This writer may be largely anonymous, though his name is known and what he wrote is blessing those of us who sing what he penned. So, if you are out there reading this post, and you know something about Chris Davis and what spurred his writing of “Here in This Place” in the late 1990s (song publication date of 1999), please share! This circumstance allows this blogger to play detective and use this forum to solicit your participation, but otherwise I will provide a few thoughts of my own, by looking at the words Chris authored. What’s the apparent setting for his song, and who was he thinking about when he coaxed others to sing his words? There may be lots of question marks in the rest of this entry, but Chris’ evident attachment to God is not one of them. See if you agree when you read what he wrote, and especially if you can remember a special moment when you have sung this bit of devotion that he’s offered up to the Holy One.
Was Chris a worship leader in the late 1990s, and how many other worship songs did he create? A simple search on his name and the word ‘song’ suggests that Chris has written at least a few others in collaboration with other artists, but that ‘Here in This Place’ may be the only one he has authored alone. It seems his poetry here is addressed to a group that needed to release some things weighing them down emotionally and spiritually, as suggested in both of the first two stanzas. They had ‘burden(s)’, and felt ‘unworthy’ to approach Him who is holy. That applies to everyone on this planet, doesn’t it? But Chris wanted to reassure those who assembled that God is not one who recoils from sinners. How many stories in biblical accounts can you and I find in which it seems He embraces rejected people? It’s not too speculative to presume that Chris likewise found hope in those same stories, and if he shared some spoken words before launching into this song, maybe some of them referenced Jesus’ encounters with the religious outcasts of his day. This stemmed from Jesus willingly challenging the pious leaders of the time and thus making Himself a pariah. So, He knew all about rejection-dejection. Even his own hometown threw him out (Luke 4:14-30). Chris could probably imagine Jesus walking right into a group, such as the one to whom Chris could have been speaking and encouraging in worship. This God doesn’t stand on the sideline watching, Chris said. He’s present, ‘here in this place’ with us. That’s just a reflection of his ‘love’ for us (refrain), and so we can ‘raise our voices’, ‘lift up our hands’, ‘fall on…knees’ before this One who sacrificed for us, and wants to join with us. Was this the ‘altar call’ song in that gathering where Chris first introduced ‘Here in This Place’? If it wasn’t, it certainly fits there. Keep coming to Him, no matter what the setting is, Chris might say.
So, Chris Davis, thank you! You have made some touching music for those of us who want to draw close to God. Confession, release of guilt, receipt of mercy and grace, devotion, consecration, and union with this God are what your words and notes prompt me to seek in Him. It must have been special with the group where you first shared this. It’s indescribable to think it will go on, and on, and on. Though we praise Him now, just try to get your mind around a New Heaven and New Earth, and how we’ll be joining Him in His place! This place I’m in now is just a faint glimpse of that next place. He will be breathtaking to behold in His home…our home. Let’s go!
This site indicates a few songs associated with the writer of the song addressed in this blog entry: https://songselect.ccli.com/Search/Results?List=contributor_P429247_Chris%20Davis&PageSize=10&CurrentPage=1
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