Noel Robinson, Andy Flannagan, Lou Fellingham, and Donna Akodu have released a new hymn, 'We Seek Your Kingdom', with a call to Christians to be active in every part of society.
The song is set to the tune of the classic hymn 'Abide With Me', and encourages Christians to reimagine how God might work through them to bring his kingdom in every sphere of life.
It is accompanied by a music video commissioned by the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity (LICC) and the Thy Kingdom Come prayer movement.
The video features the artists singing on the streets of their communities, and ordinary Christians making a difference for God in their workplaces and spheres of influence.
A set of supporting materials from the LICC includes a small group guide, video sermon, and an interview with the songwriters telling the story behind the song.
The lyrics have been penned by Robinson, Flannagan and Graham Hunter, and ask God's forgiveness for when Christians have failed to engage.
"We seek your kingdom throughout every sphere," the lyrics say. "Transform, revive and heal society."
Robinson said the song was intended to be "an encouragement that God is active in every part of our society."
"He's with us in our work, our homes, and our streets; working in media, trade, and politics – and through ordinary Christians, he is working to 'transform, revive, and heal society'," he said.
"It's a prayer for each of us to say over our daily lives, that we want to see God's kingdom come on our frontline, that we repent of the ways we fail to live up to that desire, and that we recommit to inviting God to work through us where we are."
Speaking about why the song is urgent for our times, Flannagan said the recurring prayer to "transform, revive and heal society" was "so necessary as we emerge from this pandemic".
"Our hope is that people would be inspired to pray all the more for those who lead in our country, but also that many may be ready to be the answer to their own prayers and serve in the public square," he said.
"The songs we sing in church form our beliefs. When we sing about seeking God's kingdom in every sphere of life, it changes the way we approach our day-to-day tasks – seeing whatever we do as a chance to join God's redemptive work."
He continued: "This is a song of action as well as contemplation. It spurs us to ask what part we can play in making our bit of God's world more like Heaven. And it's a song for everyone. It reflects the fact that God works through us on all our frontlines – in offices, hospitals, nurseries, food vans, banks, living rooms, and beyond.
"We chose to set the words to the much-loved tune of 'Abide With Me' for exactly that reason – because it's a melody that resonates beyond the church, that everyone can join in with, whatever sphere of life they're in."
