self-actualized dream that Reuben floated to God, whom he was sure had the power to make it happen in just the way that Reuben wanted. Reuben wanted to match his goals to his Maker’s, and to be molded by Him and change himself if necessary. That, as Reuben said with the song’s premiere, was the way to find incredible happiness inside His purposes.

 

In Reuben’s words that he wrote (for the album God is in the House) to comment on the song’s purpose, he said the following: The heart of GOD is for us to be completely sold out to HIM. Our thoughts, passions and dreams (everything that makes us who we are) only have true life as they become HIS to shape and to mould. As we give our heart and our soul to GOD we then walk in the endless riches that are found in intimacy with HIM. That sounds like someone who understood implicitly what it means to bear the image of God. It was all about God, and a complete embodiment in who He is. And so, it shouldn’t be unexpected that Reuben would address Him directly as ‘You’ and ‘Your’ in his lyrics, and to offer himself and his own thoughts to Him as ‘I’, ‘my’, and ‘me’. He and God were the only ones sharing in this conversation. The ‘Lord’ to whom Reuben spoke throughout was the only audience. Reuben’s ‘desire’, his ‘heart’, his ‘soul’, his ‘breath’, his ‘moment(s)’, and ‘all (he had) and ‘adore(d)’ was for Him; indeed, to ‘live’ was for Him. ‘Worship’ and ‘praise’ flowed from this seminal realization that welled up inside of Reuben. Could anything in a person’s life be more determinative than what Reuben has said? That light isn’t just at the end of a dark tunnel. It is all around you, and inside of you. Perhaps one of the few humans to get close to experiencing this level of intimacy with God was Moses on Mount Sinai, when his face was radiant after speaking with the Almighty directly (Exodus 34:29-35), a manifestation that frightened the rest of the community and even Moses’ brother Aaron. Yes, it might look rather dangerous to be close to, even one with, this God. Moses would not have had it any other way.

 

Where one’s true self, purpose, and joy are found makes all the difference, and really gives us an appreciation of why Jesus felt so much angst as He considered the separation, albeit temporary and absolutely necessary, from His Father. In Gethsemane He begged the Father to find another way, if possible. On the cross, Jesus quoted forlornly Psalm 22 about being forsaken. And yet, he was resolute (Luke 9:51) about His Divine mission. This was the only way, and He must have known, yearned so much for, and wanted this intimacy with the Father to be for each of us, that He accepted the horror of estrangement for a time. Sin is that bad, and being one with Him is so great – those two truths bring what Jesus did into sharp focus. Don’t cavalierly toss aside what He’s done and discard what He’s bought for you and me. It is priceless. Don’t wait until eternity to find this out.   

 

Read about the song story here: I Give You My Heart (Hillsong song) - Wikipedia

Read about the author-composer here: Reuben Morgan - Wikipedia

 

See Hillsong Convention Centre image information here: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hillsong_Convention_Centre.jpg   This work has been released into the public domain by its author, Tatie2189. This applies worldwide. In some countries this may not be legally possible; if so: Tatie2189 grants anyone the right to use this work for any purpose, without any conditions, unless such conditions are required by law.

 

Abide -- Aaron Keyes, Aaron Williams, Jake Fauber

Aaron Williams was reading something in his bible that made him stop. “Abide” to Aaron was not really a stop and be silent moment, though that’s part of what he did when he read what the God-son said, prior to crafting the song by that name that was released in January 2021. If you want to bear fruit -- do something for God -- just make certain from where the root of that inspiration comes. The plants and trees that grow all kinds of fruits and nuts (see an example of Concord grapes here, a common fruit which would have been familiar to people of Jesus’ era and geographic location) don’t do so because the individual branches are so well kept, though that is part of what makes them productive. It’s the main root, the vine from which the smaller branches grow, which gives the essential vitality to this growing thing and yields such a bountiful harvest. Aaron Williams, along with his musical partners Aaron Keyes and Jake Fauber, read Jesus’ message to His closest followers in His last week before being crucified, and translated it for us who too often are in a hurry.
 
Aaron Williams points to John 15:1-10, in which Jesus used that word ‘Abide’ ten times to teach His disciples. It must have been a pretty important concept, huh? These three 21st Century musical collaborators must have decided that a large part of abiding in Jesus means depending on Him. They wrote that word into their collectively-generated lyrics 20 times. Or, how about teach? That one is in their poetry eight times. So, the Williams-Keyes-Fauber way of abiding in Him means that depending on Him and letting Him teach me are pretty important. Aaron Williams says the human mistake is to launch right out there into being busy without first taking note that the relationship with Him is the first priority. Consult Him first. Remaining in Him is often seen as backwards to what the culture tells us, a reality that Aaron reinforces by saying this Jesus way is an ‘anti-strategy’ or ‘the upside-down way’. It’s going to be the opposite of what the real hustlers and go-getters might tell you. He cites the fruits of the Spirit that one of His abiders – Paul in Galatians 5:22-23 -- used as a teaching guide for Christ-followers who want to know what fruit He's still looking for us to produce today. And, as for depending on Him – what did that mean musically for these three songwriters? My ‘waking breath’, ‘daily bread’, ‘the sunrise’, ‘sleep’, ‘the Spirit’s guiding’, my future ‘victories’; and most especially as I ‘pass through death’, find ‘eternal rest’, and finally expect ‘to be raised’ – all those things, many of which I might take for granted, exist because of Him. He can teach me nothing if I’m not willing to feel His close embrace and the strength He offers.    

It seems that a by-product of abiding that the two Aarons and Jake found, as they read what Jesus said and then interpreted that musically, is that the hurly-burly and stress of my life should be overcome. The traps in daily living are all the little things that mount up and can so easily overshadow what I should feel with Him; and then they unfortunately mute my attempts at fruit-bearing. Was it any different for Him when He walked around here as flesh-and-blood? He once said He had no place to lay His head (Matthew 8:20/Luke 9:58), so did Jesus struggle with some anxiety about that? On occasion He received strength from one or more attending angels (Matthew 4:11/Mark 1:13, and Luke 22:43), an indication that even He felt weak and need sustenance from above, particularly in spiritual warfare situations like these (following the temptation by the devil in the wilderness; and His profound anguish in a garden as He awaited arrest, persecution, and death). And, He often went off by Himself to pray. He abided. His moments of apparent distress were far more consequential than most of mine that I can recall…but does that matter to Him? Peter – another Jesus abider, who once felt anxious and overwhelmed because He had failed so miserably as an abider – once wrote Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. (1 Peter 5:7) So take heart, and realize He is willing to help you find fruitfulness again, if only you and I will abide.

 

Read about the song’s story here: "Walk by Faith" Singer Aaron Williams on John 15:5-8 and here Faith Behind The Song: 'Abide' Aaron Williams feat. Mission House | Air1 Worship Music  also see it here: Worship Collective Dwell Songs Releases New Single ‘Abide’ – CCM Magazine

 

See information on the image here: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ConcordGrapes.jpg.... Concord grapes… This image is a work of a United States Department of Transportation employee, taken or made as part of that person's official duties. As a work of the U.S. federal government, the image is in the public domain.

Gratitude – Brandon Lake, Benjamin Hastings, and Dante Bowe

They felt like they had little or nothing to offer their Creator, including when they looked down upon one of the most vivid examples of beauty and artistry that man has constructed – the Sydney Opera House (see a geometric presentation of that iconic structure here, and you can see many pictures of the building via the link below.) Brandon Lake and Benjamin Hastings might have been excused if they had marveled at the sight and then borrowed that sensation to laud God for the beauty of creation and how man tries to mimic Him in our talents. They did feel “Gratitude” for the Holy God, but it wasn’t because of anything they were admiring with their eyes. Instead, it was in spite of what they saw. That’s eye-opening (no pun intended!), because these two were artists themselves, of the musical variety, and they might have even stepped back for a moment and been grateful that their third co-writing friend, Dante Brown, also had some skill at this venture that they themselves were conducting. Instead, they said something pretty self-effacing as they considered themselves compared to Him who was also humble, and yet is rightfully called king. What He did, and yet who He is, should give all of us reason to pause.


Brandon relayed in an interview how he and Benjamin came to write some lyrics and music that communicated something that contrasted with what they could see. The sights in Sydney are pretty stunning, including the natural ones that God made and the manmade ones like the Opera House, and yet that is not why Brandon went to Sydney one time (prior to the release of ‘Gratitude’ in June 2022). He and Benjamin were putting their heads together to write some songs with other friends who were part of the Hillsong Worship team, based in Sydney. So, the two did rely on some collective skill at what they were hoping to accomplish, but at some point they must have reached the conclusion that perhaps ‘less is more’, to repeat an already coined phrase. That seems like that is what they surmised, as they wrote lyrics and expressed how they felt about themselves. Their conclusion was this: Worship is all they had to offer Him. Words to say ‘thanks’ and all the beautiful sounds they could make into songs they could sing repeatedly would never be enough. None of it would ever do enough to impress God. So, why not just admit that? That’s what they did, saying their ‘words fall short’, they had ‘nothing new’ (v.1), and that any songs they might craft and sing would always ‘end’ (v.2). ‘Throw(ing) up… hands’ (chorus) in frustration might have been one way for them to respond, but their emotion wasn’t rooted in exasperation, but instead in authentic humility. Being real with Him doesn’t require a lot of words to express oneself. Just a groan, perhaps, is enough, as Paul said on more than one occasion (Romans 8:23-26; and 2 Corinthians 5:2-4). And, the artists involved in this musical ‘groan’ must have decided that a lot of what they normally would have used in a song was really inhibiting what they were trying to say with the song, ultimately. That’s when Brandon decided to use just himself and one guitar initially to convey the message. It worked, and all they tried to say in the song could be summed up in ‘Hallelujah’, since they really felt ‘nothing else (was) fit for a King’ (chorus). Hallelujah...just that simple, one-word Hebrew expression. Something that just might resonate deep inside of a Jewish carpenter.


And, when you really get in touch with yourself versus God, the praise is not just with one’s voice, Brandon and his two collaborators said. The ‘heart (is) singing’, ‘arms (are) stretched wide’, your ‘soul (isn’t) shy’ anymore, and a ‘lion (comes out of your) lungs’. That’s a lot of you that these three songwriters aimed to involve in this gratitude. Paul didn’t mention these body parts when he wrote some church members in Corinth about how to involve the ‘body’ of Christ as a collective group. (1 Cor. 12) But, did Paul really behave with his life as if his arms, heart, soul, and lungs didn’t count for much? Do you think Paul and the rest of heaven has been paying attention when we still-earthbound-worshippers have been singing ‘Gratitude’ and all of our other songs in a chorus of utter devotion to Him who saves us? Should it ever really stop? Someday…someday it won’t.        


See the song’s story shared here: Gratitude (Brandon Lake song) Gratitude (Brandon Lake song) - Wikipedia

See information on the scenery the author-composers were observing here: Sydney Opera House - Wikipedia

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