Chona Malinog“Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these.”
— John 14:12,
Song Story
It was sometime in 2016 when God literally and extraordinarily put a new song in my mouth.
During that time, my church at the time, Jesus Is Alive-Fairview, was to hold the Youth Camp themed “Extraordinary Ubernyt 7.” Two weeks before the event, there was a call for submission of a new composition that would be used as the camp’s theme song.
At first I felt like maybe I could give it a try, but never did I know how to do it as I didn’t really consider myself as a songwriter, though I’m fond of writing poems. The thought (of writing a song for the camp) came to my mind but I never really gave a serious focus on it. I just told the Lord that if I was called to do it, then it’s Him who was going to do something through me…
Indeed, God moved in and through me in a way that I hardly expected. I was singing praises to the Lord while doing laundry one Sunday morning—that was a week before the camp—when I suddenly found myself singing another song… the one which I was not even familiar with. Words with a melody suddenly came out of my mouth that went like “Extraordinary, God… That’s who You are…”
I stopped for a moment, realizing that I was singing a new song. I could not forget the “newly-composed” lyrics and melody. And so as soon as I finished my chore, I sat with the Lord and prayed. I grabbed my pen and paper as the words just came rushing into my mind. The melody, as well, just almost instantly hit me—until I finished the song for like more than an hour. It was like an extraordinary information download—straight from heaven. And I believe it was all Holy Spirit.
When I went to the church to attend the youth service, I excitedly presented the song to the worship team who gladly accepted it. So it eventually became the Youth Camp’s theme song.
The song conveys the very nature of the Lord, and that is, His being extraordinary. The first and the second verses introduce His being a powerful God. He is greater than the greatest minds men can ever consider. He is supernatural and phenomenal, and His works are just beyond compare. When someone experiences the power and love of the Father, he/she cannot just help but to be undone by His glory (I should know).
And the response usually is to want more of Him and to share His love to others. That’s what the pre-chorus is all about. The chorus nails down the awe and the expression of worship to this extraordinary God.
The bridge, my favorite part, talks about the realization of my smallness and my sinfulness in contrast with that of God’s greatness and holiness. Sometimes (if not most of the time) we, Christians, feel unworthy and filthy, and so we have no way to take part in God’s holiness—let alone do His heavenly destiny for us… “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips…” (Isaiah 6:5).
But despite all that, beyond the feeling of unworthiness is the fact that God is not looking for remarkable and big-league people. All throughout the Bible, God used unlikely ones to carry out His plans—Just like Gideon, David, Rahab, Moses. So if God could use them, God can use me and you too…
And not only that, He can make me and you extraordinary too, just as what He said in John 14:12, “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these.”
Listen to the song and get its lyrics here: https://web.facebook.com/106944064309098/videos/510063363203854/
