Now Rest Beneath Night's Shadow
We're All in the Same Boat
In June 2018, Illumine held its second annual Songwriting Weekend where several songwriters came to Illumine with a single goal: to start and finish writing a song that can be used by congregations for worship. Each week, we will be featuring one of the songs that was composed that weekend.
Why (did you write) this song?
When I first started writing this song I was inspired by the field songs/spiritual style of music. This is usually a very rhythmic, call and response type of song. There were a couple ideas floating around in my head when I wrote this. The first being that, every person you see, whether it's your family, the cashier, or someone passing you on the street, Jesus died for them. The second is that, not only did Jesus die for them, he also created each one of them as a work of art. We are all loved just the same in God's eyes. "For we are God's masterpiece." - Ephesians 2:10
The refrain of the song, "I don't belong here", is meant to portray both that if we ever feel out of place, we have a permanent home that has been prepared for us, and also that everyone feels that way at some point but there is a place where we all be unified as one family.
Song Breakdown
Alyssa did a wonderful job taking two seemingly opposing ideas and interweaving them into a beautiful picture of how God sees us thanks to Jesus.
By starting out by saying we are all the same, it would seem to imply that we are all ordinary; there is nothing special about any of us, and to a certain extent that's true. But we are also hand-crafted by our creator God. This makes each of us unique and wonderful in his sight.
The combination of these two ideas makes all the difference when we reach out and talk to those in our lives.
Use in Worship
The call and response nature of the song is not something we see very often in the modern church, but it makes the song exceptionally easy to learn. While the chorus is the only part that is deliberately call and response, you could use the method for the entire song when teaching it.
Thematically, it would work well during End Times, where it evokes many of the same thoughts as Jesus' parables about the End Times. It also works well when talking about brotherly love and care for our neighbor.
Resources
You Make Me Clean
So Will I
Jesus Thy Boundless Love to Me
He's Always Been Faithful
I Am
Why this song?
It seems like every week I see a new study that talks about how, in an age where we are more connected than ever, people are feeling isolated and lonely.
Running groups, mom groups, craft groups, you name it. People are looking to make connections and stave off their feelings of loneliness. It’s even a big reason than many people join churches.
But when we sit alone and the devil is tempting us to despair because even though we are connected to all these people, we still feel alone, God tells us this comforting truth: I am holding on to you.
Song Breakdown
The first verse describes the love of God seeking us out and finding us when we feel alone. When that love hits us, it overwhelms us, as described in the following verses.
One line in the bridge sticks out to me: “This is why it’s to you I run.” It brings to mind the verse from 1 John: “We love because he first loved us.”
Use in Worship
This is an easy song for those looking to lead worship with a guitar. It’s in the beginner-friendly key of G and uses an intuitive strumming pattern. The melody is also straightforward and catchy.
In worship, we receive spiritual rest by being reminded of God’s promises to us. This promise, to be with us, is one that can be repeated every week. The song fits in a wide variety of contexts.
Resources