Blessed Be Your Name by Beth Redman
The track, released in 2002, was intended to honor and worship God due to His major provisions in people’s lives. There was the transition to a new era and century. Therefore, the song relates to the decade since it was necessary to praise God for enabling the world to mark a new period (Redman 97). The span was characterized by the awakening to modernism, including spiritual perspectives.
Forever by Chris Tomlin
The song is about God’s faithful deeds to His people, whereby His unconditional love for His servants can be seen. This tune relates to the decade because of the optimism that people had regarding the world, courtesy of God’s promises (“Song Story: “Forever” by Chris Tomlin” para. 7). The perspective of forever is evident since God has not changed and will remain the same forever; hence, His grace has enabled people to be alive.
Forever (We Sing Hallelujah) by Brian Johnson
The song is more affiliated with Easter moments since it covers Christ’s death and resurrection. The musical piece relates to the 2010s decade, which saw the emergence of globalization, especially in industries that were a result of God’s power through Jesus Christ (“Brian Johnson – Forever (We Sing Hallelujah” para. 6-8). The Hallelujah part of the song connects the essence of praising God due to His essential modifications that impacted the world negatively and positively.
Good, Good Father by Anthony Brown Pat Barrett
The songwriter intended to show how God has been faithful by guiding His people the same way a parent can direct their children. Written in 2015, the song relates to the decade as there were contemporary modernism aspects that showed how God had been essential by giving people skills and talent to earn (Brown and Barrett 1:00). The decade was characterized by popular culture that led to God’s almightiness.
God of Wonders by Mark Byrd and Steve Hindalong
Released during the start of the 2000s, the musical piece was a worship track dedicated to God due to His hand in aiding change in contemporary world matters (Hindalong 1:05). The song relates to the decade because God allowed key events that came as wonders, such as the Tsunami, Hurricane Katrina, and the nuclear race, that showed He is able (“Christian Church Worship Today” para. 6). Thus, God showcased the world’s wonders, hence relating to what the composer sang about.
Hallelujah (Your Love Is Amazing) by Brenton Brown & Brain Doerksen
The meaning of Hallelujah, in this case, is God be praised and is commonly expressed when someone is rejoicing. The start of the 2000s decade, when the song was released, symbolized the powerful transformation by God in the coming years (“Hallelujah (Your Love Is Amazing)” para. 4). The song relates to the decade as there were significant positive changes, such as the production of digital-centric materials for social interaction; hence, God’s power deserved to be acknowledged and praised.
Here I am to Worship by Tim Hughes
The song’s composer was dedicated to worship every time as a result of God’s love for human beings. That shows people’s readiness to grow their nature of adoring God in truth and faith (Hughes 37). In that decade, churches expanded, and people started becoming more civilized in fundamentals that concerned spiritual matters. People in that timeframe had been pursuing church unity and disapproved promotion of the secular world.
Holy Is the Lord by Chris Tomlin & Louie Giglio
The song was produced in 2004, and the artists emphasized the sacredness of God. They sang to praise God, who altered the world’s welfare through His mighty hands. In the 2000s timeframe, people saw the hand of God in numerous ways, such as global advocacy for anti-terrorism (“Holy Is the Lord by Chris Tomlin – Introduction” para. 7). Thus, the society expressed the holiness by the nature in which issues were held by the Lord, who neutralizes all events.
How Great Is Our God by Chris Tomlin, Ed Cash & Jesse Reeves
The songwriters had seen God’s powerful manifestations in their lives. The track was released in 2004 when there had been enormous shifts in the digital revolution. The composers perceived that God was easing life for people to worship him (Tomlin 197). The song relates to the decade in that there was a need to declare the Lord’s mighty actions towards his people and, therefore, show the power of God.
Your Grace Is Enough by Matt Maher
In 2003, Maher wrote this song when he experienced spiritual suffering. Despite a hard time, he prayed for God’s grace to empower him to endure and defeat the temptations (Cowan 00:10). The track relates to the timeframe in that, despite the issues that the world faced then, such as economic sanctions, geopolitical tensions, and global rivalry, it was high time to call for God’s grace.
Conclusion
There is a significant difference between the 20th and 21st centuries in Christian praise and worship compositions. During the 1980s and 1990s, many artists wrote songs that were more of a spiritual bond and connection than prayer. On the contrary, the beginning of the 21st century marked a drastic change in terms of message and relevance. The decades from the 2000s were characterized by composers singing about the impacts that God has brought to the world. For example, Change My Heart, Oh God by Eddie Espinosa, which was produced in the 1980s, shows the writer’s desire to get devoted to God more than before. On the other hand, How Great Is Our God Chris Tomlin by Ed Cash & Jesse Reeves shows the composers feeling on the impact of God’s work.
If observed keenly, songs released in the 2000s appear to be thanksgiving, while those produced before evidently depict the spiritual desire to have a close relationship with God. Songs released in the 21st century have been characterized by special features such as melody alteration that give a different structure to the song, showing improved production compared to the earlier ones. An important concept to mention is the aggressive appreciation artists had versus the usage of the songs in the two timeframes. In the two eras, technology has played a key role in shaping their composition, and that is why the songs have a solid connection to God, who enabled the revolution. The songs in the 1980s and 1990s timeframes are more of prayer.
Works Cited
Akpagu, Praise. “Blessed Be Your Name – Matt Redman (Mp3 Downloads & Lyrics)” Gospel Music Base, 2022, Web.
Barrett, Pat, and Anthony Brown. “Good, Good Father.” Com songs (2014). Capitol CMG Paragon/Common Hymnal Publishing/Housefires Sounds/sixsteps Music/Tony Brown Publishing Designee/Vamos Publishing/worship together.
Cowan, Nelson. “History Of Hymns: “Your Grace Is Enough” By Matt Maher” Discipleship Ministries, 2016, Web.
“Hallelujah (Your Love Is Amazing)”Jiosaavn, Web.
Hindalong, Steve. “Story: God of Wonders.” Crosswalk.Com, 2003, Web.
“Holy Is the Lord by Chris Tomlin – Introduction” The Worship Initiative, Web.
Hughes, Tim. Here I Am to Worship. Regal Books, 2004.
Redman, Matt. Blessed Be Your Name. Readhowyouwant.Com Ltd, 2011.
“Song Story: “Forever” By Chris Tomlin” Crosswalk.Com, 2022, Web.
Tomlin, Chris. Chris Tomlin – How Great Is Our God: The Essential Collection (Songbook). Hal Leonard, 2011.