They let scripture speak, and that method got deep inside themselves as they thought about all that God was saying. Brooke Ligertwood shares that she and Ben Fielding were reading, and became so struck with “What a Beautiful Name” Jesus has, that they couldn’t help singing about this realization and its importance for believers in late 2015. What happened for Brooke and Ben in Sydney, Australia (at or near the Hillsong Convention Center, see it here) need not be an isolated event or an understanding only for an elite few. We all have bibles – even multiple copies for each of us – that tell of the supreme Creator, and how he has reached down and done something astonishing, even for those who might reject Him. That must have been part of the wonder and amazement that these two songwriters encountered as they prepared for a conference at the Hillsong worship site.
Ben and Brooke were preparing, as 2015 wound to a close, to sing and share in 2016 with other ardent believers about the only One worthy of worship. Would there really be anything new that they could say to such a group? Perhaps it’s the daily grind and the all-too-common misuse of His name in the everyday world that helped spur their study and discovery of something unique to Him – that His very name is so distinct and, as they say repeatedly, beautiful, and not just attractive, but also wonderful and powerful. Do you suppose that’s why God is so adamant in the Third of the Ten Commandments – ‘You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name’. (Exodus 20:7 and Deuteronomy 5:11)? His name has multiple facets, as Brooke mentions in the video when she relates how the song developed. She and Ben were reading various passages in Colossians (1:15-20 and 26-27), Hebrews (1:1-4), and apparently some in the prophet Isaiah (42:7; 49:9; 58:6; and 61:1-2, which Jesus Himself quotes to his hometown crowd [Luke 4:18-19]) and these two down-under songwriters found so much that should lift everyone above life’s doldrums. He was ‘at the beginning’, the very ‘Word’, present with the Creator (v.1). He didn’t ‘want heaven without us’, so with His great mind and heart motivating Him, He made His way toward us, to allow His grace to overcome our sin (v.2). So, those two verses help us capture the beauty and wonder of His name. Brooke and Ben cap the song with the power of His name – that cruel ‘death’, the ‘veil’ separating believers from Him, and the ‘grave’ that once held Him, surrendered to His name. Indeed! Jesus’ name has no ‘rival’ and no ‘equal’, a fact in which Brooke and Ben invite us all to celebrate passionately.
The Ligertwood-Fielding approach to songwriting here is not just for musicians. Everyone could be singing a chorus of praise daily, if they read what drew the attention of these two songwriters before they even sat at a keyboard or had a guitar in hand. As Brooke talks about it in the video, there is something special that happens when a person identifies something in His word that connects with a truth deep in one’s soul, and then vocalizes that. It helps nurture and cement faith, and is rather like a building block that one apostle (Paul) was trying to urge believers in his age to adopt…. Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ (Romans 10:17) – that was the train of thought that Brooke expressed. Singing the truth of scripture is like a confession of belief that someone can offer to God. Would there be any other way than beautiful, wonderful, and powerful to describe someone who created you, came to earth, sacrificed Himself, and then rose again to bridge the gap between you and Him?
See/hear the song story here: Hillsong Worship - "What a Beautiful Name" (Story Behind the Song) | WORD 101.5 FM - Pittsburgh, PA (wordfm.com)
Read some more information about the song here: What a Beautiful Name - Wikipedia
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.
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