I Misunderstood
The first time I heard What a Beautiful Name by Hillsong I misunderstood.
The song is topping the charts and played in churches around the world, but something about it sat wrong with me.
The line about Jesus not wanting heaven without you and me seemed off.
That line bothered me only because it could be misunderstood.
It sounded to me like the song was saying:
Jesus didn’t want Heaven if we couldn’t be in it.
It wasn’t complete without us.
He needed us so He came down to get us.
Doesn’t that sound sweet? Don’t you feel loved?
Except, No!
And I hope I’m right here, surely the songwriter didn’t mean that.
Surely, he meant:
Jesus didn’t want us to miss out on His perfect and complete Heaven.
We need Him so He came down to make a way for us to join Him there.
Don’t misunderstand. Jesus doesn’t need us. At all. But He wants us.
Now that should make you feel loved.
Jesus Doesn’t Need You, But He Wants You
Jesus isn’t Jerry McGuire coming for his bride. We don’t complete Him.
He’s complete already — self-sufficient, lacking nothing.
He doesn’t even need our friendship.
From eternity past, Jesus has lived in perfect relationship with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit.
He wasn’t lonely and looking for love. He’s always been perfect and complete.Â
Why Didn’t Jesus Want Heaven Without us?
Jesus doesn’t need heaven with us. He simply wants heaven with us.
It’s the same reason why He created us.
You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for you have created all things, and for your pleasure they are and were created.
~ Revelation 4:11
Jesus doesn’t need you. But He wants you.Â
The next time you feel less than lovable, remember the One who doesn’t need you, created you, and He loves you.
Yes, you’re going to act unlovable at times. Welcome to the human race.
But don’t misunderstand: You may act unlovable at times, but you will never be unlovable.Â
Jesus proved it by coming down for you so that He can have heaven with you, not without you.
Keep that perspective in mind as you listen to What a Beautiful Name by Hillsong:
[bctt tweet=”Don’t Misunderstand the song #WhataBeautifulName. #Jesus Doesn’t Need You, but He Wants you!” username=”@JeanWilund”]
Jean, I didn’t think of the line in the song the way you did. Now that you brought it up, I see what you mean. But I love and treasure this: Jesus doesn’t need you, but He wants you!
Blessing, grace, and peace!
It’s not unusual for me to have thoughts no one else does. haha! I couldn’t imagine that the songwriter meant it the way it sounded to me, but it got me thinking. I’m constantly fascinated and grateful that God would create us. Blessings to you, too! Love ya!
Jean, I totally agree with you. Jesus loves heaven with or without us because He is in His Father’s presence even as they are One. It has nothing to do with us. He does want us to join Him but not because of any need. Thank you for your courage in sharing this.
Thanks, Kathy. This truth doesn’t make us less valuable, but rather more. I’d rather be wanted than needed. 🙂
That line in the song made me wonder, too. I figured they meant it the way you ended up saying it should mean, but it seemed a little off. I think the emphasis has to be on “He didn’t WANT Heaven without us.” I’m glad I wasn’t the only one!
By the way, 17 U.S. Code § 107 allows quoting copyrighted material for various purposes such as criticism and comment, which is what your piece is. If your write an article about a song, you can quote from the song.
Dear Jean,, you are so wonderful and godly!
Jan, you’re very kind. I’m not sure I live up to your generous words, but it’s my heart’s desire to reflect Christ. He’s molding and shaping me daily. You truly know how to spread His love to others. Thanks!
What??? You’ve brightened my day. We’re going to have to talk because writing blog posts would be much easier if I wasn’t having to re-word each line in order to comment on a song. Thanks!
Honestly, I think that whole line just needs to go, because no matter how I hear that specific line, it still comes out sounding too much like heaven is about us, not Christ. The second anything becomes about us, we’re going to have a problem. From first to last, it’s all about Christ that He may have first place in everything — including heaven. Thanks for your encouragement. It can be scary to sounds even remotely critical of something so hugely popular.
Ha! We’ll talk! Sounds like I can make your life simpler! 🙂
Thanks! Simpler is better!
Jean, this is so interesting me. We sang it at the Blue Ridge Conference and ever since then that line has been bothering me. Now I know why. I agree. He doesn’t need us but he sure does want us. I wonder if the writer wished he had a footnote he could use for everyone to look up a scripture reference that we may not be considering. I now need to struggle with this idea even more because what if there was one we were missing and He does want us and need us. I dunno. But it is making my wheels spin. Thanks for sharing and asking the questions.
I don’t think I’ve heard the song, but what you’ve said is true. God is complete on his own. He doesn’t need us, but he loves us and wants us.
Thanks, Leigh. Yes, God is fully complete and for that, I’m eternally grateful!
Dawn, you’re so right to go straight to Scripture for the answer. And believe me, I have. There are other songs I may feature in the future about which I have searched the Scriptures and can’t find support for their lyrics. In this case, all my searches have only proved that God is fully complete, lacking nothing. “And he [God] is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else” (Acts 17:25).
If God needed us, He wouldn’t be enough to be God. Nope, He doesn’t need us, but He created us out of His deep desire for us.
This is a terrible analogy, but here goes anyway: I NEED food. Without it, I will eventually die. I’m not complete without it, I DO NOT NEED chocolate. I am fully complete without it, but I DESIRE chocolate so I buy it. God didn’t NEED to create us, but for His pleasure, He created us — and I’m so glad He did!
Thanks for adding to this conversation, Dawn! If you find anything in Scripture that says God needs us, please stop back by and we’ll look at it. 🙂