#54 - "He Is" by Mark Schultz Word Records' recording artist Mark Schultz recently spoke with NRT Contributor Kevin Davis about his new single, "He Is."
Mark Schultz: "We can’t praise God on Friday and curse him on Sunday. We have to trust that He knows what's going on."
I've been collecting Mark Schultz since his self-titled album and his sincere songwriting and pure vocals have always caught my attention. The emotion behind his songs "He's My Son," "When You Come Home," "Letters From War," "Walking Her Home" and "Everything To Me" have all made my regular rotation of my favorite songs of the past 10 years in Christian music.
Come Alive, Mark's fifth studio recording, is his crowning achievement in my opinion. From the emotional power behind first single, "He Is" (which is a great follow-up to Mark's song "I Am") to his story-song of encouragement "Live Like You're Loved" and the gospel-choir backed "Love Has Come," this album had me singing along in praise to my God and Savior from start to finish.
I got the chance to interview Mark about his new album and first single "He Is." You can listen to our entire interview here.
Please share the background that led you to write the song “He Is.”
"He Is" is an expression of this hope that was inspired by the stories of two families battling cancer. Payton Cram was a girl who came to one of my concerts in Michigan with her dad. I was really amazed at her maturity for her young age, even as she had cancer. When the cancer started to get bad, I flew up and spent a day with her and prayed with her and her family. She was a beautiful girl. She was never going to blame God for her cancer. She never asked "Why me?" She just always knew there was a bigger purpose in it.
During the same time Payton was fighting cancer, I learned from my wife Kate, who is an OB/GYN, about a missionary family whose fourth child was born on a Friday, and on Sunday they found out the mother had terminal cancer. The father of the family said, "Well, we can’t praise God on Friday and curse him on Sunday. We have to trust that He knows what's going on," and that’s when the idea of "He Is" was born. He is, He was and always will be. It’s a pretty important message, no matter what kind of rough road you are riding through.
Please tell me the Bible verses you used in writing this song.
Jesus is that hope that we can all rely on and when we can live it out in real life, that stops me in my tracks. "He's My Son" is also based on that verse, and I remember how the family reacted hearing those words while their son was struggling with cancer. What a revolutionary idea compared to worldly viewpoint of thinking we can control everything.
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How have those passages and the message of this song been a part of your life?
I was listening to my own song "1,000 Miles" on my wife’s iPod, and it put me in the frame of mind to write the song "He Is." I sat at the piano at my church and tried to put the idea of "He Is, He Was, He Always Will Be" and "Be Still And Know" together in one song to praise God.
As I was thinking about Payton, I started playing and the first thing that come out of my mouth was, "He is, He was, He always will be." I had a different verse on this song when I first started to play it, but something special happened when I was singing the chorus. Tears started running down my face, and I knew it was something special. And so from the family who gave birth and then found out the wife had cancer to Payton Cram who is with Christ now in heaven, to those who put their value in the timeless treasures, this song is dedicated to them.
Father, let the world just fade away
Let me feel your presence in this place
Lord, I've never been so weary
How I need to know you're near me
Father, let the world just fade away
Till I'm on my knees
Till my heart can sing
He is
He was
He always will be
Even when it feels like there is no one holding me
Be still, my soul
He is
Father, let your Holy Spirit sing
Let it calm the storm inside of me
As I stand amazed
Lift my hands and say
He is
He was
He always will be
He lives
He loves
he's always with me
Even when it feels like there is no one holding me
Be still, my soul
Through every fear
And every doubt
And every tear I shed
Down every road
I'm not alone
No matter where I am
He is
He was
And He always will be
He lives
He loves
he's always with me
Even when it feels like there is no one holding me
Be still, my soul
Be still, and know
Be still, my soul
He is
Mark Schultz told me when his sang the song, the first verse is wanting it to be true, the second chorus is needing it to be true, and the third verse is knowing that it is true, staking our lives on the knowledge that it is true. I am wrecked by songs that include that biblical truth: "Be still and know." Knowing that Mark based this song on real life stories of people dying from cancer who lived with faithful trust that "He Is" in control makes the song even more emotional for me. You can sing this song with that same faithfulness knowing that God loves us and is always with us, telling us "Be still and know that I Am God."
Posted September 07, 2009 | Kevin Davis is a long time fan of Christian music, an avid music collector and credits the message of Christian music for leading him to Christ. Kevin also writes reviews for ChristianMusicReview.org. He currently lives in Pennsylvania with his wife and three daughters.
NRTeam Comments (1) Average NRTeam Article Rating:
Worth Listening!| Posted September 08, 2009
I have always been a great fan of Mark Schultz'music. His songs always touch my heart in a very special way. I knew he had been working on another album, but I had not hear about it until lately, and listening to those two interviews really has reminded me how Mark lets God uses him for His Glory! Thank you for sharing this! May God bless you.
