"Like a seed in the snow, I've been buried to grow
For Your promise is loyal, from seed to sequoia"
"If all I know of harvest is that it's worth my patience
Then if You're not done working, God, I'm not done waiting"
Been listening to some hillsong songs recently. Not here to comment on all the stuff that's been going on there recently.
It just that I realise actually quite a number of their songs are really quite poetic. I really like Seasons. The first time someone introduced it to me I thought it sounded a bit odd, but I found the lyrics really nice. Over time the song grew on me.
I feel that some of hillsong's songs, especially those by hillsong united, don't really quite fit what I would consider a 'worship' song. Seasons is one of them. These songs still get played like worship songs and hillsong themselves lead these songs to large crowds. At least for me though, I don't find it that appropriate. Sometimes it's because the songs are a bit too 'me' focused instead of God focused, sometimes it's a bit too much hype that is not rooted in substance, and sometimes like in this case it's because there is such extensive symbolism and use of metaphors that it can be distracting.
Take it out of communal worship and place it in a position of personal meditation though, and I really do like some of these songs. Captain and So Will I are similarly so. Highlands is great too though I think it's still okay as a worship song.
"Through waters uncharted my soul will embark
I'll follow Your voice straight into the dark
And if from the course You intend I depart
Speak to the sails of my wandering heart"
"Like the stars
Your word
Will align my voyage
And remind me where I've been
And where I am going"
"And as You speak
A hundred billion galaxies are born
In the vapour of Your breath the planets form
If the stars were made to worship 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"
"'Cause in the highlands and the heartache
You're neither more or less inclined"
"I will praise on the mountain
And I will praise you when the mountain is in my way"
It also occurs to me, that all four of these songs are written by a certain Benjamin Hastings. His lyrics really are poetry. So I guess I found a new favourite hillsong songwriter heh.
The other favourite songwriter, is of course Brooke Ligertwood aka Brooke Fraser heh. The difference is I think she quite intentionally writes her songs as worship songs. The points I raised here, I find that she gets it, and the hillsong songs written by her tend to be very God focused and even when there is a 'me' element it always points back to God.
I feel like at this point sometimes I can tell which songs are written by her heh. Maybe I will be able to tell Benjamin Hasting songs too. They just released new albums recently, I should check it out.
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