Hymns: Made for More

I’ve been exploring some of the very modern worship songs as an old guy 😀. But now, I’ve decided to alternate between very modern hymns, old hymns, and in-between hymns, namely the worship songs from the 60s to the 90s that feature in hymnbooks such as Mission Praise. Today it’s the turn of the very modern hymns.

Today’s song is Made for More. It’s from 2024, the most recent hymn that I have explored in this series.

We sang this one in church yesterday. It’s nice how new songs can disseminate so rapidly nowadays. Not everyone likes to emphasize the notion that God chooses people and that some have a special place in His plans. But Scripture does emphasize that. Undoubtedly, God’s workings are complex and beyond our understanding. But I draw much comfort from the fact that God is in control of history. And all are invited to come. But many are very happy not to respond to his invitation. And those who do respond eventually discover that God drew them. They were free. He didn’t force them, but He awakened them.

John 6:37
³⁷ All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.

John 15:16
¹⁶ You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.

Romans 8:29-30
For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. ³⁰ And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

Ephesians 1:4
For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love ⁵ he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— ⁶ to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. 

Some are uncomfortable with the notion of God choosing people. What about those who He doesn’t choose? If you are genuinely worried about not being chosen, it’s probably an indication that you are chosen because you are interested in coming to Christ. If you weren’t chosen, you probably wouldn’t care one way or the other. You might be interested in the issue, but just so that you can engage in debate or whatever.

But no-one is turned away. Here’s my silly illustration. Supposing U2 play their final concert in Wembley Stadium and no-one wants to go. And then Bono and the other members visit 50,000 homes in the area and personally invite them. And they all respond because they’re so pleased that U2 took the trouble to visit them. Then, the concert is a massive success. Now, could all the people who received the initial invite, but didn’t get the subsequent visit complain? They were all invited, but they chose not to go. So people made their choices, and U2 made their choice. I don’t think that earthly illustrations ever fully explain how God work. But ultimately, I’ll be in heaven because of what God has done. The Father chose me, the Son died for me, and the Holy Spirit opened my eyes and my heart and gave me the appetite to repent and believe.

I don’t know if the writers of today’s hymn agree with my theological outlook. Charles Wesley, who wrote “And Can It Be That I Should Gain” certainly didn’t. The Wesleys were Arminian in their outlook. They didn’t believe that God chooses people. Yet, one of the most well-loved Wesley hymns speaks of someone who follows Jesus because God breaks his chains. He gives the credit to God, not himself. So however much we argue about the specifics, I think that we all thank God. When we get to heaven, we won’t be boasting about our good works, or cleverness. and we won’t be speaking about how lucky we were to pick the right religion or whatever. All the credit goes to God.

4 Long my imprisoned spirit lay
Fast bound in sin and nature's night;
Thine eye diffused a quick'ning ray,
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;
My chains fell off, my heart was free;
I rose, went forth and followed Thee. 

I can understand why some might be uneasy about the notion of being chosen. I got quite angry when I first heard about it. Opinions differ, even within evangelical circles. But as I became acquainted with the Scripture, I came to accept it. Nowadays, I’m more tolerant of different opinions. We’ll find the whole truth in heaven. It’s a little arrogant to think that we know everything down here. But I still think that we can be reasonably sure that God chooses us and has special plans for each of us. Interestingly, the debate about God choosing some people goes on in other religions too. I think that deep down, people realize that ultimately God’s will will be done.

Anyway, here are some other versions of today’s hymn: