Do you ever hear a song on the radio that captures your attention all the way through? I’ll admit, it’s happened to me, a recent occurrence was Tenth Avenue North’s “Love is Here.” I’m not sure what it was, maybe it was lead singer Matt Donehey’s captivating voice—the true emotion, and power behind the lyrics I was hearing—but the song struck a chord in my mind.
Nevertheless it happened to me again. I was listening to Air1 the other day and the new Third Day song “Call My Name” came on. I listened with caution—I’ll admit, I’ve never been a big fan of Third Day, amazing artists, just never been for me—but as I listened closer and closer, the song stuck.
Mac Powell’s seemingly effortless vocals ring out a story of brokenness, a place we’ve all been, and a place we’re heading to. The inevitable fact of mistakes, hardships, and trials, is, to say the least, overwhelming at times. “It's been so long since, you felt like you were loved, so what went wrong, but do you know, there's a place where you belong, here in My Arms.”
Upon first hearing the power and pure beauty of the track, both musically and lyrically, it drew me in. A song with such emotion, such perfection, it’ll catch attention, and with that attention, lives will be changed. In the chorus Powell sings, “When you feel like you're alone in your sadness, it seems like no one else in this whole world cares, and you want to get away from the madness, you just call My name and I'll be there.”
Sometimes a song is all it takes to brighten the darkest times in life. The place where the character in this song is at, is in essence, everywhere. It’s the person in church who hides behind the smile, the homeless man behind the cardboard box, the husband who just lost his wife to cancer. Life happens, and in the second verse, Powell relates to those hard situations, “The pain inside, has erased your hope for love, soon you will find, that I'll give you all, that your heart could ever want, and so much more.”
No matter where we are as individuals, when we call on God, He’ll respond. We hear that a thousand times, but as I’ve found, it never hurts to be reminded of that again, especially when you’re going through trials. The thing I love about songs like “Call My Name” is quite simply, God puts those kind of songs on the radio for the people who are hurting. Time after time, I hear stories of how people have come to the reality that God is in control, if only we call upon Him, and time and time again, it’s through song.
My personal favorite part of the song is in the bridge, it’s a message that Powell sings from God. With that simple, profound reminder. “You just call My name, call My name say it now, I want you to never doubt. The love I have for you is so alive.” Pay attention to that last part, “The love I have for you is so alive.” Consider that for a moment. God showed us His love on the cross, where Jesus conquered the grace, and so for. However, something we, as Christians, after forget is simply that ‘love’ is alive. Jesus is alive! Amen!
Because Jesus is alive, we must call upon His name, surrendering daily to His plan, His purpose, and His love. It’s essential for our relationship with Him. So that’s the challenge, will you call His name?
Written by Jeremy Koering for MusicFaith.com
