Gratitude

The Brandon Lake song ‘Gratitude’ was chosen for the service last Sunday morning. I’d not heard it before. I listened to it. Together with the other musicians I learned and practiced it on the Wednesday before the service. I wasn’t convinced that it was a song for congregational worship. We sung it in church on Sunday. I appreciated it more. It worm-brained itself into my head and I’ve been singing it throughout the week.

All my words fall short
I got nothing new
How could I express
All my gratitude?

I could sing these songs
As I often do
But every song must end
And You never do

So I throw up my hands
And praise You again and again
‘Cause all that I have is a hallelujah
Hallelujah
And I know it’s not much
But I’ve nothing else fit for a King
Except for a heart singing hallelujah
Hallelujah

This song has made me reflect on why I go to church. Sometimes I’ve gone to be taught – to listen to a good sermon, to learn… sometimes I’ve gone because of the people, I’m part of the church family, there are friends I want to be with… sometimes I’ve gone to serve – after all it is a service… sometimes I’ve gone to be quiet and reflect, to pray and prioritise, to try to get my head straight… sometimes I’ve gone out of habit – it’s what I do.

Brandon Lake’s ‘Gratitude’ focuses on God and how I respond to Him. It’s about bringing my praise, my Hallelujah, to God. Somehow things are then put into perspective. I feel small and unworthy, and God seems big. I’m grateful for so much – but I’m looking at God rather than the people and things that I’m grateful for, I feel inadequate…

The song’s bridge:  

So come on, my soul
Oh, don’t you get shy on me
Lift up your song
‘Cause you’ve got a lion inside of those lungs
Get up and praise the Lord

I don’t always feel like worship. Worship is sometimes an act of the will. I sometimes need to persuade myself, encourage myself, make myself discover, rediscover the lion inside of me. So that I bring my determined, my strong worship, hallelujah, praise to the Lord

So I throw up my hands
Praise You again and again
‘Cause all that I have is a hallelujah
Hallelujah
And I know it’s not much
But I’ve nothing else fit for a King
Except for a heart singing hallelujah
Hallelujah

The final chorus is quiet and reflective, there’s minor chords. There’s no lion inside me but I persevere. I remember the Leonard Cohen line, ‘It’s a cold and it’s a broken Hallelujah’. My worship is imperfect and inadequate, but it’s all I’ve got to bring to my king… I’m grateful that that’s OK.