Same God -- Brandon Lake, Chris Brown, Pat Barrett, Steven Furtick

 

Unchangeable. That one word sums up what Brandon Lake, Chris Brown, Pat Barrett, and Steven Furtick were expressing with “Same God” in 2022. This Elevation Worship group in Charlotte, North Carolina was probably looking at some inspiring words that spurred them to think outside of their own experiences in this lifetime. They certainly thought about what different writers have said about the God they worshipped across the centuries, from historical periods separated by some 2,000 years, and even broader than that if they included themselves in this group of humans who have called out to Him. Perhaps what one fellow called Him is most apt – the Ancient of Days (see Daniel 7:9,13,22; and as shown in a reproduction of this 18^th Century artwork The Ancient of Days by William Blake) – because it communicates that He’s existed from before time began and He’ll also be present at the end of time. In other words, He’s not bound by time, so how could He change if He’s outside of our understanding of linear time?  

  

The comments by one of the writers, Chris Brown, further indicates specifically how the group’s focus helped them pen the words about this Same God. Chris and the others must have been thinking about what the writer of Hebrews had to say about God, including that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever (Hebrew 13:8). And, there’s so many who’ve gone on before those of us who are still living, that we cannot help but think about that great cloud of witnesses (Hebrews 12:1), as Chris explained. They had no doubt that He was – and is -- the same God that their forefathers had heard, and worshipped, and followed. So, these songwriters wanted people who heard their musical creation to join in, not just in the act of singing and worshipping, but also to think of themselves as being part of that great voyage of humanity, seeking out Him who made us. From the Jacob of Genesis to Mary in the gospels, and so many others in between – like Moses and David, and so many others they do not mention in their lyrics – who talked with, and even wrestled with this same God, one thing they could say was that He’s faithful. He’s dependable, because the pledges that He made to people long ago were honored. And, since He was a promise-keeper for those people, we can think of Him in the same way, and articulate that to succeeding generations. By creating a musical prompt for this goal, the Elevation Worship members have sought to add to the great collection of songs that help preserve a people’s awareness and appreciation for this Same God…as if anyone could reasonably forget or disregard Him.

 

The reality is that too many people do ignore God, until an episode in life just will not allow us to put Him aside. A few pages about ancient history’s people who tried to go around Him should give us reason to pause. Just a glimpse of how He interacted, and the number of people He impacted, was enough for 12 followers to give themselves completely to Him, including martyrdom. And, there were so many others before them, as the Hebrews 11 crowd testifies, and centuries of believers since then. He changed the trajectory of the people He met, and though He went home after 33 years here on earth, He’s still here. The Elevation Worship band reminds us that the Holy Spirit is part of the Divine presence, the same one who’s been called faithful by all those generations we can read about. We all still need Him, something else that they remind us to acknowledge. Have an ailment, lack courage, see giant problems in front of you, don’t know how to swim when an ocean preventing a resolution to an issue is in the way, or just feel insignificant to others? Brandon, Chris, Pat, and Steven recall all of those impediments in their lyrics. Yet, the same God is healer, lifter, protector, rescuer…the list doesn’t really end. He’s still who He’s always been.         

 

 

Read about the song here, including some comments by one of the composers re: its purpose: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Same_God

 

Also read about the song’s purpose here: https://jubileecast.com/articles/27286/20220122/7-things-to-know-about-elevation-worships-lion.htm

 

See the composers and their band sing it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LawxIZE9ePE

 

For information on the image, see the following: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Europe_a_Prophecy,_copy_D,_object_1_(Bentley_1,_Erdman_i,_Keynes_i)_British_Museum.jpg …The author died in 1827, 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.

Gratitude – Brandon Lake, Benjamin Hastings, and Dante Bowe

They felt like they had little or nothing to offer their Creator, including when they looked down upon one of the most vivid examples of beauty and artistry that man has constructed – the Sydney Opera House (see a geometric presentation of that iconic structure here, and you can see many pictures of the building via the link below.) Brandon Lake and Benjamin Hastings might have been excused if they had marveled at the sight and then borrowed that sensation to laud God for the beauty of creation and how man tries to mimic Him in our talents. They did feel “Gratitude” for the Holy God, but it wasn’t because of anything they were admiring with their eyes. Instead, it was in spite of what they saw. That’s eye-opening (no pun intended!), because these two were artists themselves, of the musical variety, and they might have even stepped back for a moment and been grateful that their third co-writing friend, Dante Brown, also had some skill at this venture that they themselves were conducting. Instead, they said something pretty self-effacing as they considered themselves compared to Him who was also humble, and yet is rightfully called king. What He did, and yet who He is, should give all of us reason to pause.


Brandon relayed in an interview how he and Benjamin came to write some lyrics and music that communicated something that contrasted with what they could see. The sights in Sydney are pretty stunning, including the natural ones that God made and the manmade ones like the Opera House, and yet that is not why Brandon went to Sydney one time (prior to the release of ‘Gratitude’ in June 2022). He and Benjamin were putting their heads together to write some songs with other friends who were part of the Hillsong Worship team, based in Sydney. So, the two did rely on some collective skill at what they were hoping to accomplish, but at some point they must have reached the conclusion that perhaps ‘less is more’, to repeat an already coined phrase. That seems like that is what they surmised, as they wrote lyrics and expressed how they felt about themselves. Their conclusion was this: Worship is all they had to offer Him. Words to say ‘thanks’ and all the beautiful sounds they could make into songs they could sing repeatedly would never be enough. None of it would ever do enough to impress God. So, why not just admit that? That’s what they did, saying their ‘words fall short’, they had ‘nothing new’ (v.1), and that any songs they might craft and sing would always ‘end’ (v.2). ‘Throw(ing) up… hands’ (chorus) in frustration might have been one way for them to respond, but their emotion wasn’t rooted in exasperation, but instead in authentic humility. Being real with Him doesn’t require a lot of words to express oneself. Just a groan, perhaps, is enough, as Paul said on more than one occasion (Romans 8:23-26; and 2 Corinthians 5:2-4). And, the artists involved in this musical ‘groan’ must have decided that a lot of what they normally would have used in a song was really inhibiting what they were trying to say with the song, ultimately. That’s when Brandon decided to use just himself and one guitar initially to convey the message. It worked, and all they tried to say in the song could be summed up in ‘Hallelujah’, since they really felt ‘nothing else (was) fit for a King’ (chorus). Hallelujah...just that simple, one-word Hebrew expression. Something that just might resonate deep inside of a Jewish carpenter.


And, when you really get in touch with yourself versus God, the praise is not just with one’s voice, Brandon and his two collaborators said. The ‘heart (is) singing’, ‘arms (are) stretched wide’, your ‘soul (isn’t) shy’ anymore, and a ‘lion (comes out of your) lungs’. That’s a lot of you that these three songwriters aimed to involve in this gratitude. Paul didn’t mention these body parts when he wrote some church members in Corinth about how to involve the ‘body’ of Christ as a collective group. (1 Cor. 12) But, did Paul really behave with his life as if his arms, heart, soul, and lungs didn’t count for much? Do you think Paul and the rest of heaven has been paying attention when we still-earthbound-worshippers have been singing ‘Gratitude’ and all of our other songs in a chorus of utter devotion to Him who saves us? Should it ever really stop? Someday…someday it won’t.        


See the song’s story shared here: Gratitude (Brandon Lake song) Gratitude (Brandon Lake song) - Wikipedia

See information on the scenery the author-composers were observing here: Sydney Opera House - Wikipedia

See information on the geometric image of the opera house here:File:Sydney Opera House logo.svg - Wikimedia Commons …This logo image consists only of simple geometric shapes or text. It does not meet the threshold of originality needed for copyright protection, and is therefore in the public domain. Although it is free of copyright restrictions, this image may still be subject to other restrictions. See WP:PD § Fonts and typefaces or Template talk:PD-textlogo for more information. This image is protected by Crown Copyright because it is owned by the Australian Government or that of the states or territories, and is in the public domain because it was created or published prior to 1975 and the copyright has therefore expired. The government of Australia has declared that the expiration of Crown Copyrights applies worldwide. This has been confirmed by correspondence received by the Volunteer Response Team (Ticket:2017062010010417).