Contemporary Christian singer Matt Maher is sharing his journey while writing the lyrics to the song "Deliverer," and how he used his son's fear of the dark to complete it.
"This song's a very personal song for me," Maher wrote on his Facebook page.
The music of "Deliverer" is actually created by NEEDTOBREATHE's Bear Rinehart, and Maher said that he admires the band for "their ability to create music that goes beyond the fringes of the church."
He said that the bridge of the song, which is his favourite moment in the record, was inspired by his recent experiences as a father when his son Conor was struggling with his fear of the dark.
"I tried writing what might be the antithesis of what he was feeling, trying to imagine what it must be like to be a kid and to have those moments where literally there's no fear—just total trust," he said. "I've never worked harder to capture that kind of moment; one of a heart cry-that sense of liberation."
The song "Deliverer" is taken off his album Saints and Sinners. Another song from the same album is "Future Not My Own," and the singer says that it was inspired by a prayer from Archbishop Oscar Romero.
Maher explained that the prayer encourages people to take a step back from their lives and look at the "long view," remembering all the while that only God can see the end result of things.
The prayer was really powerful but it was the last line that really made an impact on Maher. It says: "We are prophets of a future not our own."
He then decided to write a song based on a person's response to the prayer. And for Maher, that means surrendering the future to God.
"This was one of the first songs written for the record that describes the cry of the human heart that doesn't have a clear sense of where things are going and is looking for a sense of direction," he said.
