“The God Who Sings”

In 2003, when I was Eighteen, I went to a Christian camp called New Wine at the Bath & West Showground in Shepton Mallet. During a youth worship event there, whilst I was listening to the band, I prayed to God that he would notice me. Specifically I prayed/desired that God would sing a song over me. I believed in Jesus but felt quite alone in the world and wondered if I would ever be able to have a close, personal relationship with God rather than just head knowledge of my beliefs. 

In the biblical book of Zechariah it states that “the LORD your God is with you. He will take great delight in you, he will rejoice over you with singing” (3:17). I wanted to experience this and prayed that it would happen there and then, but it didn’t – nothing happened. I left the camp and the prayer request fell completely out of my mind.

Nine years later, in October 2012, I went to an Elim Church conference on the outskirts of Bristol with three friends. There were approximately one hundred people in attendance but I didn’t know anybody because this wasn’t my usual Church. There I was in the crowd, singing to God, when the worship leader (Helen Yousaf) stopped singing and pointed at me from the stage. She said through the microphone: “I have this strong feeling that God wants to sing a song over you”. And then she sang one of her own compositions called ‘Child of Mine’. I wept. I couldn’t believe it. My request from nine years ago came flooding back into my memory. God noticed me. 

I don’t know how familiar you are with Christian worship songs. They are mainly written from the human perspective singing to God – lyrics that offer Him praise and honour. Helen Yousaf’s song is quite unusual as it is written from God’s perspective, as if God is singing to someone. It uses a lot of Biblical imagery in its beautiful lyrics.