Some newer songs about Grace: Needham and West

Introduction

Note: If anyone is interested in hearing Jimmy Needham sing, he will be at 1st Baptist of Concord, here in Knoxville, on May 31. See www.jimmyneedham.com for more info.

We’re continuing the theme of songs about grace, as we seek a better understanding of this miracle and the way it affects the way it affects the living of our lives. My perspective is that there’s a tension here, in that we are nothing and we are everything. There is no aspect of our lives which is not touched by sin, yet we are special that the God of all Creation wants a personal relationship with us. Different songs, and indeed different parts of different songs, touch on the different aspects of this tension.

In my searching on this subject, I found a CBN Asia page from September 2012, with Five Songs about Grace. We’ll take a closer look at two of these: If I Ever Needed Grace by Jimmy Needham and Only Grace by Matthew West. And continuing from last week, we’ll look at these songs using videos of performances by the artists. For If I Ever Needed Grace, we do get to hear the artist’s background and motivation for writing the song. I didn’t find that sort of narrative for Only Grace by the author, but there’s a newspaper story that gives the account of its writing, based on an interview with West.

Both of these are presented simply, with just the artist, self-accompanied on guitar, and both are younger artists (under 40) I’d classify both of these more as “songs”, rather than as “hymns”, though Only Grace is done pretty regularly as a praise singing, based on what I’ve read. Both of these songs are new to me, and are pretty contemporary. If I Ever Needed Grace is more the reflection and recollection around our need for grace, while Only Grace is more about our response to grace – particularly the need to get back up after we’ve sinned and fallen short. For me, both of these songs are more about personal worship, perhaps things that might be done as an anthem or in just my personal listening. And for If I Ever Needed Grace, it’s clearly written from the perspective of a straight, married guy, with children. So, one thing to discuss and think about is how this song does or doesn’t work for people who aren’t in that place. In that sense, it bears some similarities to the Phillips, Craig, and Dean song I Want to be Just Like You – which speaks strongly to fathers with sons. Perhaps that’s a question to get back to in another session. Some songs, like Amazing Grace are comparatively universal, while others can speak more to people in particular situations.

If I Ever Needed Grace

Jimmy Needham is a young (b 1985) Christian singer from Houston, Texas. His website bio provides some good background and motivation particularly for this song, which came to him as he was working on his fifth studio project. The Wikipedia page also provides relevant background. This song reached the top 40 on the Billboard Christian Songs chart in August, 2012.

In the YouTube video for this song, Needham first talks about the motivation for this song, which we’ll discuss.

• Listen to the first part of the video. How does Needham’s perspective relate to you or not?
• Listen to the second part of the video, with the song. What do you hear in the lyrics?

If I Ever Needed Grace
Jimmy Needham (2012)

It still feels like yesterday
A lifetime of empty days
My hungry heart was desperate for a meal
I feasted on the Bread of Life
Forgiveness pierced me like a knife
Your breath filled up my lungs and I could feel
I was broke and all I could say was

Chorus
If I ever needed grace, it’s now
You are strong when I am weak, somehow
I am weak enough to see
I need You to cover me
If I ever needed grace, it’s now

I met the woman of my dreams
Wanted to give her everything
Then fear came like a thief in the night
But my journal pages prophesy
That one day I’d make her my bride
Soon my best friend was wearing white
With our lives ahead all I could say was

Chorus

In every joy and pain
Whatever comes my way
God I need Your grace

Nine short months ’til she arrived
Little hands and lions eyes
And I’m so scared I don’t have what it takes
But I hear Your voice Sunday morning
Father give me eyes to see
All I need’s the power of Your name

Chorus

If I ever needed grace
If I ever needed grace
If I ever needed grace, it’s now

Only Grace

Matthew West is a bit older (b 1977) than Needham, but still on the younger side of artists we’ve listened to and discussed. He’s from Downer’s Grove, IL originally and currently makes his home in Nashville.

As discussed on his Wikipedia page West had some challenges in 2007, where he had to have surgery for vocal cord damage as a result of polyps and an enforced two months of silence. This particular song is before that time.

In an interview with Big 3 News of Ohio in 2011, West speaks about the origins of Only Grace, indicating that it came as he was being searched to give a concert at a prison. That interview also talks about his work on a testamony-based album, which we may look at in another session.

The YouTube video for this song is a presentation given as part of a radio station promo session with Spirit 103.5 FM of Seattle.

Only Grace
Matthew West (2005)

There is no guilt here
There is no shame
No pointing fingers
There is no blame

What happened yesterday has disappeared
The dirt has washed away
And now it’s clear

There’s only grace
There’s only love
There’s only mercy
And believe me it’s enough

Your sins are gone
Without a trace
And there’s nothing left now
There’s only grace

You’re starting over now
Under the sun
You’re stepping forward now
A new life has begun
Your new life has begun

There’s only grace
There’s only love
There’s only mercy
And believe me it’s enough

Your sins are gone
Without a trace
And there’s nothing left now
There’s only grace

And if you should fall again
Get back up, get back up
Reach out and take my hand

Get back up, get back up
Get back up again
(Get back up)
Get back up again

There’s only grace
There’s only love
There’s only mercy
And believe me it’s enough, it’s enough

Your sins are gone
Without a trace
And there’s nothing left now
There’s only, there’s only grace
(Get back up)

There’s only mercy
And believe me it’s enough, it’s enough

Your sins are gone
(Get back up)
Without a trace
(Get back up)
And there’s nothing left now
There’s only, there’s only grace

So get back up
Get back up again
(Get back up, get back up )
Get back up again