Did you know that it has been around a week since the Dove Awards were announced? It’s crazy how time flies, right? Well this week on Worship Wednesdays I will be delving into a worshipful and inspiring song that is a few years older than “Oceans” which I talked about last week– Chris Tomlin’s “I Lift My Hands”, from his 2010 album …And If Our God Is For Us!
Chris is one of my favourite songwriters and worship leaders over the past few years- he just has that ability to capture the spirit of God in a simple song. Usually his songs seem to be maybe a bit too simple, and other critics assert that his writing isn’t creative enough. But I think that despite the fact that Chris is no Andrew Peterson or Jason Gray in terms of lyrical genius (there are minimal metaphors or imagery present in Chris’s songs!), what Chris does do in his songs is share from his heart, and pour out pure emotion and brutal honesty into his lyrics which in my opinion are extremely profound.
It’s the same for “I Lift My Hands”- the Holy Spirit is completely present in this 4:38 melody! I was listening to Pandora today while I was eating breakfast, and then later as I was cleaning up the house, and I was struck by Chris’s words of encouragement, that I had to write about the song. So here is this blog.
A tune about how God is our security, our refuge and safety always, especially in times of trouble; Chris’s vocals are top notch here, and the musical instrumentation is sublime also. This is one of those songs that I could never be tired of hearing, and is my 6th favourite Chris Tomlin track, with the others being “How Great Is Our God”, “Forever”, “Indescribable”, “Whom Shall I Fear”, and “Jesus Messiah”! I’ve listened to this song countless times, and every time, I’m literally singing along by the end! Driven by keys, this mid tempo ballad is also probably one of my favourite songs period, from the year 2010! And as far as worship songs go, “I Lift My Hands” has everything in it- reassurance that Jesus is our healer and that we can call on Him anytime, an indirect reference to the Gospel (in the second verse), plus easy accessible lyrics to sing at church! Check out the chorus below!
I lift my hands to believe again
You are my refuge, You are my strength
As I pour out my heart, these things I remember
You are faithful, God, forever
Who wants to listen to the track that I have praised in this blog? The music video is shown below, what do you think of it?
Let us know in the comments, and be sure to check out Chris’s album Love Ran Red on October 27th 2014! The lyric video for “Waterfall” and “Jesus Loves Me” are shown below as well!