Who was it that said ‘necessity is the mother of invention’? Phil Wickham was really not thinking as far back as this little aphorism’s first usage (perhaps in Aesop’s Fables [see the information below] in ancient times, before Christ.), but instead around 2018, some 26 centuries later. He and his friend Jonas Myrin were looking for a new upbeat song to use in the opening moments of a church’s worship service in Riverside, California (see the seal of that southern California city here), and Phil says “Great Things” was that necessary piece they happened to co-write. But, as so often occurs, these two contemporary songwriters traced back through ancient scriptures, namely those found in the Bible, to find inspiration for their 21st Century solution. They didn’t think about awe-inspiring events in their own experiences, but rather those centered around what God has done, ones about which we all can all read and re-read to appreciate Him repeatedly. He’s still that same timeless One.
Phil and the other worship leaders at Harvest Christian Fellowship had what at first glance might seem like an unusual problem – they were feeling that the lively songs they had been using were becoming too familiar, maybe even stale. Hmmm, how does something positive become a negative? Phil would say that that happens through overuse, and so he gave himself the task of finding at least one more opening song that could be the jump-off point for Harvest’s worship hour. The pages and the stories within his bible gave Phil so much grist for the music mill that was grinding in his spirit, that it wasn’t long before he was struck by a common theme – and indeed the theme for a new song – that he discovered in these well-known God-protect-and lead-the people stories as he read them. He looked in Psalms for a new musical message, but also in the wide variety of historical episodes when God was someone’s rescuer or the One choosing His people to do something miraculous – Daniel in the lion’s den; David versus Goliath; the Israelites taking Jericho; Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego surviving Nebuchadnezzar’s fiery furnace; and Moses and the people at the parting of the Red Sea. Phil noted that in almost all cases, the people praised their God in words, especially in songs, in the aftermath of the incidents. He found what Mary said upon learning her role as the coming Messiah’s mother (Luke 1:46-56, and especially v. 49) as perhaps the most provocative for his thoughts. ‘…for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name’, Mary sang in what we know today as the Magnificat (also see this blog’s 3/16/2023 entry for the Magnificat story). Mary’s baby’s pivotal position as all of humanity’s savior speaks to all generations in the present tense, rather than to a group of people in some past event. That was enough to spark Phil’s lyric-writing muscles, although he admits his mind was still stuck in neutral at one point, until Jonas captured the right words to complete a second verse and the song’s bridge. The two’s song theme, in a sense can never wear out, because God is not yet done doing great and amazing things.
Indeed, Phil and Jonas, while they were thinking of what He’s done already, also want us to expectantly rejoice in God’s never-done nature, because they wrote lines like these: You'll be faithful forevermore…And I know You will do it again…You will do great things. You can travel the musical road that Phil and Jonas constructed from beginning to an end, although exactly when that end will happen is unknown, for it’s hidden to the angels and even to Jesus (Matthew 24:36 and Mark 13:32). Is that part of God’s point, to keep us in the dark? Exactly what is He up to, we might sigh, and grouse, and complain when things seem tough. That was oftentimes the reaction of His chosen people, until they witnessed Him in action – Godly, awe-inspiring, terrifying action. Phil and Jonas tell us he was, and is, and is to come, in the musical phrases they chose…and, perhaps without really intentionally trying to do so, Phil and Jonas were looking at and thinking about what John was once told (Revelation 1:4,8 and 4:8), through some visions that were no less startling than what his ancestors observed. Ready to see Him do some more mind-blowing, astounding, stupefying things? My online thesaurus is inadequate to really capture the Almighty I AM!
See song story shared here (beginning/ending at minute mark 4:04 – 8:12) by the primary songwriter: Great Things // Phil Wickham // New Song Cafe - Bing video
Also see the story here: Phil Wickham – Great Things Lyrics | Genius Lyrics
See information on this quoted saying here: Necessity is the mother of invention - Wikipedia
See information on the image/seal of Riverside here: File:Seal of Riverside, California.png - Wikimedia Commons. This work was created by a government unit (including state, county, city, and municipal government agencies) that derives its powers from the laws of the State of California and is subject to disclosure under the California Public Records Act (Government Code § 6250 et seq.). It is a public record that was not created by an agency which state law has allowed to claim copyright, and is therefore in the public domain in the United States.
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