God Will Heal Our Wounds
God Will Heal Our Wounds
"Many of the lyrics of this song seemed to tumble out of Dee’s mouth, beautiful seventh chords being the accompaniment. And for much of the session, Will and I sat on folding chairs toiling over the lyrics while Dee was preparing the community dinner - smoked meats and BBQ. He would swing by and hear progress and throw out brilliant suggestions and we’d continue. We ended up gathering together and tying up the final lyrics the hour before the evening showcase and what felt like something that might not make it out of the gate, became an incredibly moving experience. The simplicity of the chorus spoke things to us that weren’t contained in the lyric. It implied a confession, it implied a better way.The bridge came after the fact and was something I took the lead on about a month or so before the recording. We had written the song out of Isaiah 58 and in the initial process of writing, we’d not included some of the practical imagery of that scripture. It was an obvious thing to do, to flesh out practical ways to love one another. It turns out, it’s a powerful thing to sing and to proclaim, that we want to live these beautiful practices out, to make life, that sometimes feels alien and foreign, feel like home.” (Aaron Strumpel)
GOD WILL HEAL OUR WOUNDS
Written by Aaron Strumpel (ASCAP), Terrell Wilson (BMI), Will Reagan (ASCAP)
© 2018 Common Hymnal Publishing (ASCAP), Thirsty Dirt Records (ASCAP), Common Hymnal Digital (BMI), The Wilson Songbook Publishing (BMI), United Pursuit Music (ASCAP), Capitol CMG Genesis (ASCAP) (admin by IntegratedRights.com). CCLI 7123286.
VERSE 1
Dmaj7 Am7
We want to seek you in our own ways
Gmaj7 Em7 F#7
We’ll fast and we’ll sing, we’ll give for our gain
Dmaj7 Am7
You’re telling us that it’s not ok
Gmaj7
You don’t need another song
Em7 F#7
You don’t want our empty praise
CHORUS
Bm G D
If we stop loving on our own terms
G D A/C#
God will heal our wounds, God will heal our wounds
Bm G D
If we stop loving on our own terms
G
Grace will lead us home
D
Grace will lead us home
VERSE 2
Dmaj7 Am7
We want the blessing of the God we made
Gmaj7 Em7 F#7
To live in the privilege, he’ll do what we say
Dmaj7 Am7
You’re telling us there’s a different way
G Em7 F#7
To seek less for ourselves, to pour out every day
BRIDGE
A G
Home, home, home, home where the fasting that you seek
D
Is breaking chains, breaking free
A G
Home, home, home, home where the songs that we sing
D
Move the ground underneath
A G
Home, home, home, home where the worship that you seek
D
Feeds the hungry, the ones in need
A G
Home, home, home, home where love that we seek
D
Is growing gardens, fixing streets
G
Is growing bridges, planting trees
D
Is digging wells for all to drink
G
Is finding light for us to see
D
Is building trust between you and me
G A
Is building strength and family
More Songs By Terrell Wilson (Dee Wilson)
As this co-write began, I mentioned how I’d never written a song out of a part of scripture that has been a life verse for me: Isaiah 58. So we ran with it only to find out early in the session that it was also a key passage of scripture for Christians involved in the Anti-Apartheid movement in South Africa, in which Malcolm had participated. So with the added levity of that knowledge, we knew we needed to do justice (forgive the pun) to this song!
Loving on our own terms is not love. It’s self-service. Singing a song that reframes love and exposes the efforts we call love as something other than, is both convicting and liberating. This song is rooted in Isaiah 58, the scripture that talks about what God is seeking in our worship. It’s quite simple: he says we should stop performing acts to get him to serve our interests and rather, give ourselves to the hurting and marginalized amongst us.
There are rewards in this passage for living in these ways: our light shining, us becoming wellsprings of water, and us taking on names that sound not unlike superhero names; but our efforts should never be motivated by these rewards, lest the act of caring simply becomes another way to manipulate God. Not that he’s foolish enough to fall for it. These rewards are the fruit and result of living well, of loving and caring for our neighbor.
I get into all kinds of conversations with people who are motivated by attaining crowns in heaven; their dreams of glory and a holiness that gives them more jewels and bigger homes in heaven always seem peculiar to me. Not that I know whether or not that’s what awaits us. But if I replace a passion for the people of God with an infatuation for self-enrichment, the Gospel has fallen on it’s face in my life. Sometimes service is work that we don’t feel like doing. That’s tough, but rather than looking for fancy prizes for motivation, I’d rather recalibrate my heart in the presence of God toward a compassion for people.
This song puts those things into lyric. It identifies and confesses where we’ve fallen short; it proclaims the real prize, the healing of the Body when we begin to love as Christ has taught us. I can’t help but get giddy when I sing the words of the bridge about the building of community infrastructure for the betterment of life together; about re-establishing heart space for trust and family; if there was ever a motivation to do things that didn’t feel good on a particular day, it can be found in the joyful celebration of a life of love lived sacrificially amongst one another.