Aryn Michelle's journey to music began as so many artists do: singing in church. Aryn explored multiple different aspects of the music industry before deciding that, more than anything, she wanted to go wherever God would lead her. The result was her debut album, Depth, which featured the standout songs "Do the Same" and "Nothing Else Matters."
Aryn's desire is to provide words for believers to sing about our Lord, to edify and build up believers with her anointed voice and transparent faith. In that way, "Call Us Yours" featuring Caroline Cobb reflects her heartbeat to sing about her faith in God and offer praise to Him. I had the chance to speak with Aryn about "Call Us Yours."
Please tell me the personal story behind this song.
I am currently releasing a concept album made up of songs from three EPs: Wild, Beautiful, Dangerous. Wild is made up of Old Testament "Father God" songs. Beautiful are Jesus-inspired songs about the Gospel. Dangerous is Holy Spirit-inspired songs post-resurrection. I've been writing songs for those EPs for a long time. "Call Us Yours" is from the Wild EP and is inspired by text from the book of Jeremiah. I needed a song that would bridge the gap between the Kings and the birth of Jesus.
I decided to look at the Prophets and picked Jeremiah and [the theme of] longing of things to come. It's about longing and looking forward to the coming Savior and a time of renewal and restoration. I had a melody that I had written. I reached out to [my friend] Caroline Cobb to co-write this song with me.
I sent her the melody of this song, and I was looking at heavier texts from Jeremiah 20 and Jeremiah 51. She pointed out that Jeremiah 31 was perfect as it is about God promising His people to take them from sorrow to joy and bring them home.
Which Bible verses connect to the message of the song?
Jeremiah 31:33-34 (NKJV): "But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more."
Lamentations 3:22-23 (NKJV): "Through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness."
Hebrews 11:1 (NLT): "Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see."
2 Corinthians 5:7 (NKJV): "For we walk by faith, not by sight."
What is the takeaway message?
This song is about longing for the Savior to come. We dug into Jeremiah 31 and wrote the verses, chorus, and bridge together. The lyrics come right from Scripture, and the bridge sings, "Keep our eyes open for the rising sun," which can also be about the Rising Son, Jesus.
The song isn't just about Jeremiah, it's for people who are in a time of waiting and longing in a wilderness and barren spot. God is telling us a new day and restoration is coming. God promises He will make all things new. His mercies are new every morning. In my personal life, I see these cycles of faithfulness and then running after the wrong things. Something that is so good about God is how He reminds us to turn around and follow Him. We don't need to chase after empty things and about the priorities of this world. We can lay that at the feet of Jesus and be encouraged that we can come back to Him, and He'll take us where He wants us to go. Follow Him.
Lyrics
Everyone around me
Been running after empty things
Forsake the living water
For broken jars and bitter drink
Now everything a wilderness
And every heart is desolate
We keep running away
But you're calling us back all over
Could these ruins be remade
Your forgiveness be our cover
Would you call us yours all over again
We're longing for the day when
Mourning will be turned to joy
Vineyards from the wastelands
Cities from the barren soil
You'll gather us from far away
In spite of all the mistakes we've made
A new day is coming
It's on the horizon
Keep our eyes open
For the rising sun
'Cause when you come down to stay
You're calling us back all over
Could these ruins be remade
Your forgiveness be our cover
And you'll call us yours
Call us yours
Will you call us yours all over again?
Closing Thoughts
For me, Aryn brings sincerity and relatable themes that get deeper with each listen. Her vocals will soothe your soul, and the vertical lyrics will direct your attention and focus on Jesus. 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. Look for ways to obey God and to offer your faith to Him.
Jeremiah 31, Lamentations 3:22-23, and this song challenge me to want to know God more deeply and have more faith and security in my relationship with Him. The whole song and album is about crying out for God's presence and desiring to know Him personally. Let's strive to know God, and He will come to us.
His mercies are new every morning. God's mercy is new each day. It's not based on our performance or what we can do for God. He pours out His mercy despite what we've done. And there's nothing we can do except trust in His Son, Jesus. We can't earn heaven. It's only through complete surrender to Jesus, putting our hope in Him that we can be saved.
This song is about having a strong faith. Without faith, it is impossible to please God. Sometimes, we think we can try to know everything. God tells us in the Bible that with faith, we can do anything in Christ. One of the lessons I've learned about life is that we shouldn't wait to fix ourselves before we step out in faith. We need to fully trust God, look for ways to obey Him, and offer our faith to Him.
This song reminds me that we need to have that type of faith that Jesus describes in the Bible: "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." The key as a follower of Jesus is to walk by faith and to be guided in your daily walk by prayer and God's infallible Word, the Bible. "Call Us Yours" invites listeners to pray and believe: "We keep running away, But you're calling us back all over, Could these ruins be remade, Your forgiveness be our cover, Would you call us yours all over again." Amen to that.
NRT lead contributor Kevin Davis is a long-time Christian music fan and an avid collector. He 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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