Leslie Jordan is a songwriter and artist hailing from Tennessee, most recently residing in Nashville. Her God-given musical talent has carried her into many opportunities over the years, notably including her role as one half of the Grammy-nominated band All Sons and Daughters from 2010 to 2018.
After the band's conclusion, she branched out into new areas of the Christian music world. She's a staff writer for Integrity Music Publishing and the co-founder of the non-profit organization, The Fold. Despite her new positions, she's still very active in Christian music. In 2020, she began introducing her solo sound into the world. Two years later, she recently released a full-length EP, All That I Need To Know, featuring two songs we'll dive into in this week's Worship Reflective.
"Great I Am"
You have been the lighthouse in the storm
You are still the voice I listen for
You will be the rock on which I stand
The great I am
Leslie does an incredible job attaching clarity to the concept of God being the "Great I Am." This song hit home for me in so many different ways, but perhaps most significant is the relatability through which she conveyed her encounters with God.
I have long struggled with the concept of my Heavenly Father being the Great I Am, mainly because I am a rule-follower at heart. If a sentence is started, in my grammatically correct eyes, it should be finished in the same fashion, meaning there should be something behind the phrase "great I am" to quantify it.
However, I've learned over the years how beautiful that open-ended response to "Who are you, God?" actually is. It means that He has what we need in abundance any time we are lacking. Comfort, safety, love, you name it; tack it on to the end of "great I am" and provision is plentiful.
Leslie has created a beautiful take on this knowledge of God being everything by gracefully singing examples of His majestic presence; when the song ultimately wraps up with the phrase "the Great I Am," she portrays that not only is He the "lighthouse in the storm" and "the voice I listen for," but He is also, and always will be, so much more.
"Love Will Never Fail"
We will see You face to face
And Your mercy will prevail
Faith and hope they will remain
Love will never fail
Perhaps one of the most famous scriptural chapters--and, appropriately, the one often quoted at weddings--is 1 Corinthians 13. They speak of love's characteristics and how God embodies every single one of these because He is love. Leslie transformed the message beautifully into a melody I will have on repeat for a while.
For me, the previously mentioned lyrics are the song's highlight because of their futuristic perspective: "We will see You face to face/and Your mercy will prevail." It can be so easy to get bogged down in current circumstances because of their tangible nature. But simply considering the eternity God promises can instill a unique spark of hope in our soul and that of those around us.
I encourage you to listen to and reflect upon the powerful message Leslie sings of in this song. There truly is nothing like our God and I am so extremely excited that we have all of eternity to spend with Him in heaven. What a wonderful gift from the one whose love will never fail us.
Selena Schulz is NRT’s youngest staff contributor. She loves God, music, reading, and writing.
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