Chris Tomlin’s name became widely recognized by worshipers around the world with the overnight success of Arriving.
Worship leaders slated songs such as “Indescribable” and “How Great is
our God” in Sunday morning worship sets, and church goers could be
heard humming phrases from “Your Grace is Enough” as they slid into
their cars after the service ended. See the Morning has been criticized
by other reviewers for not having a blockbuster list of pew-sitter
friendly sing-alongs, which may be the case. But worship is not limited
to active singing.
Tomlin describes this project as an
exploration of “the idea that God’s as faithful as the rising sun…that
while the darkness [of night] came and was for a while, light is
breaking through into morning.” In other words, Tomlin’s purpose for
this album is to encourage listeners. Ryan Durfee, worship pastor of
Bear Valley Church in Lakewood, CO describes Tomlin as someone who
“Sings the truth about who God is.”
In preparation for writing this review, I’ve played See the Morning during my morning walks. The song “Made to Worship” affirms God’s reason for creating us in the first place. You
and I were made to worship, you and I were called to love, you and I
are forgiven and free, you and I embrace surrender, you and I choose to
believe, you and I will see we were meant to be. The quick tempo is great for raising the heart rate.
“Glory
in the Highest” unfolds the wings of my spirit and I can’t help but
wrap my mind around the mystery and awesomeness of God. I love how the
song starts out softly. Tomlin’s voice is airy and filled with awe. As
the song progresses, harmonic voices and additional instrumentation are
added, painting a beautiful sound picture of a God worthy of such
praise and adoration.
My first contact with “Everlasting God”
was when my worship pastor handed it to the team for a Sunday morning
set. I found the “Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord, we will
wait upon the Lord” repetition to be on the cheesy side at first, but
the more I heard the song, the more it resonated with what God was
trying to teach me. Ironically it became my favorite song on the whole
CD.
As far as comparisons go, Matt Redman from across the pond is the most comparable to Tomlin stylistically.
See the Morning
excites, energizes and engages listeners in authentic worship. What
sets Tomlin apart from many recording artists is his ability to
communicate. When I listen to Chris sing, I hear a man who truly
believes in what he’s saying. As a result, my faith and adoration for
Jesus Christ grows every time I press “play”.
Copyright Darcie Gudger. All rights reserved.
