Matt Redman is a worship leader and songwriter who has made a huge contribution to the worship in the global church over the last 20 years. Some of Matt’s most well-known songs include ‘Blessed Be Your Name’ and ‘10,000 Reasons’.
Matt has recently recorded a new version of ‘How Great Thou Art (Until That Day)’ and he tells us about his passion for worship and the Bible:
How did you become a Christian?
I became a Christian at a Luis Palau Mission to London gathering in 1984. I was 10 years old. I’d been in church a bit, but the way Luis presented the gospel, the way he talked about the father heart of God was very meaningful to me because I’d lost my dad a few years previous to that.
A really special part of the story for me is that years later I got to minister with Luis, and then when he passed away a couple of years ago I got to go and sing at his memorial service, which was a huge privilege.
What difference does the Bible make in your life?
I think for me the word I would use is stability. The word of God is so stabilising. I think every day, either personally, or on the international news level, you’re faced with realities that are painful, discouraging, and destabilising. But the word of God is something so stable, it will endure forever. There’s never a day you can’t go to the word of God and get sustenance and a new perspective. With all life’s ups and downs, there are days when nothing else has brought any stability for me except the word of God.
Is there a verse or passage that has been significant for you and why?
There’s one verse in Zephaniah 3:17 – ‘The Lord your God is with you… He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.’ That never fails to astound me. It’s a phenomenal thought that, while we sing our songs of worship in God’s direction, God is actually singing a song in our direction as well. That is such an uplifting thought.
How do you think your relationship with Jesus might be different if you didn’t have the Bible in your language?
There’s a verse in Acts 17:23 where Paul discovers an altar with an inscription to ‘an unknown God’. But we are in the complete opposite situation, we can know God – all because of the Bible.
We don’t just have hints, whispers, or clues about God, in the Bible we have full-on descriptions. This is who I am. This is what I’m like. This is how much I love you. These are some of the reasons I deserve to be worshipped. Here’s some of the plans I have for you. It’s amazing. We are so blessed to have the Bible.
How has the Bible helped you during difficult times?
For me, I’d have to zoom in on the Psalms. How amazing is it that in the middle of the Bible we basically have a songbook? There is so much emotion and truth in them and they resonate very deeply. The Psalms have been the place where I go and I find a psalmist who identifies with my pain, who shows solidarity with my challenges, and then sings with faith and hope over that. It is wonderful that God has given us the gift of this book.
Cover of the single ‘How Great Thou Art (Until That Day)’ How does the Bible influence how you write worship songs and lead worship?
Some of the best worship songs, like ‘How Great Thou Art!’, seem to have revelation in the verses and response in the chorus. I’ve noticed a correlation when you’re leading worship between how much Scripture a song has in it and the response people have to it. If you can put some beautiful biblical truth into a song, that is so important.
What does ‘How Great Thou Art!’ mean to you and why has it been important to you to do this new version?
I think it’s probably one of the first songs I ever led when I started leading worship. It has a wonderful rhythm of breathing in and out: in the verse you breathe in the wonders of God, and then in the chorus you breathe out in response and praise. It was a wonderful privilege when The Stuart Hine Trust asked us to do this version for the 75th anniversary and to add this new verse.
Listen to the new version of ‘How Great Thou Art (Until That Day)’ here.
