Lord, I Need You -- Kristian Stanfill, Matt Maher, Christy Nockels, Daniel Carson, Jesse Reeves

Perhaps they were in or near Atlanta, since they were gathered to write some music for a conference scheduled to take place there. A clock (perhaps not unlike the one shown here) was probably nearby, even if it did not necessarily inspire what Kristian Stanfill, Matt Maher, Christy Nockels, Daniel Carson, and Jesse Reeves were discussing. But, part way through their joint effort, one of them suggested that “Lord, I Need You” was rather similar to an old hymn (I Need Thee Every Hour, by Annie Hawks – see Nov. 12, 2017 Song Scoop entry). And so, they drew upon its lyrics for some extra stimulation. How many times during a clock’s 24-hour rotation does someone need God? It’s really a rhetorical question, but if you asked one of the contemporary artists this question, he might just point you to something C.S. Lewis wrote. It was something that was pivotal in this song’s genesis, so much so that they put one word in the song title and within the lyrics that underscored this. And, then one of the authors put a different spin on that concept in one of the interviews, giving a nod to the older hymn. See if you can guess what that was before reading on…if not, enjoy the rest of this entry!

 

Matt Maher talked in two separate interviews about ‘Lord, I Need You’, and how it emerged as he and his collaborators prepared for the Passion Conference in 2011, and he and Kristian shared about the song in a third interview. It was written for college students at the conference, as Jesse Reeves pitched the idea of using the old hymn by Annie Hawks as a springboard for the new song. They all tried to imagine students sitting in their dorm rooms and struggling with the various temptations and other issues that come their way. Matt says the song has an even broader audience, and that C.S. Lewis said something that he thought was key for everyone in life: ‘…there’s a love a believer never outgrows, and that love is need love.’ Many people, not just young college students, find it uncomfortable to admit this, including when they walk into a church and hear a message that says they are not ‘self-sufficient, self-reliant, nor self-determining’. But everyone has to admit this at some point, he says, and it’s a confession that can provide reassurance and hope in knowing that God is there to help. He’s not leaving. The most moving line for Matt was ‘where You are, Lord I am free, Holiness is Christ in me’, and that every time he and-or others lead the song, it is like a reaffirmation of what they experienced when they first wrote it. Matt further says that he hopes people will go to God not just with their needs, but also with their joys, too. Lots of people want God in their brokenness, and there are lots of division and strife issues at work in people’s walks (in 2011), but they should realize that He’s someone they need in their joys too. We witness to others when we lean on Him in our joyful moments, and not just when we feel broken. We can celebrate that, and this is as much a powerful witness to others as when we say we need him when we’re desperate.

 

It is interesting that this part about needing God in our joy is not written into this 21^st Century song, but is in the 19^th Century hymn. Hawks’ refrain for one verse is ‘I need Thee every hour, in joy or pain‘, an echo of what Matt was saying about needing Him in our times of pleasure and fulfillment, too. Needing Him in all of life really just raises one to another plane, so that ups and downs of mortality don’t make one feel the roller-coaster so much – something that Matt and his cohorts seemed intent upon emphasizing in their own lyrics. A person finds ‘rest’ with Him ‘guid(ing) the heart ‘(v.1); and has ‘grace’ that overwhelms sin’s condemnation (v.2), and even more than that, it makes someone ‘free’ and full of His ‘holiness’ (v.2). Rest, grace, freedom, and holiness…that’s quite a package God gives you and me, when we are willing to say we need Him.   

 

Hear the comments about the song by one of its authors here (Interview # 1): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjJ9WaYCmVk

 

See here also (Inteview #2): Matt Maher - Story Behind "Lord I Need You" - NRT Insider - YouTube

 

See a 3^rd interview of two of the authors here: https://www.worshiptogether.com/songs/lord-i-need-you-matt-maher/

 

See a review of the song here: https://www.thebereantest.com/matt-maher-lord-i-need-you

 

Public Domain status of the clockface picture: The copyright holder of this work released it into the public domain. This applies worldwide.

 

A Mighty Fortress – Nathan and Christy Nockels

 

They were 30-somethings and parents, three-times-over. Nathan and Christy Nockels might say that was a chief motivator for them as they thought about how best to maximize their example as God-believers before their children, and before the Atlanta area where they had recently arrived in 2008. And so, “A Mighty Fortress” and its original pedigree acquired some five centuries earlier seemed to fit the attitude that Nathan and Christy sought – that a believer, Martin Luther, whose very life was in mortal danger or who witnessed other episodes of danger or death for people close to himself, did not shrink when faced with these things. (See this blogger’s entry for Martin Luther’s great classic hymn in the August 29, 2009 post.) Courage is a trust in God that doesn’t give up, these two parents might have said to their three kids. And so, they must have reasoned that since they were musicians at heart, a song to underscore this confidence in God would be the best way to emphasize this.

 

This is not the Martin Luther song that we all know, though the Nockels did borrow one line from Luther’s hand – his original song title. The Nockels’ version of ‘A Mighty Fortress’ has lots of awesome metaphors for God…He’s not only the ‘mighty fortress’, aka ‘bulwark’ that Luther wrote about, but also a ‘consuming fire’ (Ex. 24:17, Deuteronomy 4:24, Hebrews 12:29), a ‘burning holy flame’, the ‘righteous judge’, a ‘sacred refuge’. These are all great ways to address Him, especially in music, and you can sense, when you turn the pages of scripture for yourself, that Nathan and Christy must have found a lot of these names for Him also in the Psalms. Christy spells out for worshippers that she feared for her children when she looked at her surrounding world. She needed reminders from Him, especially about His promises, all believers’ future reign with Him, and the certain strength of His kingdom’s foundations. Those are things she thought she and Nathan could lead their kids to hold close to themselves, in unshakeable trust. ‘…Keep (ing) our eyes on You’ must have been a personal declaration they wanted their offspring to adopt into their beings. Perhaps they thought of it as similar to other habits or skills parents might best teach their kids when they’re young, like learning to swim, playing an instrument, or reading and writing (perhaps even in a language other than one’s native tongue). Want to be really fluent and treat as implicit to one’s character some things? Then, begin practicing them as a child. Then, as adults, not only are eyes fixed on God, but ‘hearts are…’ too.

 

Nathan and Christy evidently wanted their children to know other things about this ‘Mighty Fortress’, other characteristics of Him that would in turn shape their own characters. ‘Glory and freedom’, along with ‘kindness and wisdom’ (v.1) are part of His multifaceted nature, as is His ‘jealous(y) for His own’ (v.2). Yes, He’s many things that are to be praised, especially ‘love and mercy’ (v.2), without which all of us mortals would be extinguished if they were not present in our Creator. He’s ‘exalted on His throne’ ‘above the heavens’ (v.2).  An everlasting worthiness (v.2) is therefore intrinsic to this unique Being. He alone has all of these powers and attributes. It’s a fearsome, even uneasy sensation of God that the Nockels’ song inspires, with some minor chords and an ending that does not bring the worshipper ‘home’ (to the root chord). Those might seem like kinda obscure, music-nerdy, inconsequential details, but Nathan and Christy seemed to know what they were doing, and how to introduce their kids to the real God. He’s breathtaking and beautiful all at once…and so much more.  

 

 

See here for information about one author: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christy_Nockels

 

See here for some comments on song by authoress: https://www.last.fm/music/Christy+Nockels/+wiki