This is The Ailene.

We hesitated singing this David Crowder Band song (Oh How He Loves Us) last Sunday because of a line that goes, “We are His portion, and He is our prize.” Our worship leader was a little concerned that it may not be that Biblical.

I guess I’m happy to tell him that it actually was. Sort of.

Deuteronomy 32:4 says “For the Lord’s portion is His people, Jacob His allotted inheritance.” And then again, when Samuel anointed David, he tells David, “Has not the Lord anointed you a ruler over His inheritance?” Then Asaph sings about David again in Psalm 78:71 how from shepherding ewes and lambs, God brought David to shepherd His inheritance (Israel). “Save your people and bless your inheritance,” David cries out in Psalm 28. And a lot more references all over the place.

It’s good to realize that David Crowder didn’t just pull lyrics out of nowhere, although I do hope that that’s what David Crowder was thinking of when he wrote those lines in.

I still agree, though, that there are some songs that come more from the overflow of our hearts as artists, and maybe “Oh, How He Loves Us” will always be one of those. Perfect for personal introspection, but not necessarily for corporate worship.

This is the kind of research that goes into the four songs that we sing for the first half-hour of a regular Sunday service. It may just be four songs, but we want to make sure that we hit everything on the dot when we stand together as a church to worship God. Our heart as worship leaders is that when we come together for corporate worship, we will literally worship (as in the Hebrew definition that we bow down and away for someone else to take our place) this wonderful God. And so we try to be Biblical, because we think it’s the best way to get to know this awesome God. On a more practical level, this basically means that we take lyrics apart and hold it up against the Word all the time.

But what a lovely sentiment! That we are HIS portion, set apart and blessed for HIS glory. Personally, I am overwhelmed. That such a God, who pursued a nation like Israel (who rebelled and turned away from His love), would love me as well? WOW.

There’s no getting away from the truth that because of His love (this crazy, crazy love), I am made precious.

“We are His portion and He is our prize, drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes. If grace is an ocean, we’re all sinking.”