Bethel Music has introduced and developed several amazing worship leaders, including Brian and Jenn Johnson, Amanda Cook, Steffany Gretzinger, William Matthews, Matt Stinton and Hunter Thompson.
We Will Not Be Shaken released everywhere January 27, featuring eleven original worship songs all beautifully produced for the Church. These songs were written from a place of reflecting on what it means to have unshakable faith in God. The project is intended to lead listeners to that place also.
Every song released by Bethel Music completely focuses me as a listener on joining in praise, worship and adoration of Jesus. All of these songs are poignant and powerful with earnest, worshipful lyrics.
We Will Not Be Shaken will be one of the top worship albums of the year. It is truly a moving and prayerful worship experience.
If you are looking for new worship songs to sing with fellow believers, this album is chock-full of congregational songs, especially the female led worship songs "
Ever Be," "
You Don't Miss a Thing," "Nearness," "You Are My One Thing" and "In Over My Head." I had the chance to speak with Hannah McClure about "You Are My One Thing."
Please tell me the personal story behind this song.
I wrote this song out of a season where the Lord was reminding me of when I first fell in love with Him. I was pregnant at the time, and I was really unsure of what the next season of my life was going to look like with my first baby. That played into me sitting down one day and having devotional time with the Lord. That's generally me with my acoustic guitar, nothing glamorous but just me worshipping. I started singing this chorus to remind myself that whatever the next season looks like and whatever is going on in my life, as long as I have Jesus, then my life is successful.
Basing my success on being close to Jesus more than anything else is the focus of this song. I had been in a season where the Lord was bringing me back to the time in my life when I was a teenager and my family moved us to this farm in Virginia with 130 acres. We restored this old farmhouse in the middle of nowhere.
It really forced me to get alone with the Lord and fall in love with Him. I've known Him my whole life, but I really got close with Him during that time. I would take walks around the property and pray and talk with the Lord. When I started singing "just to be close to You, just to walk to next to You," I thought about the times I would walk with Him and talk with Him and be close to Him.
Which Bible verses connect to the message of the song?
Philippians 3:8-9 (NIV): What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ---the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.
Psalm 86:12 (VOICE): "O Lord, my God! I praise You with all that I am. I will rightly honor Your great name forever."
Matthew 6:32-34 (VOICE): Outsiders make themselves frantic over such questions; they don't realize that your heavenly Father knows exactly what you need. Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and then all these things will be given to you too. So do not worry about tomorrow. Let tomorrow worry about itself. Living faithfully is a large enough task for today.
Psalm 103:1-5 (MSG): "O my soul, bless God. From head to toe, I'll bless His holy name! O my soul, bless God, don't forget a single blessing! He forgives your sins--every one. He heals your diseases---every one. He redeems you from hell and saves your life! He crowns you with love and mercy--a paradise crown. He wraps you in goodness---beauty eternal. He renews your youth---you're always young in His presence."
What is the takeaway message?
The song talks about how the Lord pursues us and that His love is always present. That's what I long for in my life more than anything. That Matthew 6 passage about seeking first the Kingdom of God guides me in my life, because if that's what you are after, God will take care of everything else you need.
That's what I was after in that season. Not because I had a ton of worry, but because of uncertainty of what my life would look like. It was the Lord reminding me that if I stick close to Him and if I continue to seek Him and put intimacy first, He'll take care of me. It's not going to matter what the season looks like. Everything I need will be taken care of, and the desires of my heart will be fulfilled because He holds all of that in His hands and He's so faithful in everything.
My husband Paul and I loved being part of the Bethel Music project "We Will Not Be Shaken." Our hearts really connected with the music ministry, and it's been such a joy to participate in everything. It was a blast to make this album together because we are all friends, and we got to make music with people we love. We all have the same desire. Our same one thing is Jesus.
Lyrics:
Your voice ever close You called me
You never gave up pursuing
I fell in love You stole my heart
Your hand ever near I hold to
I long for Your heart to know You
Just to live in Your fellowship
Just to be close to You, Just to walk next to You
This is my one thing You are my one thing
Just to be close to You, Just to walk next to You
This is my one thing You are my one thing
My eyes ever fixed upon You
To live like a child to trust You
I'll hold on to this treasured love
My life ever set at Your feet
I give You my heart completely
To live this life always by Your side
Just to be close to You, Just to walk next to You
This is my one thing You are my one thing
Just to be close to You, Just to walk next to You
This is my one thing You are my one thing
I have to know You
All that's within me
Cries out for Your presence, God
Nothing compares
There's no one else
Jesus You're my one desire
Nothing compares
There's no one else
Jesus You're my one desire
Jesus You're my one desire
Just to be close to You, Just to walk next to You
This is my one thing You are my one thing
Just to be close to You, Just to walk next to You
This is my one thing You are my one thing
"You Are My One Thing" reflects the yearning for Jesus that I pray for my daughters to feel in their hearts as well. Every song released by Bethel Music completely focuses me as a listener on joining in praise, worship and adoration of our beautiful King Jesus. This song is a modern day psalm singing about Jesus being our one desire and how much He loves us. You can know Jesus personally.
Daily we are presented with the choices of how to use our time, lifestyle choices, pursuit of riches, living for today not knowing what tomorrow has in store for us, questioning our loneliness and looking for meaning. You can take comfort in these words from Philippians 3:8: "I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things."
God's thoughts and love for us are deep, such as cannot be known. We cannot think how many mercies we have received from Him. As the Lord knows us thoroughly, and we are strangers to ourselves, we should earnestly desire and pray to be searched and proved by His Word and Spirit.
One of my daily devotionals in trying to grow in my walk with Jesus is to sing to Him at least one praise song every day. Like Hannah, I suggest we all spend time with the Lord and try praying and singing along with this great song of praise and adoration. I love how this song reminds me to give God "
all that's within me." This song is a beautiful picture of our hope in Christ. By giving Our Lord all that is within us, by blessing God, we are overwhelmed by God's love and mercy in return.
I realize that Jesus commands us to trust God's Word completely no matter our circumstances or personal distractions or concerns. The bridge is my heart's cry and has an amazing reminder: "
I have to know You, All that's within me, Cries out for Your presence, God, Nothing compares, There's no one else, Jesus You're my one desire." Amen to that!
(Watch Hannah sing the song
here.)
