Folk-rock singer Crowder introduced the world to a new genre of music known as “folktronica,” a mixture of acoustic sounds and electronic beats. The artist is known for his worshipful ballads and his off-the-wall rock tunes.
Many of his songs are sung by millions of churches around the world, including recent staples “How He Loves,” “Come as You Are,” “Here’s My Heart,” and “My Victory.” His newest album, Milk and Honey, features the standout lead single, “Good God Almighty.” It follows the success of his album, I Know a Ghost, which features the hit singles, “I’m Leaning On You” and "Red Letters."
Don’t miss the opportunity to see Crowder and his band sing his incredible songs live. I had the chance to speak with Crowder about “Good God Almighty.”
Please tell me the personal story behind this song.
We were on the Winter Jam tour last year when everything shut down, because of COVID-19. We were in rural Kentucky when we were told to, “load up, we won’t need you for a while.” The term “non-essential” became the worst phrase ever to say to a human. We thought it would be just for the next weekend. But, here we are a year and a half later. And, now we finally see some light at the end of the tunnel.
Since I traveled so much, I missed the finer details when I’m at home—especially for longer periods of time. I had this moment where I realized that the trash gets picked up on Thursdays. I wanted to be useful and productive, and when people are labeled “unnecessary,” it made me think about what I do that’s important. COVID-19 gave me plenty of moments of reflective time.
When I started singing again, the first thing I felt was the absence of being together on a Sunday morning. I hate to think I took that for granted. And, since music is such a part of how we form together and reflect on who we are in God, I realized how much I missed other voices in the room with me, to say things like “God is faithful” with me.
When we aren’t with each other physically, we lose that power of our united voices. There’s something special about us singing together. The songs I was writing all included a choir, and I missed choral music. The “Good God Almighty” idea was how I started my new album, Milk and Honey. It became the way I organized the sound I wanted for the album.
We wrote the new music quickly. But the production took a while as I was looking for an urban energy vibe and a new lane for the rhythm section to sit in. I wanted to include that swampy southern Appalachian instrumentation that I love so much. Then, I needed to figure out how to add a gospel choir since we’re all socially distanced.
Which Bible verses connect to the message of the song?
Exodus 33:19(NKJV): “Then He said, “I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.”
Romans 8:28(VOICE): "We are confident that God is able to orchestrate everything to work toward something good and beautiful when we love Him and accept His invitation to live according to His plan."
Romans 8:31(NKJV): "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
Romans 8:38-39(NKJV): "For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Ephesians 2:4-5(NIV): "But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions---it is by grace you have been saved."
1 Corinthians 1:27(VOICE): "But celebrate this: God selected the world's foolish to bring shame upon those who think they are wise; likewise, He selected the world's weak to bring disgrace upon those who think they are strong."
What is the takeaway message?
“Good God Almighty” is just a song with a good old-fashioned group of people singing harmony together. That’s what we need and what I’m praying for: some harmony and togetherness.
What I like about this catchy defiant anthem is how we came together relationally with worship band Maverick City Music. Together, we found a really interesting way to take the phrase, “Good God Almighty” and twist it from a bad expression of disgust or angst and turn it into a praise chorus. It’s rarely used in a way where you’re stating it as truth: as people of faith, we could see God’s activity—even though it is a very difficult season.
God is still God, God is still good, and He’s still in control of everything. I’m really happy with how the song turned out and how it sets the tone for this album.
Lyrics
I can't count the times
I've called Your Name
Some broken night
And You showed up
And patched me up
Like You do every time
I get amnesia
I forget that You
Keep coming around
Yeah, ain't no way
You'll ever let me down
Good God almighty
I hope You'll find me
Praising Your Name
No matter what comes
Cause I know where I'd be
Without Your mercy
So I keep praising Your Name
At the top of my lungs
Tell me is He good
He's good
Tell me is He God
He's God
He is good God almighty
You say Your love goes on forever
That Your mercy never stops
So why would I assume
You'd be somebody that You're not
Like the sun in the morning
I know You're gonna
Be there every day
So what on earth
Could make me be afraid
Good God almighty
I hope You'll find me
Praising Your Name
No matter what comes
Cause I know where I'd be
Without Your mercy
So I keep praising Your Name
At the top of my lungs
Tell me is He good
He's good
Tell me is He God
He's God
He is good God almighty
Praise Him in the morning
Praise Him in the noontime
Praise Him when the sun goes down
Love Him in the morning
Love Him in the noontime
Love Him when the sun goes down
Good God almighty
I hope You'll find me
Praising Your Name
No matter what comes
Cause I know where I'd be
Without Your mercy
So I keep praising Your Name
At the top of my lungs
Tell me is He good
He's good
Tell me is He God
He's God
He is good God almighty
Jesus in the morning
Jesus in the noontime
Jesus when the sun goes down
Jesus in the morning
Jesus in the noontime
Jesus when the sun goes down
Closing Thoughts
Jesus promises us in Matthew 11:29-30 that His yoke is easy, and His burden is light. Jesus came to claim us and set us free from the burden of sin. He came to give us rest. When we’re in communion with Jesus, it’s joyful, not a burden.
“Good God Almighty” is a celebration of God's love, despite our brokenness. The song challenges me to think about what I'm allowing to rule in my heart, instead of giving myself completely to God.
Jesus died on the cross to set us free from the battle of our minds, from sin and death. And, He wants us to have an abundant life in Him. What a wonderful, encouraging truth. God knows us intimately. And, because of what Jesus did on the cross, He sees us as holy, righteous, redeemed, chosen, fully known, and forgiven—no matter what we've done.
If you've put all your hope and trust in Jesus, there's nothing that can separate you from His love.
This song celebrates the truth written in the book The Chronicles of Narnia by author C.S. Lewis, which depicts the character Aslan (God) as described in the book and movie: "He's not safe, but He's good." Yes, He's very good.
If you think about the type of faith we're called to have as believers, it's described as the faith of a mustard seed. As 2 Corinthians 5:7 puts it, we're called to "walk by faith, not by sight."
Faith requires us to rely on the unseen. We all walk by faith every day. The beauty of walking by faith and not by sight is that we can learn to more fully trust God with our lives.
The song reflects that truth beautifully with the lyrics, “Tell me is He God/He's God/He is good God almighty/Jesus in the morning/Jesus in the noontime/Jesus when the sun goes down.”
As Jesus followers, we know that we can trust God's Word. We’re all a work in progress. And, as Romans 8:28 puts it, have faith and let God work all things together for good. Spend time with God and let Him redeem and restore you.
We’re not at the end of our story. God's still writing our stories of redemption. He wants us to know that He's faithful to complete what He's started in all of us who've put our hope and trust in Jesus for our salvation.
“Good God Almighty” has become my personal anthem. And, I sing along at the top of my lungs the sincere and emotive lyrics of submission in the refrain. God tells us in the Bible that with faith, we can do anything in Christ.
I'm completely convicted by the strong lyrics and find immense comfort in this song filled with biblical truth. His love is never-ending, and He is our refuge and our strength. God sees us as He sees His son. He knows our names, and He loves us so much that He came to die for us. Jesus invites us to come to Him, and He'll give us rest.
Grace is freely given and isn't something we can earn by our good works. It is a gift from God by faith in Christ Jesus. The message of this song challenges listeners to think about our own doubts and how Jesus calls us to rely on Him and the power of His resurrection, to remember that He has overcome death and fear.
As believers, heaven is calling our name. He is real, He is near, and He is just a breath away. He is the author of our lives and knows what's best for us—much better than we do. That's the reason to sing this empowering anthem in gratefulness to Him.
If you’re looking for a firm foundation in your life, make these lyrics your personal prayer: “Good God almighty/I hope You'll find me/Praising Your Name/No matter what comes/Cause I know where I'd be without Your mercy/So I keep praising Your Name at the top of my lungs.” Amen to that.
NRT lead contributor Kevin Davis is a longtime fan of Christian music, an avid music collector, and credits the message of Christian music for leading him to Christ. He lives in Pennsylvania with his wife and three daughters.
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