Leading corporate worship nationwide, Phil Wickham is known for hits such as “At Your Name (Yahweh, Yahweh),” “This is Amazing Grace” and “Your Love Awakens Me.” He describes the truths he is learning with a powerful and poignant voice through enthusiastic and passionate cries of worship. After a two year wait, Wickham returned with Living Hope on August 3rd.
 
The album was preceded by the impactful singles “Living Hope,” “Great Things,” “How Great is Your Love,” “Till I Found You” and “Song in My Soul,” which features guest vocals from Hollyn. If you've always enjoyed Wickham’s corporate worship anthems, you're in for a treat with this album. It has a great balance of upbeat and reflective songs and it is chock-full of songs for the church and songs for personal reflection and worship. I had the chance to speak with Phil about “Song in My Soul.”
 
Please tell me the personal story behind this song.

I heard the first iteration of this song with just two or three lines of lyrics and the melody from a friend of mine named Travis Ryan, who has been in Nashville for a long time. He sent it to me and something about the melody woke me up and made my heart smile. It reminded me of an old-time gospel melody. He had the “All of Your goodness” line and something about that concept of singing about God’s goodness just got me smiling. Within the next twenty minutes, I wrote almost the remainder of the song. It was an instant outpouring of what God has been doing in my heart and in my life and in my family’s lives recently: such an overflow of God’s goodness in my life. God has been teaching me and my wife big things about Him. And we have been resting in how good our Father in Heaven is to us and how kind He is. We are so undeserving.
 
The idea of a gospel song about the goodness of God came across my path and I knew I had to sing it. Just like the prayers we pray about God’s faithfulness about our kids being healthy and God showing us His kindness, we wanted to reignite the thankfulness in our hearts. I immediately connected to the song. Then I wondered if the song was too simple for the album and maybe it was just a prayer for my family. It’s a great song, but it has this more of a gospel, funky feeling to it, and musically, I didn’t know if it was going to fit in. But, as my producer, Jonathan Smith, and I started working on the song in the studio, we thought we should have a girl sing on this--give it a duet kind of vibe. We racked our brains for a bit thinking, "well, who could do it?" So, we  made a wish list and Hollyn was on the top of that list. She’s got this incredible voice and we knew she could nail this kind of vibe. So, I texted her and she’s like, ‘I’m there.’ And, so she showed up, sang the song and killed it.

Which Bible verses connect to the message of the song?

Psalm 40:3 (NLV): “He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and will put their trust in the Lord.”

Psalm 95:1-3 (KJV): “Come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms. For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.”
 
Psalm 105:2 (NLV): “Sing to Him. Sing praises to Him. Tell of all His great works.”
 
Genesis 2:7 (VOICE): "One day, the Eternal God scooped dirt out of the ground, sculpted it into the shape we call human, breathed the breath that gives life into the nostrils of the human, and the human became a living soul."

James 1:17 (NIV): "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."
 
James 1:2-4 (NIV): "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing."

What is the takeaway message?

I have been leading "Song in My Soul" for my congregation and it has been a real special moment. I wrote the song with a smile on my face. This song is like the smile in the middle of the record. Some songs get kind of emotional or anthemic or cinematic, but this is one you can smile, clap along, and sing along to. It is one of those atmosphere-changing songs. I love that that’s what this song’s adding to the record. Our breath is something we are 100% reliant on God. Breathing is equal to living and "every good and perfect gift is from above." God gives us these perfect gifts. Breathing is something we take in and give out. I love the metaphor of how the other gifts God gives us we are given to give back. The perfect metaphor for that is the breath in our lungs. I want to offer all of my gifts that God has given me back to God. So many songs on the record were born out of wanting to write the language and the prayers that go along with what God is doing in the community already. The goal wasn’t to write songs that were my expression necessarily of what is God doing in my life, or what is my vision, or what am I supposed to say through these songs. It’s more for the church.

Lyrics:
There's a song in my soul
And I feel it stirring in me
This I know for sure
That Your love is like a flood
And Your mercy never ending
I give my song to You

There's a joy in my soul
And it rises like a morning
This I know for sure
That Your grace is enough
And Your promise never breaking
I give my song to You

All of Your goodness
Is like a well running over
Oh my soul, it sings for You
For all of Your goodness
I will love You forever
All my songs, I'll sing for You
Yes, all my songs I'll sing for You

There's a hope in my heart
Burning bright in the darkness
This I know for sure
That I will look upon Your face
Forever dwell in Your presence
And always sing to You

All of Your goodness
Is like a well running over
Oh my soul, it sings for You
For all of Your goodness
I will love You forever
All my songs I'll sing for You
Yes, all my songs I'll sing for You

Let my life be to You a symphony
Singin' out "holy, holy"
All my days
Every single breath I breathe
Singin' out "holy, holy"

Let my life be to You a symphony
Singin' out "holy, holy"
All my days
Every single breath I breathe
Singin' out "holy, You are holy"

Let my life be to You a symphony
Singin' out "holy, holy"
All my days
Every single breath I breathe
Singin' out "holy, You are holy"

For all of Your goodness
Is like a well running over
Oh my soul, it sings for You
For all of Your goodness
I will love You forever
All my songs I sing for You (I sing for You, Jesus)
Yes, all my songs I sing for You
Yeah, all my songs I sing for You

Closing Thoughts

Phil’s enthusiastic and reverent style of writing and singing praise and worship songs has always been a draw for me. His prayerful sentiments are consistently filled with his personal adoration of God. This album provides listeners with songs that proclaim acceptance of God’s love in any circumstance. It is a must-have for your praise and worship collection, providing multiple ways to "sing to the Lord a new song" (Psalm 96:1). Living Hope provides words of appreciation and adoration of God. Each song includes tender and powerful vocals and takes listeners on an emotional and spiritual journey with every lyric sung about our faith in Jesus. Every song is completely anointed, spirit-led and emotionally captivating.

Wickham has been writing and singing his breath, given to him by God, into stirring songs. You'll be blessed by this powerful song which is a standout anthem with a convicting declaration: "All my days, every single breath I breathe, singin’ out 'holy, You are holy.'" "Song in My Soul" reflects the conviction and strength we can all have as God's army of dry bones who are filled with God's breath, and then we can breathe out as prophesied in Ezekiel 37. The energy and excitement of this song is infectious, and it makes me lift my hands up to God and sing before Him like David, unashamed, with all my might. God enjoys when we have abandon before Him, like David, a man after God's own heart. You won't be able to help but want to sing along at the top of your voice with this powerful new song of praise. It’s exactly the type of catchy corporate worship song I’ve come to love from Phil Wickham. Is God's Word your strength and joy? Are you trusting God, knowing that "every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows" (James 1:17)?

"Song in My Soul" gives me a lot of joy, and my heartbeat is to please the Lord. I love songs that allow me to have fun and praise God at the same time, and this song certainly does that. I really enjoy how my love of fun, uplifting music and biblical truth is perfectly married in this song. The song is also a great reminder that our circumstances don't define our joy. Our position in Christ and His unending faithfulness is worthy of all our gratitude and adoration. A sincere desire to experience the presence of God can be heard in this instant classic song. You’ll want to exclaim: “Let my life be to You a symphony / Singin' out "holy, holy" / All my days / Every single breath I breathe / Singin' out "holy, You are holy!" Amen to that.