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| Matt Maher |
By Danielle Kimmey
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Please enjoy Matt's song, Your Grace Is Enough below
And... Matt's song by song explanation of his CD, Empty & Beautiful (in YLO 72)
“Your Grace Is Enough”
Music and lyrics by Matt Maher; additional lyrics by Chris Tomlin
This is probably the oldest song on the record, and I’m thankful so many people have appreciated it. I wrote it when I was going through some hard times in my life. I found myself on the back patio at home with my guitar, reading the Psalms, and I kept singing the same word: “Remember. Remember. Remember...” In the Psalms, David is crying out to God to remember His people. I was fascinated by that and began writing this song I was calling “Remember,” asking God to remember us as we remember Him. When we recall the language of God’s covenant, we end up being in a space where God is already remembering us. The chorus came from Paul’s letter to the Romans, and the idea of the thorn in Paul’s side, begging God to take it away. I think in my mid-twenties, the thorn in my side was loneliness; I was like, “OK God, give me something to fill that space.” I think God comes to us and says, “No, I need to be enough.”
“Look Like A Fool”
Music by Matt Maher; lyrics by Matt Maher and Bill Staines
The whole premise of Christianity is foolishness to the world. The things we do – feeding the hungry, clothing the naked – those are the fruits of a good prayer life. Christianity itself is completely counter-cultural. Put all that together, and the song becomes the expression of “I don’t care if I look foolish to the world.” This is what God calls us to do. (1 Corinthians 1:18)
“For Your Glory”
Music and lyrics by Matt Maher
The writer of Ecclesiastes says there’s nothing new under the sun; that there’s nothing we can think of that God hasn’t already thought of, and that there’s an appointed time for everything in life. So how do you respond to that actively? Do you just throw up your arms? Well, yes. As a Christian, you have the opportunity in every situation to experience the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus. Everything becomes an opportunity to give glory to God – our laughing and our crying; our dancing and our mourning. Whatever it is, we can give glory
to God.
“As It Is In Heaven”
Music and lyrics by Matt Maher and Ed Cash
I wrote this one in the fall of 2004, after I hadn’t written anything in months. I was originally thinking about the sufficiency of God as the Father of all; that’s the “new song” sung about in Psalm 40. Fast forward three years. The record was done, but I felt like something was missing. My A&R director, Blaine Barcus, suggested that I work on it with Ed Cash. Ed heard the song and fell in love with the pre-chorus and chorus. We decided to break open the Lord’s Prayer, which was where the chorus came from. The verses came out in 15 minutes over iChat. We both knew God’s hand was moving. The whole process of rewriting and rerecording this song was a testament to unity; and I hope that this song becomes a way for people of all denominations to come together, and say that God is Father of all.
“I Rejoice”
Music and lyrics by Matt Maher
“Underneath the shadow of Your wings, I rejoice in You” – that was all I had for the longest time. I’d started crafting musical ideas and layering them on Garage Band on my computer, with only those words. A year later I was praying, singing, “I rejoice, I rejoice, I rejoice,” and I asked myself, “What am I rejoicing in?” I realized I was rejoicing in God, and I just want to sing it! Then I had a conversation about the image of the Shadow of God’s wings, and I thought of the shadow of Jesus’ arms on the cross – we are in the shadow of the cross, filled with the light of the resurrection. There we rejoice in our adoption as God’s children.
“Maranatha (Come Again)”
Music and lyrics by Matt Maher
“Maranatha,” or “Come Again,” started primarily as an instrumental, musical idea. I had these lyrics for a really long time, based on Psalm 122, lyrics that pertained to the idea of going up to the House of the Lord. However, the Lord came here. I started to ask “what kind of impact does that idea have on the psalmist...what does that portray in regards to the orphans and widows?” In my mind, it portrays how the lowest of low are being made great in the kingdom. The chorus was originally a bridge because I wanted the bridge to be about Christ returning as the House of God on earth. That’s where the idea of “Maranatha,” or “Come Again” came from...taking the imagery of Christ coming, of Him feeding His flock – and using us in the process to portray that – i.e., we are the ‘cloud of witnesses,’ like what Paul talks about when he describes those who have been marginalized - responded to the call of following Christ.
“Great Things”
Music and lyrics by Matt Maher
One day I was looking again at the Magnificat, Mary’s prayer at Jesus’ birth announcement, and I thought of it as the first prayer ever prayed by somebody saying yes to the will of God. Some weeks later, I was practicing with my band and realized what I wanted was to combine Paul’s foundational theology with the theology of the incarnation: “You alone have done great things/ I can’t boast of anything/ Mighty one, King of kings, Jesus/ You alone have done great things by Your living word in me.” The idea was to echo that what happened to Mary, happens to us as Christians. When we say yes to God, we receive the Word into us. Mary’s situation happened in a very, very unique and profound way. As Christians, we can have a similar spiritual encounter.
Funny side-note: As the production took off, it became more and more like a country song! Every one was like, “You wrote a country song!” Well, I didn’t really mean it to be; it just kind of went that way.
“Leave a Light On”
Music and lyrics by Matt Maher
For the record, I had no idea that “We’ll leave the light on” was Motel 6’s tagline. I grew up in Canada! I had not a clue. I had heard a talk on Pentecost, and how at the Ascension, there was the reality of worshipping in the presence of God, but doubt still existed. There’s comfort in that. We watch the glory of God make itself known and manifest in the world one second, and strain to see Him in our own hearts the next. Herein lies the call to faithfulness. Jesus used the parable of 10 virgins with lamp stands; that some ran out of oil...that His coming would be sudden...to keep watch and be ready...so as I worship and doubt, I’ll leave a light on. That light is the fire of His own Spirit, once again affirming that I cannot do it on my own; I need Him in me to stay ready.
“Shine Like the Son”
Music and lyrics by Matt Maher
It’s relatively simple; the song is breaking open the familiar words, “How beautiful is the sound of those who bring good news.” God made us ready to shine like the sun. Well, there was some confusion, and a long story short, I eventually decided to change sun to Son. But the point is this: We are called to live in the middle of the lost and the poor. There is a tendency, especially sometimes in American, Christian culture, to construct a very safe environment to live in – to the point where we don’t know anybody who’s been marginalized. I think we are called to be salt and light. We are called to go into the middle of where people are, just as God comes into the middle of wherever we are.
“Unwavering”
Music and lyrics by Matt Maher
I have friends who were forced to leave New Orleans because of Hurricane Katrina. Overnight, my best friend, Paul George, went from doing a simple Bible study to building showers everyday, and helping grown men get clothing. My friend was a school teacher in New Orleans, and she lost everything. I remember looking on TV at images of the poor—it was like they had come out of nowhere. This song came from watching all of this poverty unfold, and yet sensing God’s unwavering plan. We are sent out to be God’s hands and feet, and the neat thing about being in solidarity with the poor, is that when you are poor, you are completely dead to the world. It doesn’t really have much control over you, because you recognize your own poverty. We all need Jesus.
“Lay It Down”
Music and lyrics by Matt Maher and Brenton Brown
The verse and the chorus came, as many of my songs do, in the midst of a worship time. Someone was talking about laying all of our stuff down at the feet of Jesus, and I started singing, “Everything I am/ Everything I long to be/ I’ll lay it down at Your feet.” I believe I wrote that in the fall of 2003, or earlier, and had it for a long time. Then, in the spring of 2006, Brenton Brown and I got together to write. We talked about how amazing it is that what we lay down is so minuscule compared to what God gives us. Yet, beautiful surrender happens, and brings us closer to God.
“Empty & Beautiful”
Music and lyrics by Matt Maher
For me as a Christian, I’m realizing more and more that the world isn’t my worst enemy – I’m my biggest enemy. If I could spend more time letting God love me, then maybe I’d be a more effective apostle. That’s why we can look at a cross and not see death, but rather the grace of love, forgiveness and hope. The chorus was inspired by Second Timothy: “I fought the fight, I’ve kept the faith, I’ve finished the race.” I believe Paul’s not saying that as a boasting man; he’d been abandoned and rejected, scorned and lost. But Paul knows grace. He knows the biggest battle he’s fought is not against the world, but against his self.
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