"Now I'm ruined forever."
I spoke those words on my first trip to my wife's hometown of Buffalo, New York. She took me to the restaurant that created Buffalo Wings. What I tasted that night was the best wing I'd ever had, and I told her, "Now I'm ruined forever!"
Have you ever had an experience that permanently changed you? It may have been a culinary experience like mine. It could be a trip you took that introduced you to a new hobby. Sometimes these life-changing experiences are about encountering something far more profound.
Steven Theriot has been ruined forever. For him, his focus isn't a food or activity. He's been ruined forever by God's love, and his worship won't ever be the same. In his first song on Air1, entitled "My Heart & Hallelujah," Theriot invites listeners to an open-handed and surrendered posture towards God.
Theriot, a member of Destiny Worship Music, recently shared with Air1 about the story behind his new song. "I wrote (My Heart & My Hallelujah) with some great friends of mine, and it's all based out of Psalm 63, where it says, 'because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live and in your name. I will lift up my hands.' I think my favorite line comes out of the bridge where it says, 'in the morning in the evening, I'll pour out all of my praise When I'm hurting and when I'm healing, the song I'm singing won't change.' And it's a powerful reminder for me and for you today that the Lord is with us in every season and in every hour. He is worthy of our praise."
David wrote those words in Psalm 63 while he was in the desert of Judah. Scholars are uncertain if he was fleeing King Saul's death threats or running away after his son Absalom's coup. Either way, David was in crisis, enduring pain, and facing an uncertain future.
During that wilderness time, David declared that God's love was "better than life." While facing potential death, David chose to say that God's love surpassed life itself. Theriot's lyrics embody this worship posture, continuing to worship regardless of circumstance.
While he cites Psalm 63 as the source of "My Heart And My Hallelujah," that passage is only one among many Scripture references in the song.
First, Job 1 came to mind as I listened to the lyrics. After losing his children, wealth, and health, Job famously declared,
"I came naked from my mother's womb, and I will be naked when I leave. The Lord gave me what I had, and the Lord has taken it away. Praise the name of the Lord!"
This attitude is not typical in our world today, where shifting feelings sway our commitments. Yet, the Scriptures call us to commit to the path of humility and surrender.
Second, Theriot sings about his longing to experience more of God, echoing John the Baptist in John 3:30. John, who prepared the way for Jesus, stated, "He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less."
Third, the most famous psalm makes an appearance. The hope in the latter part of the song reflects Psalm 23, which ends with confidence: "Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever."
What connects Job, John the Baptist, and David with Theriot? Each understood that true worship transcends circumstances. Their surrender wasn't conditional; it was complete.
The Scriptures paint a vision of worship that is less about our present circumstances and more about our vision of the future. We don't worship God merely because of our ever-changing feelings. Instead, our worship reflects our faith in His consistent character.
If your circumstances are currently challenging or your feelings are not drawing you to worship, then perhaps it's time to listen to Steven Theriot's "My Heart & My Hallelujah." I pray that his lyrics encourage you today and that you experience God's love in such a way that you are ruined forever. May you be overwhelmed by God's presence. May you experience a moment of true surrender to Him.
