This week, I wanted to talk about the band “Rivers & Robots”. Their goal is to make worship songs with a creative sound; something that I appreciate. Many songs in the Christian Music industry that are released today have a very cookie-cutter sound to them. Sometimes it seems that artists only try to imitate secular pop hits and put a Christian spin on them. Almost like a no-name brand tries to replicate a brand name. This is done because artists need to make hits to stay afloat and the pop music sound that they go for is, by definition, popular. However, it is encouraging to hear a band make music that tries to break out of that cookie-cutter shape.
“Dreams” is the first song on their latest album—“Discovery”. It attempts to portray how much
greater God is than anyone could ever dream of. The lyrics were born out of Job 26 where Job
tries to describe God’s character—“The pillars of heaven tremble… By His power, He stilled the
sea… His hand pierced the fleeing serpent” (Job 26:11-13). Verse 14, which is the focus of the
song reads, “Behold, these are but the outskirts of His ways, and how small a whisper do we hear
of Him! But the thunder of His power who can understand?” As Johnathan Ogden, the lead
singer said it “Even just a whisper, even just a glimpse of how good God is—is still better than
anything else you’ll find on this earth.” Nothing will beat the goodness of God. Every good thing
ultimately comes from Him! Just imagine what it will be like surrounded by God in Heaven.
Nothing will be tainted by sin. Yet, even though His goodness will envelop us, I still doubt we
will be able to fully comprehend His goodness. Just as God said, “as the heavens are higher than
the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”(Isaiah
55:9)
Even so, the fact that God’s ways and thoughts are so much higher than ours does not prevent us
from knowing Him to an extent. God longs for us to know Him and, the more that we do know
Him, the more we love Him and the more we are overjoyed to follow Him. I love the eleventh
song on the album “Know You More” because it gets that across so well. Verse one says “Father
open my eyes, Fill my heart with your light, You make me come alive, I want to know you
more.” Ogden said of this album, “Discovery is really about this interesting contrast between
God being completely beyond anything that we can know or understand—He is completely past
figuring out—and yet He still wants us to know Him and He still calls us to peruse getting to
know Him more and discovering who He is.”
If God is so great and so awesome that we cannot even know the fullness of His greatness, then
should we not have songs about Him that are far better, far more creative, than any secular
songs? Would this not portray the greatness of God better? I think it would. I would like to
encourage you to search out bands like Rivers & Robots who try to break out of the cookie-cutter
and find creative ways to make worship music. The album “Discovery” can be found on Spotify,
Apple Music, and. Next time you are doing chores, give it a listen
PASTOR CHRIS' NOTE: This will be Peter's last entry as he prepares to return to Bible College. I've appreciated his thoughts and what he's contributed. Going forward I'll be back to writing a monthly thought. Thanks Peter for all you've done. If you've appreciated it too take the time to thank him.
“Dreams” is the first song on their latest album—“Discovery”. It attempts to portray how much
greater God is than anyone could ever dream of. The lyrics were born out of Job 26 where Job
tries to describe God’s character—“The pillars of heaven tremble… By His power, He stilled the
sea… His hand pierced the fleeing serpent” (Job 26:11-13). Verse 14, which is the focus of the
song reads, “Behold, these are but the outskirts of His ways, and how small a whisper do we hear
of Him! But the thunder of His power who can understand?” As Johnathan Ogden, the lead
singer said it “Even just a whisper, even just a glimpse of how good God is—is still better than
anything else you’ll find on this earth.” Nothing will beat the goodness of God. Every good thing
ultimately comes from Him! Just imagine what it will be like surrounded by God in Heaven.
Nothing will be tainted by sin. Yet, even though His goodness will envelop us, I still doubt we
will be able to fully comprehend His goodness. Just as God said, “as the heavens are higher than
the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”(Isaiah
55:9)
Even so, the fact that God’s ways and thoughts are so much higher than ours does not prevent us
from knowing Him to an extent. God longs for us to know Him and, the more that we do know
Him, the more we love Him and the more we are overjoyed to follow Him. I love the eleventh
song on the album “Know You More” because it gets that across so well. Verse one says “Father
open my eyes, Fill my heart with your light, You make me come alive, I want to know you
more.” Ogden said of this album, “Discovery is really about this interesting contrast between
God being completely beyond anything that we can know or understand—He is completely past
figuring out—and yet He still wants us to know Him and He still calls us to peruse getting to
know Him more and discovering who He is.”
If God is so great and so awesome that we cannot even know the fullness of His greatness, then
should we not have songs about Him that are far better, far more creative, than any secular
songs? Would this not portray the greatness of God better? I think it would. I would like to
encourage you to search out bands like Rivers & Robots who try to break out of the cookie-cutter
and find creative ways to make worship music. The album “Discovery” can be found on Spotify,
Apple Music, and. Next time you are doing chores, give it a listen
PASTOR CHRIS' NOTE: This will be Peter's last entry as he prepares to return to Bible College. I've appreciated his thoughts and what he's contributed. Going forward I'll be back to writing a monthly thought. Thanks Peter for all you've done. If you've appreciated it too take the time to thank him.