You may have already seen the release of Chris Tomlin's new album, Holy Roar. I was supposed to receive a copy of it and post my review prior to the October 26 release; however, I did not receive the album until the evening of the 25th, so I'm running a bit late with my review. Still, I'm sure there are readers who are considering purchasing the album, so I am posting my review late!
I have been thinking and researching a lot lately about worship. What is "worship," exactly? Is it just the music we sing on Sunday morning? Do we need to raise our hands up? Does it make a difference in our lives? I will share more of my own thoughts and research in the near future. As a result of all this, I was excited to see Chris Tomlin's new album, Holy Roar, produced in conjunction with the book by the same name that was co-authored by Tomlin and Darren Whitehead and published in October of 2017.
The idea of the book was that there are 7 Hebrew words in the Old Testament for "praise" - "7 words that will change the way you worship," the book claims. It is not a new idea, as sermons have been preached on the concept for several years now, but it is one that Tomlin and Whitehead thought should be expanded into a book. I cannot as yet recommend the book itself. The authors' claims of what the Hebrew words mean and what they mean for our lives are something I need to research a little more.
Tomlin wrote the music on this CD to complement the book. It is his hope that it will communicate "the freedom, the experience, the wonder of worship. It is seeing the church come together, hands lifted to God, pouring out our praise with an eternal song in our hearts. It’s every voice together, changing the way we worship."
What I like most about this CD is that it is 100% praise to God. The songs are God-centered, not me-centered. Their focus is on God and what He has done, and they are sung in the context of being part of corporate worship. We come together for the purpose of bowing ourselves and our wills to God. We do not sing to Him because it makes us feel good or helps us forget the problems we had during the week. We worship Him because He is God and He is worthy! As the song "Satisfied" claims, we are content with the blessings He has given us. He is enough. "Goodness, Love, and Mercy" is a re-arrangement of the old 23rd Psalm, and you simply cannot find better lyrics than that. Scriptural words paired with the praise music that we've come to love from Chris Tomlin make this album one you'll want to have in your collection. When you become too focused on your own problems and the things going on in this life, listen to these songs and turn your focus to praising God. When you see a brilliant sunrise or sunset or the mountains dazzling with fall colors and you cannot contain your gratitude to the Creator of it all, bow your knee in worship with these songs.
God is worthy. God is holy. God is the all-powerful author of love.
Come together and praise Him.
Find the album here:
#HolyRoar #FlyBy
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