He remembers the time, even the phrases the speaker used to make his point. Chris Tomlin was in Hawaii early in the 21st Century when he heard a preacher repeat the words -- “Let God Arise” – first spoken by God’s leader in a wilderness, and then remembered by a psalmist and king centuries later. So, it was no accident that Chris should find this three-word phrase so meaningful and moving, something that spurred on millions of people some 3,400 years earlier. God made Himself evident, and He called followers to obedience, offering them His own light and a leader whose face would shine when He descended from a mountain conference with Him. He’d already done so many rousing wonders – did He really need to offer more proof of His identity, power, and authority? Perhaps God knew songs would be necessary to preserve these moments, and so the story and its accompanying words entered the spirit of poets like David and Chris, and all of us who will listen.
Chris Tomlin leaned on the words and collaboration of three of his contemporaries, as well as Moses and the poet-king David, to write ‘Let God Arise’. Chris shares when he was backstage at a conference in Hawaii where Jim Cymbala was speaking. The words Jim spoke were brief but had the desired impact, at least for one hearer – Chris Tomlin. In Jim’s words -- ‘we’re having these conferences, trying to build this church as if God were dead, as if He needs our help. The truth is, let God arise, and His enemies be scattered.‘ It was a ‘wow’ moment for Chris, who knew immediately that he wanted to write a song, and so he scribbled that part of Psalm 68 (he mistakenly says Psalm 61 in the video interview) on a piece of paper, not realizing at the time what its origin was. He says it moved him like a guy who might be watching the movie Braveheart, and hearing William Wallace issue the challenge to his army as they stood before the enemy. He thought the song he would write should be consistent with the psalm’s emotive power, and therefore accompanied by music that was ‘rowdy’, not some ‘pretty little’ tune. It’s a ‘shout it out’ song, Chris says. Thus, that helps explain the raucous beat as you hear Chris and his cohorts perform the song, lauding the Almighty and his works. This people that Moses was leading in the wilderness following their orders from God Himself – their commander-in-chief – was a people prone to stubbornness and complaining. Moses had to urge them on each day with the title words of the song Chris would write over three millennia later (Numbers 10:35), the same words that David would use (in Psalm 68) to stimulate God’s people of his own era, 400-500 years later (around 1,000 B.C.). Apparently, Chris also leaned on the advice and contributions of two others of his own time, Ed Cash and Jesse Reeves, to fashion the words for ‘Let God Arise’. God’s directives still flow through countless believers, even today.
Echoes of Moses and David reverberate in ‘Let God Arise’, the 21st Century rendition of this wilderness and later-Temple worship song. Verses 1, 20, and 33 of David’s psalm remind us of Him, and how we carry on the devotion to this God. Chris, Ed, and Jesse add some other words that speak of God’s great personage, and His powerful acts on behalf of His people. ‘Our God… saves!’ There’s so much more that they tell us of Him, but saving power seems like one of the underscored points of this song. Just let Him loose – as if we had any ability to confine Him! – and watch Him arise and conquer. Saving us is just a derivative effect of who He is. I’m ready to go upwards with Him. You too?
The primary author shares the story in this 4/14/2010 video: https://www.praisecharts.com/blog/chris-tomlin-shares-song-let-god-arise/
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