Hymns: So Will I (100 Billion X)

Posted on by HiberniaGospel

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 So Will I (100 Billion X) from 2017.

So Will I (100 Billion X)
Lyrics

This one has a puzzling title – but it simply means “so will I” sing God’s praises – not just following the example of other worshippers but the whole creation. And so many hymns and Bible verses speak of creation singing. Here’s an example from the Old and New Testaments:

Isaiah 55:12
12 You will go out in joy
  and be led forth in peace;
  the mountains and hills
  will burst into song before you,   and all the trees of the field  will clap their hands.

Luke 19:37-40
37 When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:
38 “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” 39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!” 40 “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”

It does sometimes feel like creation speaks. I remember listening to a lot of debates on the existance of God back around 2017. And then, one day, I was walking along Inch strand in County Kerry. I observed the sun and how it reflected on the water. Strangely it seemed to speak much louder to me than all the debates 😀 .

Psalm 19: 1-4
The heavens declare the glory of God;
    the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
2 Day after day they pour forth speech;
    night after night they reveal knowledge.
3 They have no speech, they use no words;
    no sound is heard from them.
4 Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,
    their words to the ends of the world.

The psalm then goes on to speak of the law of the Lord (The Bible), which speaks more specifically. But both make me want to worship, which is what inspired So, Will I. The song is new to me. I wasn’t into new stuff back in 2017. Even in terms of secular music, I was into older stuff, such as a Genesis album from 1980.

I remember listening to this song as I observed the beautful sun and sea that same day on Inch strand. Music is part of creation, so secular music can point us to God in the way that the sun moon and stars do.

Anyway, back to today’s song. What’s the (100 Billion X) bit about? The song speaks of billions of galaxies and billions of failures disappearing, referring to God forgiving billions of sins as a result of the death of Jesus. The lead singer of the song, Benjamin Hastings, is from Ireland – Northern Ireland, but that still counts 😀.

Here are some other versions:

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