A couple weeks ago, David Crowder Band released their first single off their upcoming album “Church Music”, scheduled to release September 22. The song is called “How He Loves” and it absolutely floored me the first time I heard it. Though Crowder didn’t write it (the credit goes to John Mark McMillan), the song features the sort of lyrical novelty that typifies his music and falls well outside of what I call the “worship song word bank”. Sorry if that sounds cynical, but I do wonder sometimes if this mysterious Q-like document exists somewhere in worship songwriterland and serves as the hidden source of the thousands of variants that inevitably end up on Sunday morning powerpoints nationwide.
Regardless of my conspiracy theories, the song is truly amazing and has the unique quality where I sense that I am joining in the songwriter’s heart and personal worship as I sing it. One phrase that really sticks out to me is the first line of the second verse that goes “We are His portion and He is our prize.” I imagine John Mark found the inspiration for the lyric in Deuteronomy 32:9-10 (which, by the way, I’ve sort of claimed as a life verse for how I desire to love my future wife as God loves his own Bride…I think I’ll include it in my wedding vows). It really caused me to meditate and revel in the thought that we broken sinners are enough for Him; His portion. Crazy. So without further delay, here’s the song, followed by the lyrics. See the video at the bottom for the story behind the writing of this song. It resonates with my heart’s yearning for the next generation.
He is jealous for me,
Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree
Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden, I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realize just how beautiful You are,
And how great Your affections are for me.
And oh, how He loves us so,
Oh how He loves us,
How He loves us all.
He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves!
Yeah, He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves!
We are His portion and He is our prize,
rawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes.
If His grace is an ocean, we’re all sinking.
Heaven meets earth like an unforseen kiss,
And my heart turns violently inside of my chest.
I don’t have time to maintain these regrets
When I think about the way…
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Hey Mike,
I love the way that He moves in you through the things outside of you. Through the outside He moves in more deeply, binding inside of us His inner most thoughts and aches. May God shake the nation towards Him. It is really encouraging.
Keep on posting, miss you brother,
in Christ,
-ed
Beautiful, Mikey! I’ll be listening to that song a lot, I think.