The Lord's Prayer (It's Yours) -- Jesus, Matt Maher, Bryan Fowler, Jacob Sooter

Another way of saying what they thought about in this song was the oft-used acronym KISS – Keep It Simple Stupid (but make sure you say this especially to yourself if you use that ‘Stupid’ word, and not to others). Don’t make something too complicated, and particularly when you look at “The Lord’s Prayer”, as Matt Maher, Bryan Fowler, and Jacob Sooter did when they repeated and updated it with a few reminders for themselves (See here the late 19^th Century artwork The Lord’s Prayer, by James Tissot.)  The words Jesus used to teach His hearers in His great sermon (Matthew 6/Luke 11) were also those by which He lived and taught every day, so when Matt, Bryan, and Jacob put in a few extra words, they must have been looking at Him and His life’s consistency, and how they thought they should respond to Him daily, too. With any familiar words used repeatedly, day after day, there is a risk that the words become a rote exercise, but one of these three 21^st Century composers says his regular use of the prayer has had the opposite effect. Should we expect that the prayer basics that Jesus taught would remain any less stimulating for us as the day He first spoke them?

 

Jesus readily responded to the people who asked Him how to pray, something that really indicated how the people already trusted Him. And yet, He didn’t offer them promises about Roman comeuppance, about redemption of the Jewish nation to its former autonomous status, or about prosperity for themselves. It was instead all about each individual’s one-to-one connection with God and with each other. In short, each of us needs to find ourselves in His corner and trust that He provides, prompting us to treat each other as He has treated us. Matt said in 2022 (perhaps a year after the 21^st Century version of the prayer-song was written) that he thought it was all about reminding himself about spiritual basics, when he and his family would echo Jesus’ words each day. Making things too complicated had been one of the spiritual traps into which he’d often fallen, Matt admits, so making this prayer a daily habit was intentional from a foundation-building perspective. Moreover, he found that he would discover something anew each time he mimicked Jesus in this way. Do you suppose Jesus intended this phenomenon when he taught the people? Certainly, Jesus wanted you and me to personalize the prayer, and because each day is new, how I live out that prayer just might change ever so slightly, or perhaps more radically on occasion, as my life unfolds from day to day. One might gather that that is what Matt and his two friends were also thinking when they added some words to the prayer, particularly the phrase ‘right here in my heart’, which is sung seven times to emphasize how today’s disciple responds to what Jesus said. Matt, Bryan, and Jacob added some other words to underscore that the world He created, and the kingdom Jesus came to initiate, are His…’it’s yours, all yours’. That is so very crucial to accept, not just as a believer, but as a human being created by Him. If I don’t acknowledge His ownership, I can spend my life as an empty exercise in accumulating stuff for myself, none of which I can take with me to the other side of mortality’s conclusion. On the other hand…   

 

…when I discover and accept that He’s the LORD, as in landlord and people-Lord too, then I can aim at the only target that makes sense: His kingdom. That’s the one that is enduring, because He brought it with Him when He was here on earth, and its expansion to millions and even billions of people since then just cannot be rolled back. Read Revelation, and remind yourself who wins in the end. Why would you not want to be connected to what He – the Resurrected One – has begun and which will overpower death, because He has already done so as the First-Born? I have no better option and no other plan that offers what He’s begun in His kingdom. Do you? See if Jesus’ simple, but still-potent words work for you.  

 

Read the story from the principal author-composer of this 21^st Century version of the prayer here: Matt Maher Goes Personal with "The Lord's Prayer (It's Yours)" : News : JubileeCast

 

See information on the image here: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Brooklyn_Museum_-_The_Lord%27s_Prayer_(Le_Pater_Noster)_-_James_Tissot.jpg (found at this link -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord%27s_Prayer ) …The author died in 1902, so this work is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 100 years or fewer. This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published (or registered with the U.S. Copyright Office) before January 1, 1930.

 

The Lion and the Lamb -- Brenton Brown, Brian Johnson, Leeland Mooring

 

They might have felt like they were in the same room with Isaiah, or maybe John. It began with Leeland Mooring’s experience at a church in California, and then his reflection later on that moment at a retreat with Brenton Brown and Brian Johnson, as the three of them were trying to capture and hold some mental imagery deep inside themselves. It was a scene that none of us today have certainly ever observed, when “The Lion and the Lamb” have occupied the same space in a peaceful way. (See the reproduction of the artwork A Little Child Shall Lead Them, an 1896 work by William Strutt, which includes the peaceful association of two animals, a lion and a lamb, in the resurrected world of other peaceful animals envisioned by the prophet Isaiah [11:6; 65:25].) That’s the kind of thing that can happen when people try to put themselves in the shoes of characters who’ve had stunning visions of what our Creator plans to do one day. The lion and the lamb will also play a powerful role in eternity. Who but the one at God’s right hand is capable of occupying two seemingly opposite positions, of both peace and power?

 

Leeland recalled how the worship with a California church was focused on finding God in His space during a three-day stay there around 2015. The crowd was really seeking Him, through songs with lots of words like ‘holy’ and ‘worthy’ in them, both characteristics of Him. And so, that made the chorus emerge from inside Leeland, at the same time that his brother was praying with people during that time. What Leeland expressed was that God, the Lion of Judah cannot be stopped in His power as the Almighty; and yet, He’s also the Lamb who allowed Himself to be sacrificed. Was the imagery of Isaiah (chapters 11 and 65) and also what John saw in his Revelation – especially about the Lamb, who played such a crucial role in John’s vision -- part of what ultimately inspired the three songwriters? Leeland remembers discussing the duality of Jesus with his brother, and also recalling that the beloved Apostle John was reassured by this same God to not be afraid  (Revelation 1:17). A lamb and a lion who has the gentleness and also the power and authority, and one who will be coming on the clouds (v.1 of song) – so does it seem like it will be difficult, if not impossible to not be awed by Him! That’s what Leeland, Brenton, and Brian are inviting us to imagine, even as we go about the daily hum-drum of earthly life. We have ‘chain(s)’ and ‘broken hearts’ (v.1) and ‘battles’ (chorus), but these pale and fall away; they are immaterial when we acknowledge Him and ‘open the gates’ for the ‘King of kings’ who came to free we who would otherwise remain ‘captives’ (v.2).

 

It seems that when we make a conscious effort to get in the same mindset as Isaiah and John -- as Leeland, Brenton, and Brian have done – that there’s many more phrases and whole choruses that center on God and what He has done and will do. That comes through clearly in ‘The Lion and the Lamb’ – the scenes pictured lyrically show us Him repeatedly. ‘Who can stop the Lord Almighty?’ is the question that the three songwriters ask over and over. A God who can be slain, and yet reign with unchallenged power, is a Lord who can take care of anything in between those two extremes that threaten me. Death, for us humans at least, is the ultimate penalty, for nothing worse can befall the mortal. At the other end of the spectrum, a being who has been invested with all authority – or has attempted to attain that status -- in our human experience has been someone to dread, a tyrannical ruler. There have been many Caesars, and other emperors or dictators closer to our own century, like Napoleon, Stalin, and Hitler. We can rejoice that death and tyranny are overthrown by the one who redefines our existence and our outlook. The Lamb and Lion of Judah is one and the same God, who overthrows all of our dread.     

 

Read about/watch the story of the song shared here: 'Lion And The Lamb' Brenton Brown …also shared here: Lion and the Lamb by Leeland - Songfacts

 

See here for some brief information on the song: The Lion and the Lamb (song) - Wikipedia

 

See information on the image-graphic here: File:William Strutt - A little child shall lead them.jpg - Wikimedia Commons (found inside the link here: The lamb and lion - Wikipedia   ) This work is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 100 years or fewer. This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published (or registered with the U.S. Copyright Office) before January 1, 1930.

The Greatness of Our God -- Jason Ingram, Reuben Morgan, Stuart David Garrard

 

‘I AM.’ (Exodus 3:14; John 4:26; John 8:58) How often did He need to say this? The God Moses met, and the One who talked with a Samaritan woman at a water hole, and then debated with some skeptical Jews, did not only mouth this claim. He lived it, so that no one would be able to doubt “The Greatness of Our God”, except those who were too stubborn and prideful to admit what was obvious. That’s what Jason Ingram, Reuben Morgan, and Stuart David Garrard were also echoing for worshippers at the Hillsong Convention Center in Australia (see it pictured here) in the 2009 period. Jason’s conversation with a performing artist (Natalie Grant) at the time underscored some takeaways for her, too, though her initial reaction to the song suggested she was dubious about its novelty. But, just consider the matchless nature of Him, the Creator and Sustainer. Is it really overkill to sing about His renown one more time, with a different set of words and new music that these three composers developed? It’s also safe to say that eternity will never grow old because of Him, and the wonder of discovering every facet of Him.  

 

‘The Greatness of Our God’ was undoubtedly something intrinsic to the experience of people who actually met Him face-to-face in the person of Jesus. Watch well-done video depictions of His life that try to show the biblically-recorded episodes of someone who was healed. It was new and breathtaking every time; it never became rote or casual to see Him show His power. Perhaps that might be part of the inspiration, though they don’t necessarily say so, which moved Jason, Reuben and Stuart to compose their words and music. The people He healed were downtrodden and fearful before His touch revolutionized their existence; and when He raised Lazarus, that was His way of demonstrating that He even controls life itself, that He overcomes even death. Is there any greater anxiety for mortals? Natalie Grant’s recollection of a conversation with Jason Ingram about this song, which he convinced her to record, suggests that this basic human weakness – anxiety – and how God makes us overcomers was what she appreciated about the song’s message. Paul’s courageous proclamation in his letter to the Romans highlighted that for Natalie -- For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.  (Romans 8:38-39) That pretty well sums up just how great Paul thought Jesus was, and is. They are potent words, and Jason, Reuben, and Stuart crafted some of their own effective lyrics, especially in the song’s chorus that say the ‘sky (cannot) contain’, and human ‘doubt (cannot) restrain’ His greatness. He’s got it all in His hands. We just need ‘eyes to see’ (v.1), and ‘grace to see’ (v.2) Him for who He is. These three songwriters are also humble enough to write in their own lyrics that a ‘song (cannot) convey’ Him adequately. That humility runs through the song, prompting each of us to embrace that for everyday life. Pretty good message to remember – He’s unquenchably great, and I’m not. I don’t need to be, because He already is.

 

Have fear? How about a pride problem? If you have had that first trait, perhaps that has also, in a way, cured you of that second characteristic, an arrogance that has previously deceived you into thinking you had life under control. Meet God. He’s the one that can take you to a place where there’s no anxiety. And, any pride that you might have had can be instead moved onto boasting about knowing the God who’s really in control (1 Corinthians 1:31; 2 Cor. 10:17; Galatians 6:14). He’s the One who has it all worked out. You see, you can trust Him because He’s the Creator – the sky above us is His handiwork, after all – so if He can do that, do you think He’s capable of taking care of life too? Try on the poetry set to music that Jason, Reuben, and Stuart have given us as a reminder of our smallness, and yet our access to His greatness. It’s never ever too much to sing about one more time.

  

See some comments from an artist who recorded the song after discussing it with one of the writers: Behind The Song: Interview About "Greatness Of Our God" | PraiseCharts

 

Read about the album on which the song appears: A Beautiful Exchange - Wikipedia (indicates the album recorded in 2009, so song composed sometime that year?)

 

See Hillsong Convention Centre image information here: File:Hillsong Convention Centre.jpg - Wikimedia Commons.  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.

The Family Prayer Song -- Morris Chapman and Joshua

 

Morris Chapman was thinking of his own family, and probably many other men’s families too when he uttered some words that echoed what an ancient leader of Hebrews said to admonish a people who were at a crossroads. It was in a place called Shechem (see the map-image of Shechem here), where Joshua told the people “As for Me and My House”, we will serve the Lord (Joshua 24:15). (The song’s title is alternately “The Family Prayer Song.) It had been a long struggle, and Joshua sensed that the people needed to be challenged – ‘Whom will you serve?’ Morris, some 3,400 years later, was a music leader of Promise Keepers in 1995, and could he have been having similar feelings as his ancient predecessor? It is a question that people of faith should be asking themselves many times along the journey, for there are many crossroads; who is my God, and am I really serving Him?

 

It's not explicitly indicated in the song’s details, nor among the 20^th Century composer’s information that is available in the open, to explain the circumstances of the evolution of ‘The Family Prayer Song’, but certain elements can be reasonably assumed. Morris obviously didn’t just arrive at the key phrase in the song on his own, so there was some situation among Morris’ contemporaries which called to mind what Joshua said to the Israelites so long ago, after they had arrived in the Promised Land and achieved in large measure the objectives that God had set before them. They still had much to do, however, and Joshua was therefore intent on getting their attention to not let up and become complacent; what happened later – as told throughout the book of Judges – was what Joshua must have feared. Much of what Promise Keepers has stood for, from its inception in the early 1990s, has been about men being who God intended them to be – committed to men-women marriage, including in monogamous relationships, strong fatherhood, and racial harmony. One can see why Morris might have written about God-serving with the words that Joshua first used, and then with some of his own too, to counter the drift in American culture that was ongoing in the early and mid-1990s. He must have thought that Joshua was thinking similarly, when Morris lyricized about God ‘filling…homes with your presence’, giving Him ‘reverence’. Being ‘holy’ before Him was also really recalling what Joshua admonished the people to do, by getting rid of the foreign idols among them. And then Morris turned his 20^th Century crowd’s attention on themselves just a bit, by reminding them that by ‘staying’ and ‘praying’ with each other was part of their therapy, because ‘storm(y) weather’ was threatening; family members needed to practice ‘harmony and love’, and especially commit to being in ‘God’s word’. People ‘need each other’, Morris said, and that’s something that has always been true, from Joshua’s days – and indeed from the very beginning, when God made Eve for Adam – until our own time. We don’t live alone here, and we cannot make it without Him either.

 

Morris certainly didn’t say anything new, did he? But, how often do we actually express the thoughts in what’s spelled out in his lyrics? We might go through the motions just a bit too easily – attending church, carrying a bible, singing songs, giving money to charity, clasping our hands and bowing heads, and even in eating a piece of cracker and swallowing a few drops of juice. If that sums up what I do, without more depth, I probably need to do a bit of self-examination. And, as Joshua and Morris would probably say also, I need to make myself accountable to some others in this. They might see something that I don’t, like am I wavering in some of the basics, and allowing God to be pushed aside on occasion. That matters, because that’s how other gods make their inroads, just a little bit at a time. Have I accomplished something that might put me in self-congratulatory mode, like what happened some 3,400 years ago? Is there a crossroads in sight for you, too? Is there a Joshua nearby?      

 

This site indicates the composer’s situation when he wrote the song (music leader of Promise Keepers in 1995):  https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.cloversites.com/19/196db2ea-297d-4503-9a12-49043489c907/documents/June_18_-_Family_Prayer_Song.pdf

 

See here some information about the organization in which the composer-author was involved: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Promise_Keepers

 

See information on the map image here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shechem and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shechem#/media/File:Nablus_and_Balata_in_the_Survey_of_Western_Palestine_1880.11_(cropped).jpg …This file is in the public domain because it is a mere mechanical scan or photocopy of a public domain original, or – from the available evidence – is so similar to such a scan or photocopy that no copyright protection can be expected to arise. The original itself is in the public domain for the following reason: This work is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 70 years or fewer. {{PD-1996}} – public domain in its source country on January 1, 1996 and in the United States.