Behind The Song: Interview About "Greatness Of Our God"

NRT Contributor Kevin Davis speaks to Natalie Grant about "Greatness Of Our God," the first single from her latest album, Love Revolution.

Natalie Grant: "I wanted to include songs [on Love Revolution] that would motivate people to revolutionize their communities, families and take on social justice issues."
    
 
Natalie Grant is a powerhouse vocalist, social activist, working mom, entrepreneur, four-time GMA Female Vocalist of the Year and founder of The Home Foundation which rescues victims of human trafficking. Her eighth album, Love Revolution, releases on August 24, 2010 from Curb Records.

Natalie Grant is also thrilled to announce her latest and greatest “revolution”--her second pregnancy with husband/producer Bernie Herms. This will be the Grant’s third child, following the birth of the couple’s twins, Bella & Gracie, in 2007.

Love Revolution features Natalie's new single, “Greatness Of Our God,” which was written by Jason Ingram, Reuben Morgan and Stuart Garrard.

I got the privilege to speak with Natalie about the single and here is our conversation.

Please tell me about the background message of the song, "Greatness Of Our God."

I didn’t set out to make a praise and worship album but there are definitely a lot of vertical worship lyrics throughout my new album. Although this song also appears on Hillsong’s new album, it was the first song I recorded for Love Revolution. I had been writing songs with Jason Ingram and had been in a creative environment with him for a few weeks. We were talking about the different motivations I had for the new album and I told him I wanted to include some vertical worship songs. I wanted to include songs that would motivate people to revolutionize their communities, families and take on social justice issues. We have a lot of people doing a lot of great things, but unless you come at it from a Christ-centered place, you’ll never bring about forever change. We can talk about all these things that we do, but unless it comes from a motivation to change our own hearts, it will never be a forever change. It was purposeful for me to pick songs for people to remember their first love, Jesus, and to worship Him.

This song, “Greatness of Our God,” did that for me. Jason played the song for me and I knew I wanted to record it. When they told me the title, I said, "Really? Another song about how great God is?" I mean, there’s already so many songs with "God" and "Great" in the title or throughout the lyrics. But when I heard the song, I was like, "wow," especially the line “no sky contains, no doubt restrains.”

This song is great for so many people who struggle with fear--myself included--or doubts on a daily basis. It doesn’t change the greatness of who God is. I never viewed this as a Hillsong recording, but a song that could appeal to anyone and would resonate with anyone. It has a message that’s encouraging and reminds us how great God is, and also reminds us how the God who holds the universe in place also knows my name. The Bible says He holds the world in the palm of one hand.

Do you have a life verse or any Bible verses that connects with the message of the song?

Romans 8:38-39: "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

What's the take-away message for listeners regarding the song?

Sometimes we can lose sight of the greatness and the awe and fear that we should have of God. We’ll think of God as our daddy and we become so familiar that sometimes we lose the sense of the awe and wonder of the greatness of God. Also, when we think of the greatness of God, we can lose sight of the personal side of God. Therein lies the mystery and beauty of the greatness of our God. He is both big and small to us. That’s where I really related to the song. No sky can contain Him, and no matter how big and grand He is, there’s nothing that can separate me from the love of God. This song does a beautiful job of reminding us that God is great enough to be in control of every situation of our life, but small enough to be involved in the smallness of our life. No matter how big He is, God has personal, individual and crafted love for each one of us.

Here are the lyrics:

Verse 1:
Give me eyes to see
More of who You are
May what I behold,
still my anxious heart.
Take what I have known
And break it all apart
For You my God, are greater still.

CHORUS
No sky contains,
No doubt restrains,
All You are,
The greatness of our God.
I spend my life to know,
And I'm far from close
To all You are,
The greatness of our God.

Verse 2:
Give me grace to see
Beyond this moment here.
To believe that there
Is nothing left to fear.

That You alone are high above it all.
For You my God, are greater still.

CHORUS 2x
No sky contains,
No doubt restrains,
All You are,
The greatness of our God.
I spend my life to know,
And I'm far from close
To all You are,
The greatness of our God.

Bridge: 2x
And there is nothing
That can ever separate us.
There is nothing that can ever
separate us from Your love.
No life, no death, of this I am convinced.
You my God, are greater still.

2x:
And no words can say, or song convey,
all You are the greatness of our God.
I spend my life to know,
And I'm far from close
to all You are,
the greatness of our God.

“Greatness Of Our God” is a ballad recognizing our fragile existence in view of God’s incomprehensible greatness. Love Revolution is a great mix of worship and pop. In my opinion, this is Natalie’s best overall album and one of my top 10 albums of the year. I’m sure it will continue to challenge, inspire and move me. This is truly a great album and an uplifting worship experience. Natalie brings sincerity and relatable themes that get deeper with each listen. My favorite albums are the ones that continue to provide new revelations over time by savoring them. “Greatness of Our God” is a great way to pray along with Natalie and to remember that God will never leave or forsake you. There is nothing that can separate us from the love of Jesus.