Songwriting Tips

BY JEREMIAH JONES

WRITING WORSHIP FROM A REVIVAL HEART

I’ll never forget the experience of leading worship for close to 1000 college students crammed into a hot and sweaty warehouse just off the campus of Clemson University. It was the late ‘90s and we really had no business calling ourselves a church, at least a respectable one anyway. The warehouse was an upgrade from our previous humble beginnings, an elementary school cafeteria.

From the school we decided it would be a great idea to have church in a bar. So thanks to South Carolina blue laws, Charlie T’s was closed on Sunday nights and allowed us to schlep our gear in and set up shop on concrete floors that were still sticky with beer from the previous night. As our little ragtag group grew, we moved to a hotel ballroom and then on to the sweaty warehouse nestled at the foot of a large, earthen dike that held in the waters of Lake Hartwell.

But it wasn’t so much the novelty of doing church in a bar, or the cool factor of being in warehouse that made that experience so special. It was the idea that being a church had nothing to do with external things, like buildings or how we dressed. It had everything to do with a collective hunger we had for the very real presence of God.

The euphoria of singing song after song, people lining up and down the aisles to take communion, seeing my friends on their knees in repentance—that was truly, without any hype, a revival.

It is from this humble posture where seeds of our own personal revival can sprout into songs that breath new life into the Church.

At that time the Passion and Vineyard movements, along with Delirious? and Hillsong, fueled our worship sets. Songs like Matt Redman’s “Better Is One Day” or Martin Smith’s “Did You Feel The Mountains Tremble” gave our church a glimpse into heaven that almost shook the metal roof off of the place. And it’s not as if we were looking for “songs of revival” to sing. We just happened to be in a time when contemporary worship music was becoming more mainstream in the Church, and there were plenty of songs being written that gave voice to ...to find the balance between these three what we were experiencing. distinct ways of speaking will be part of the Today, if you type “revival worship song” into the search bar of PraiseCharts or Google you’re going to get songs that either reference or use the literal word “wrestle” in the worship songwriting process. itself in the title. And there are plenty of great songs that speak specifically about the Church moving in revival! Yet, in my experience, revival songs can be about any aspect of the character and person of the Triune God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) that inspires our collective repentance and brings a fresh awareness of His presence.

…if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

2 CHRONICLES 7:14 NIV

This scripture says it clearly: God listens and acts when we walk in repentance. Repentance requires that we put aside the time to be in the presence of God, seeking to understand His voice and know His heart. I love how Paul Baloche puts it when he says that we should learn to “waste time with God.” It is from this humble posture where seeds of our own personal revival can sprout into songs that breath new life into the Church.

Worship songwriting is essentially listening, receiving and transcribing what God wants to say to His Church through song. As songwriters, continually living “Corum Deo,” the latin phrase for “before the face of God,” is where the fires

of our personal revival is born. By meditating on His words and seeking His face in prayer, we have a heart prepared to distill His truth into a song for the Church to sing.

Many writers over the years have given us songs written from a posture of “Corum Deo.” Tim Hughes’ “Here I Am to Worship” is a classic example of a song calling the church to repent and seek God’s face. It happened to coincide with a significant revival within his local church. Lyrics from recent songs like Elevation Worship’s “Graves Into Gardens” paint a beautiful picture of revival when it references Ezekiel 37 and Psalm 30:

You turn graves into gardens You turn bones into armies You turn seas into highways You’re the only one who can.

Brooke Ligertwood’s “Hosanna” and Passion’s “God of This City” both carry a ...to find the balance between these three similar weightiness that usher us into the presence of God and celebrate the Spirit moving through the Church. distinct ways of speaking will be part of the While I still hope for more days like those sweaty warehouse worship services “wrestle” in the worship songwriting process. I experienced in college, I know that true revival is a lived daily practice of seeking God’s face. And it’s from that place I hope to keep writing songs that will encourage the Church for years to come.

BY JEREMIAH JONES

Jeremiah is a BMI Award winning songwriter, best known for penning “What A Savior” recorded by Grammy Award winning recording artist Laura Story. He has been a nationally touring independent artist as well as worship pastor for over 25 years and currently oversees worship for the six campuses of Radius Church in South Carolina.

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