A Song for When… You’re Thinking About God in New Ways
Coming at you with another song recommendation today! Do you ever stop and think about different names for God? Father, Creator, Almighty, Jehovah, Immanuel, Alpha, Omega, Ancient of Days. We could go on and on. What about Jesus? What names for Jesus do you like to think about? Son of God, Good Shepherd, Lamb of God, Messiah, Christ, Redeemer, Savior, Bread of Life, the Way. And so many more! I love thinking about the different names for God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit because they remind me of the different roles they take in the world and in my life.
Bethel Music has a song called “King of my Heart” that powerfully reminds listeners of some beautifully unique names of God. As I worship through this song, I find my heart and mind swelling with joy, gratitude and awe. Here are the descriptions of God in the first verse:
Let the King of my heart … Be the mountain where I run … The fountain I drink from … Oh, He is my song … Let the King of my heart … Be the shadow where I hide … The ransom for my life … Oh, He is my song
Isn’t it amazing to think about God as these things? He’s a mountain, a fountain, a song, a shadow and the ransom for your life. He is the King of your heart. I think the reason these words resonate so much as I sing them is because they are some “off the beaten path” names of God. They’re not necessarily the first ones that come to mind as we list His names, but they are still true and Biblical. Thinking about God as a mountain or a shadow might provide the perfect visualization when you’re feeling weak or exposed.
Let’s look at some other unique names for God from the second verse:
And let the King of my heart … Be the wind inside my sails … The anchor in the waves … Oh oh, He is my song … Let the King of my heart … Be the fire inside my veins … The echo of my days … Oh oh, He is my song
Do you have chills yet? God is the wind inside your sails that directs your path, and He’s your anchor in stormy seas. He is the fire inside your veins when you’re feeling zealous and passionate, and He’s the echo of your days! HE IS what lasts when your short human life ends. Any worldly legacy you might leave will only last for so long. On the other hand, a God-centered legacy left behind can stretch and echo into eternity. Furthermore, when you are living aligned and in sync with Him, then you aim to reflect His truth and love, which reverberate and echo off you into the world.
In between (and after) these two incredible verses comes lots of repetition of these lines:
‘Cause You are good … You are good, oh oh … You’re never gonna let … You’re never gonna let me down
As you consider and meditate on the names of God, both “mainstream” and “off the beaten path,” at the core of His character is goodness and faithfulness. He is good, and everything He does reflects that. Whether He’s showing up for you today as a mountain, an anchor, a shadow or the wind, HE IS GOOD. In the same way, His faithfulness can be seen through every aspect of who He is. He will never let you down! Ever. You can trust that He will keep His promises and be consistently true to His word—always.
If one of these lyrics strikes a cord with you today, take it and run with it. Use your resources to find some Bible verses that go along with that part of God’s character. Read the verses you find in several different Scripture translations, and maybe even memorize one of them. Speak them aloud to God in prayer. Thank Him for who He is, and ask Him to act in your life as a mountain, anchor, shadow or whatever it is you need today. He is the King! Hopefully, He is (more specifically) the King of your heart. How amazing it is to be His child, on the receiving end of all of His goodness.