From the swell of chirping birds filling the air to the first crop of tulips pushing their way up through the newly mowed grass, signs of spring are all around us. It’s a time of rebirth, a period of brilliant hope and a stretch of vibrant growth. It’s also a chance for gratitude at every turn as the soft gray shades of winter explode in bright, colorful hues. Creation sings a new song this time of year, and we can’t help but sing along. Soundtracking the season, your favorite Air1 artists are writing anthems that speak to the truth waiting to be discovered in every budding tree and every blooming flower. While helping us eagerly anticipate a heavenly future we can hardly fathom, some of today’s freshly picked tracks also point to the modern-day miracles that are still taking place thousands of years after that infamous stone was rolled away. No matter the topic, there’s no shortage of worshipful offerings to choose from as we embrace the year’s first taste of sunshine. Here are seven songs for a season of praise.
“Abandoned,” Benjamin William Hastings & Brandon Lake
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“Abandoned,” the new single from Benjamin William Hastings, isn’t what it seems on the surface. While the revered lyricist could have easily crafted a song about the nature of God and how He will never abandon His children, longtime fans of the Irish singer know his words always plumb the depths of a much deeper well. Reunited with “Gratitude” co-writer Brandon Lake, Hastings’ latest offering speaks of the incomprehensible act of Jesus’ death on the cross — the kind of extravagant sacrifice that makes absolutely no sense, yet beckons us to abandon our very lives to Him at all costs. Making its radio debut exclusively on Air1, “Abandoned” was written by Hastings, Lake, Cody Carnes and Chris Davenport and recorded while Hastings and Lake were on tour together last year. While a studio version is also available, it’s the live recording with Lake that really captures the depth and beauty conveyed throughout the building ballad that calls for a bold, liberating movement of surrender.
“He Who Is To Come,” Passion & Cody Carnes
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Passion points to the future return of Christ on their new song, “He Who Is To Come.” The worship collective — helmed by Kristian Stanfill, Melodie Malone, Brett Younker and Chidima Ubah Craig — dropped the triumphant anthem a month before the annual Passion Conference, which saw 55,000 college-aged students from all over the world descend on Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium for three days of worship and teaching at the top of the year. The acoustic-driven “He Who Is To Come” is led by Stanfill and Cody Carnes, who also wrote the track alongside Sean Curran. “We pray that as you hear this song, it lifts your eyes up and reminds you of the hope we have in Jesus,” the Dove Award-winning group shares about the single inspired by Revelation 21. “He is coming again to make all things new!” A live version of the single also appears on Passion’s new full-length project, “Call On Heaven,” captured at Passion 2024.
“People of Heaven,” Phil Wickham & Brandon Lake
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Phil Wickham and Brandon Lake join forces for “People of Heaven,” a song that sets our sights on eternity. The worship powerhouses wrote the track exclusively for last year’s “Summer Worship Nights” tour, closing each of their co-headlining dates with the electric celebration of the hereafter complete with blinding sprays of rainbow-colored confetti. “Y’all, it’s a praise party and a joy bomb all rolled into one,” the duo describes of the one-off single they wrote in an hour’s time in advance of their first co-headlining arena trek. The song’s thoughtful lyrics declare: “Saved and set apart / Ashes into art / Children of the King / Every promise kept / Only hope ahead / Lift your heart and sing… We’re gonna live forever.” Wickham and Lake are set to reprise their immensely popular “Summer Worship Nights” tour in August 2024 with special guest Hulvey.
“Shelter,” Pat Barrett
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Pat Barrett discovers a safe haven in the arms of his Savior on his latest single, “Shelter,” which was inspired by Psalm 46:1: “God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.” The title-cut of his new 12-song project speaks of our desperate, consistent need for Jesus and the rest we find in the shelter of His strong arms. “The more life you live, the more hurt that stacks up and the more things don’t go your way. You have to put all of that somewhere, and I want God to be the One I turn to. In all of that, He becomes a shelter,” Barrett says of the sentiment behind the soulful selection he co-wrote with Cody Carnes. “What else could possibly hold the complexity and the intensity and the joy and the suffering? What other place can handle all that?” Barrett is sharing “Shelter” and other new selections from his most recent LP on the road this spring with Phil Wickham.
“Another One,” Elevation Worship
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Elevation Worship is expectant on their new single, “Another One.” The building anthem testifies to God’s faithfulness: If He’s done it before, He’ll do it again. As the song repeatedly affirms, we serve a God with a perfect track record. Like many of its predecessors, “Another One” was written by an all-star cast of lyricists, including Elevation Worship visionary Steven Furtick, award-winning artist Brandon Lake and revered songwriters and worship leaders Pat Barrett and Chris Davenport. Acknowledging all the ways God has supernaturally moved in the past — from the dawn of Creation to the resurrection of Jesus — the rallying cry serves as a confident declaration that He is sure to continue His miraculous work in our lives. “‘Another One’ is a prophetic song for anyone who’s been sowing, praying, and waiting on God,” shares the group’s Chris Brown, who helms lead vocals on the selection. “He has an abundance of ways to meet all of our needs, and He’s promised to work all things for our good. We hope this song inspires you to believe that miracles are still ahead for you and open doors are in front of you.”
“Miracle Child,” Brandon Lake
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Brandon Lake shares a deeply personal story on his new song, “Miracle Child,” found on his latest album, “Coat of Many Colors.” The autobiographical single was inspired by his own mother, who struggled with recurring pregnancy loss before she gave birth to Lake and his two siblings. Throughout her painful journey toward motherhood, his mom chose to trust God’s timing and believe in the bigger plan He had for her life and the lives of her future children. “I’m thankful my mom trusted God and persevered, because of that I am alive. My parents experienced six miscarriages, and that’s why I can say confidently today that I am a ‘miracle child,’” Lake offers. “I wrote this song from that place. I pray it gives you faith to know that nothing is impossible for God.” While the initial verse reveals Lake’s miraculous birth and his mother’s answered prayer in the form of her three rainbow babies, the second verse takes it a step further, asserting that Jesus shouldn’t be alive either. Yet, by His supernatural strength, He rose from the grave. And now, He’s alive in us.
“Hope of the Ages,” Cody Carnes
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Cody Carnes offers a timeless retelling of the Gospel on “Hope of the Ages.” The bright, triumphant anthem is the second single from his sophomore live album, “Firm Foundation.” “Hope of the Ages” arrives at radio after the full-length project’s title-cut peaked at No. 1. Carnes co-wrote the convicting declaration with Reuben Morgan. Backed by a choir of voices, initially captured at a live recording at The Belonging Co. in Nashville — Carnes’ home church — “Hope of the Ages” shines a light on the only things that will last: Jesus, His Word and His Church. “Hope of the Ages” gives listeners an easy way to praise our Heavenly Father as it finds its power and truth in the death, resurrection and future coming of Christ. The arresting lyrics proclaim: “The Gospel of Jesus; it’s the hope of the ages. Burning brighter and brighter and standing forever. The Church He is building, nothing can stop it. It’s a city that’s shining a light in the darkness.”
