Video of Delirious. Video of Sonicflood. Video of Passion.
I Could Sing of Your Love Forever comes close--in my opinion--to being a 7-11 song*. One could easily sing the same seven words "I Could Sing of Your Love Forever" eleven plus times in a row.
In fact, this song packs a bit of a threat or challenge: taken literally, your church could start singing and continue singing this song...forever. I've not researched every album recording of this song. But the few I have found range from a little over four minutes to close to eight! (When I listen to live performances, I question are they clapping in part because it's over?!)
There are two questions I'll examine here. The first: Are the lyrics biblical? The second: How long is too long?
Lyrics:
Over the mountains and the sea,
Your river runs with love for me,
And I will open up my heart
And let the healer set me free.
I'm happy to be in the truth,
And I will daily lift my hands:
For I will always sing of when
Your love came down.
I could sing of your love forever,
I could sing of your love forever,
I could sing of your love forever,
I could sing of your love forever,
I could sing of your love forever.
Oh, I feel like dancing
It's foolishness I know;
But when the world has seen the light,
They will dance with joy,
Like we're dancing now
I'll start with the chorus. Psalm 89:1 reads, "I will sing of the steadfast love of the LORD, forever; with my mouth I will make known your faithfulness to all generations." Psalm 106:1 reads, "Praise the LORD! Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!" It's worth reading Psalm 118:1-29 and Psalm 136:1-26 as well. Especially those who are critical of the song's repetitiveness. Every single verse in Psalm 136 repeats the phrase 'for his steadfast love endures forever.'
Aside from the chorus, are the lyrics biblical? Yes. No. Maybe. Probably.
Is there enough proof in the Bible that God is a loving God? that he, in fact, loves us? Yes. Romans 5:9 (for context see Romans 5:6-21). 1 John 3:1, 16; 1 John 4:7-12. John 3:16. John 13:34-35. John 15:9-11, 12-17. John 17:1-26.
I'm not perfectly perfectly happy with the phrase, "I will open up my heart"...because I think more often than not the Bible is clear that it is GOD who opens up our hearts and not we ourselves. God opens hearts. God opens eyes. God opens ears. God. God. God. (Acts 16:14)
I also am not perfectly happy with the phrase 'let the healer set me free.' God doesn't need our permission to act. God is sovereign. God does whatever God wants with or without our "letting" him. It is entirely possible I am letting the word LET overpower the main point, however. JESUS is a healer. No doubt about it. Jesus healed then and he can heal now. I think sometimes we focus more on physical healing--wanting to be healed from physical ailments--and not realizing the enormity of our spiritual needs. It wouldn't be exaggerating to say that we don't need healing so much as RESURRECTING. We are DEAD, d-e-a-d in our trespasses. We need to be brought back from the dead.
"I'm happy to be in the truth." Jesus is the way, the truth, the life. (John 14:6) And we should be HAPPY to be IN THE TRUTH. The truth does set us free--Jesus sets us free. (John 8:31-38) We are freed from our bondage to sin. We are freed to serve God and be living sacrifices. (Romans 12:1)
"I will daily lift my hands..." Psalm 63:4, Psalm 119:48, Psalm 141:2,
"...When your love came down..." Philippians 2:5-11, John 1:1-4, 14-18
...I feel like dancing...like we're dancing now... Psalm 30:11, Psalm 149:3, Psalm 150:4, Ecclesiastes 3:4...
"When the world has seen the light..." possibly Psalm 96:10-13
Conclusion: Depending on whether you give the authors of the song the benefit of the doubt, the song is mostly biblical. If you are a Calvinist, you might have issues with a few of the phrases here and there.
The second question: how long is too long?! This is a completely subjective answer. But here I go. If you get up to go to the bathroom and they are STILL singing "I could sing of your love forever..." when you get back...the song is probably hanging on too long. How would you answer that question?!
Lyrics:
Over the mountains and the sea,
Your river runs with love for me,
And I will open up my heart
And let the healer set me free.
I'm happy to be in the truth,
And I will daily lift my hands:
For I will always sing of when
Your love came down.
I could sing of your love forever,
I could sing of your love forever,
I could sing of your love forever,
I could sing of your love forever,
I could sing of your love forever.
Oh, I feel like dancing
It's foolishness I know;
But when the world has seen the light,
They will dance with joy,
Like we're dancing now
*For more about 7-11 songs.
© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible
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