Stand in Your Love

Stand in Your Love

Ethan Hulse, Josh Baldwin, Mark Harris, Rita Springer

“There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life—fear of death, fear of judgment—is one not yet fully formed in love.”

– 1 John 4:18 (NIV)

When darkness tries to roll over my bones
When sorrow comes to steal the joy I own
When brokenness and pain is all I know
Oh, I won’t be shaken, no, I won’t be shaken

My fear doesn’t stand a chance
When I stand in Your love

Shame no longer has a place to hide
I am not a captive to the lies
I’m not afraid to leave my past behind
Oh, I won’t be shaken, no, I won’t be shaken!

 

There’s power that can break off every chain
There’s power that can empty out a grave
There’s resurrection power that can save
There’s power in Your name, power in Your name

Every time I hear this song, I’m reminded of how much of my life is inadvertently spent in fear. Fear of disappointing others, fear of hurt, fear of sin, fear of death. But if we believe what we claim to believe, isn’t an all-powerful / all-loving God enough for us? Yes, though maybe it doesn’t always feel that way, not from moment to moment. Our immediate concerns can be like a giant crack in our glasses, blocking our sight from seeing the beauty just in front of us. When singing this song, be reminded that our vision is flawed, but that God’s love is perfect. -Matt Greene

To download the chord chart: Stand In Your Love – C.

To purchase the song, go here.

Who You Say I Am

“Who You Say I Am”

Ben Fielding, Reuben Morgan

 

“…whoever did want him,
    who believed he was who he claimed
    and would do what he said,
He made to be their true selves,
    their child-of-God selves.
These are the God-begotten,
    not blood-begotten,
    not flesh-begotten,
    not sex-begotten.“

– John 1:12-13 (The Message)

 

Who am I that the highest King
Would welcome me?
I was lost but He brought me in
Oh His love for me
Oh His love for me

Who the Son sets free
Oh is free indeed
I’m a child of God
Yes I am

Free at last, He has ransomed me
His grace runs deep
While I was a slave to sin
Jesus died for me
Yes He died for me

In my Father’s house
There’s a place for me
I’m a child of God
Yes I am

I am chosen
Not forsaken
I am who You say I am
You are for me
Not against me
I am who You say I am

This song serves as a declarative reminder of our relationship with God. The world says one thing about us, that we are less. That’s NOT what God calls us. Known. Valuable. Family. Special. Beautiful. Treasured. Worthy. LOVED. THAT is who we truly are. When singing this song, remember that your heavenly father is bigger than the lies you believe about yourself. -Matt Greene

 

To download the chord chart: Who You Say I Am – C.

To purchase the song, go here.

Build My Life

Build My Life

Brett Younker, Karl Martin, Kirby Kable, Matt Redman, Pat Barrett

 

“These words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundational words, words to build a life on. If you work these words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who built his house on solid rock. Rain poured down, the river flooded, a tornado hit—but nothing moved that house. It was fixed to the rock.”

– Matthew 7:24-25 (The Message)

 

Worthy of every song we could ever sing
Worthy of all the praise we could ever bring
Worthy of every breath we could ever breathe
We live for you

Jesus the name above every other name
Jesus the only one who could save
Worthy of every breath we could ever breathe
We live for you
Oh we live for you

Holy there is no one like you
There is none beside you
Open up my eyes in wonder
And show me who you are
And fill me with your heart
And lead me in love to those around me

And I will build my life upon your love it is a firm foundation
And I will put my trust in you alone and not retake it

The entire power of this song rests on the bridge. The confidence of the lyrics mixed with the soaring melody make for what we worship leaders are often looking for. This song serves as a stirring reminder of how we should be structuring our life. Whatever we set our lives within and around, none of it will last or matter if it isn’t set upon the firm foundation of Christ’s goodness. When singing this song, commit the base of your world, of single area of it, upon the sturdy ground of God’s love. -Matt Greene

 

To download the chord chart: Build My Life – G.

To purchase the song, go here.

Yes I Will

Yes I Will

Jason Ingram, Kara Tualatai, Stephen Leiweke

 

“He pulled away from them about a stone’s throw, knelt down, and prayed, ‘Father, remove this cup from me. But please, not what I want. What do you want?’ At once an angel from heaven was at his side, strengthening him. He prayed on all the harder. Sweat, wrung from him like drops of blood, poured off his face.”

– Luke 22:41-44 (The Message)

 

I count on one thing
The same God that never fails
Will not fail me now
You won’t fail me now

In the waiting
The same God who’s never late
Is working all things out
You’re working all things out

Yes I will, lift You high in the lowest valley
Yes I will, bless Your name
Oh, yes I will, sing for joy when my heart is heavy
All my days, oh yes I will

And I choose to praise
To glorify, glorify
The Name of all names
That nothing can stand against

The above verses from Luke are incredibly powerful. We see Jesus asking God to take away his fear and pain, a prayer that we each should be intimately familiar with. Yet He also yields his desire to God’s will, trusting that no matter what His momentary troubles may be, God has a our best interest at heart. This song is reminder to each of us to look to God in our lowest moments. So when singing this, remember that the valley we’re in doesn’t change the ultimate goodness of God. -Matt Greene

 

To download the chord chart: Yes I Will – G.

To purchase the song, go here.

Yes and Amen

Yes and Amen

Anthony Brown, Chris McClarney, Nate Moore

“Whatever God has promised gets stamped with the Yes of Jesus. In him, this is what we preach and pray, the great Amen, God’s Yes and our Yes together, gloriously evident.“

– 2 Corinthians 1:20 (The Message)

 

Father of kindness, you have poured out grace
you brought me out of darkness
you have filled me with peace

Giver of mercy, your my help in time of need
Lord I can’t help but sing

Faithful, you are
Faithful, forever, you will be
Faithful, you are
All your promises are “yes” and “Amen”
All your promises are “yes” and “Amen”

Beautiful saviour, you have brought me here
you pulled me from the ashes
you have broken every curse
Blessed redeemer, you have set this captive free
Lord I can’t help but sing

I will rest in your promises
my confidence is your faithfulness
I will rest in your promises
All your promises are “yes” and “Amen”

Life can often feel, and even partly be, completely hopeless. That’s why the promises of God’s kindness and mercy are so important. We don’t have to make our homes in our fears; we can make our homes in God’s love. When singing this song, remember that we’ve only begun to see the fulfilled promises of Jesus. -Matt Greene

To download the chord chart: Yes And Amen – D.

To purchase the song, go here.

No Longer Slaves

No Longer Slaves

Jonathan David & Melissa Helser

“There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life—fear of death, fear of judgment—is one not yet fully formed in love. “

– 1 John 4:18b (The Message)

You unravel me, with a melody
You surround me with a song
Of deliverance, from my enemies
Till all my fears are gone

I’m no longer a slave to fear
I am a child of God

From my Mothers womb
You have chosen me
Love has called my name
I’ve been born again, into your family
Your blood flows through my veins

You split the sea so I could walk right through it
My fears are drowned in perfect love
You rescued me and I will stand and sing
I am a child of God

With our constant reminders, both from within and without the church, that there is death and shame around every corner, I think it’s easy to forget the truth about ourselves. We are not simply a collection of random atoms that serve no purpose and pose no great benefit to existence. We are daughters and sons of Love; not enemies, not acquaintances, not even good friends. Sons. Daughters. When singing this song, remember that whatever fear you have (even fear that is normal and valid) should be no match for the comfort we have in our true identity. -Matt Greene

To download the chord chart: No Longer Slaves – G.

To purchase the song, go here.

Overwhelmed

Overwhelmed

Michael Weaver, Phil Wickham

“In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth,
    and the heavens are the work of your hands.
They will perish, but you remain;
    they will all wear out like a garment.
Like clothing you will change them
    and they will be discarded.
But you remain the same,
    and your years will never end.“

– Psalm 12:25-27 (NIV)

I see the works of Your Hands
Galaxies spin in a Heavenly dance oh God
All that You are is so overwhelming
I hear the sound of Your Voice
All at once it’s a gentle and thundering noise oh God
All that You are is so overwhelming

I delight myself in You
Captivated by Your beauty
I’m overwhelmed, I’m overwhelmed by You
God, I run into Your arms
Unashamed because of mercy
I’m overwhelmed, I’m overwhelmed by You

I know the power of Your Cross
Forgiven and free forever You’ll be my God
All that You’ve done is so overwhelming

You are Beautiful, You are Beautiful
Oh God, there is no one more Beautiful
You are Beautiful, God you are the most Beautiful
(Repeat: “Wonderful”; Repeat: “Glorious”)

It’s humanly impossible to fully grasp the greatness of God. Even the staunchest atheists and naturalists would have to agree that the wonders of science and creation are so vast and mysterious that it can become overwhelming to fully take in. As Christians, we may have a source for all of this (namely, God), but that doesn’t come close to capturing (and ultimately diminishing) the awesomeness of God’s creation and His unfathomable sacrifice. So when singing this song, let go of your desire for full “understanding”, and release yourself to the sheer awe that you are singing to the creator-God, who loves you. -Matt Greene

To download the chord chart: Overwhelmed – C.

To purchase the song, go here.

Free

Free

Gungor

 

“It is absolutely clear that God has called you to a free life. Just make sure that you don’t use this freedom as an excuse to do whatever you want to do and destroy your freedom. Rather, use your freedom to serve one another in love; that’s how freedom grows. For everything we know about God’s Word is summed up in a single sentence: Love others as you love yourself. That’s an act of true freedom.“

– Galatians 5:13-14 (The Message)

There’s a world at war
Caught in suffering
Silent casualties
Oh, God, grant us peace
In these sleepless nights
I can hardly breathe
Despite brutality
I know that we’ll be free

Let the light keep a-shinin’
Let it break into the darkness
All the love dares us to see
We’ll all be free

In these desperate times
Love will hold us here
Love will join our hands
Teach us to have no fear
So we lay our hate down
To wash their feet
When we see our brother
Oh, we’ll all be free

We are free, free
We’ll all be free

 

Maybe the most important thing Christ’s love has done for us is to set us free. Free from a life that depends on the recognition of others. Free from the shackles of sin to steer our minds straight towards guilt and shame when we falter. Free from the culturally systemic barriers we’ve put up, whether intentionally or not, that tell us our differences and disagreements are what define us. Yet so many of us forget that freedom. We cling tightly to those familiar, beckoning chains like a bad case of stockholm syndrome. When singing this song, use it as a reminder that YOU have been irrevocably set free by Christ and no longer have to live in the bondage of this broken world. -Matt Greene

 

To download the chord chart: Free – D.

To purchase the song, go here.

Psalm 5 (Let the Party Last All Night!)

Psalm 5 (Let the Party Last All Night!)

Matt Greene

 

“…you’ll welcome us with open arms
    when we run for cover to you.
Let the party last all night!“

– Psalm 5:11 (The Message)

 

Every morning, I lay out my life
And wait for your fire to descend
A garbage pile of selfishness
Anger, hatred and sin

You’re sitting on Your perfect throne
Handing out a decree
There’s a gathering of saints and sinners
And you’ve made a way for me

You’ve invited me
Say you delight in me
It’s incredible that

You welcome us with open arms
We’ll run for cover to you
Let the party last all night
Let the party last all night

You don’t socialize with the wicked
Or have evil as kith or as kin
Lies and boasts and death are not welcome
And me, I’ve called them all friend

You’ve invited me
Say you delight in me
You’re incredible

 

God’s love is a party, and his guest list is a paradox. He being perfect, He doesn’t get close to wickedness, hatred, sin and death. We being imperfect, we are often best friends with wickedness, hatred, sin and death. You would think this would put us at odds with God. When he sends out his call for us to join in His celebration of Life and Love, we will certainly be left out. But we’re not. He finds a way to overcome logic, and happily invites us. So when singing this, accept that invitation and enter the party, warts and all. You’ll be so busy dancing and singing, you won’t even notice how His Love is changing you from the inside out. -Matt Greene

 

To download the chord chart: Psalm 5 (Let The Party Last All Night!) – G.

To purchase the song, go here.

So Will I (100 Billion X)

“So Will I (100 Billion X)”

Benjamin Hastings, Joel Houston, Michael Fatkin

 

“God’s glory is on tour in the skies,
    God-craft on exhibit across the horizon.
Madame Day holds classes every morning,
    Professor Night lectures each evening.
Their words aren’t heard,
    their voices aren’t recorded,
But their silence fills the earth:
    unspoken truth is spoken everywhere.“

– Psalm 19:1-4 (The Message)

 

God of creation
There at the start
Before the beginning of time
With no point of reference
You spoke to the dark
And fleshed out the wonder of light

And as You speak
A hundred billion galaxies are born
In the vapor of Your breath the planets form
If the stars were made to worship so will I
I can see Your heart in everything You’ve made
Every burning star
A signal fire of grace
If creation sings Your praises so will I

God of Your promise
You don’t speak in vain
No syllable empty or void
For once You have spoken
All nature and science
Follow the sound of Your voice

And as You speak
A hundred billion creatures catch Your breath
Evolving in pursuit of what You said
If it all reveals Your nature so will I
I can see Your heart in everything You say
Every painted sky
A canvas of Your grace
If creation still obeys You so will I

If the stars were made to worship so will I
If the mountains bow in reverence so will I
If the oceans roar Your greatness so will I
For if everything exists to lift You high so will I
If the wind goes where You send it so will I
If the rocks cry out in silence so will I
If the sum of all our praises still falls shy
Then we’ll sing again a hundred billion times

God of salvation
You chased down my heart
Through all of my failure and pride
On a hill You created
The light of the world
Abandoned in darkness to die

And as You speak
A hundred billion failures disappear
Where You lost Your life so I could find it here
If You left the grave behind You so will I
I can see Your heart in everything You’ve done
Every part designed in a work of art called love
If You gladly chose surrender so will I
I can see Your heart
Eight billion different ways
Every precious one
A child You died to save
If You gave Your life to love them so will I

Like You would again a hundred billion times
But what measure could amount to Your desire
You’re the One who never leaves the one behind

 

This is, without question, the wordiest song I’ve ever introduced to a congregation, which can often be daunting. However, this is also one of the most densely powerful songs I’ve ever led. Taking the old hymn structure of looking at the arc of creation, it dives into how God’s very creation worships Him just by being his creation. If we believe this, that all elements of creation and life are wordlessly singing God’s praises, then we should be inspired to do the same. When singing this song, recognize the magnificent beauty on display in creation, and join in the chorus of the cosmos. -Matt Greene

 

To download the chord chart: So Will I (100 Billion X) – A.

To purchase the song, go here.