Grammy winner Pat Barrett shared his heart of worship and nuggets of revelation behind his song writings over a worship session on a Sunday afternoon.
Pat Barrett is no stranger to gospel music lovers. The Grammy Award winning flagship artist for Christian recording label Bowyer & Bow is a lead singer and songwriter for Atlanta-based worship band, Houseflies. Barrett has written some of the most widely-sung worship songs, including “Good Good Father”, made popular by Chris Tomlin.
On July 21, Barrett conducted a Sunday Worship session at City Harvest Church which followed the end of the Emerge Youth Conference. Churchgoers gathered in front of the stage in anticipation of worshiping together to songs like “My Hallelujah”, “Build My Life” and “Yes and Amen”.
As Barrett led the congregation in a series of worship songs, the voice of the worshippers echoed in the hall and the presence of God filled the place.
He shared a short word to encourage the congregation, telling them that it is easier to sing at the top of their lungs than to believe what they sang, in their heart.
“Quiet trust is louder than loud songs,” said Barrett. “Trust may seem quiet but it is thunderous in Heaven.”
He shared his personal encounter with the room. “I grew up in church, hearing Bible verses that didn’t mean anything to me until things happened. Life felt shaky. Then I felt like I heard from the Lord telling me to look down on what I’ve been standing on because certain things don’t shake. When Jesus told the parable of the sower, He explained that thorns choke the life of the plant. It is like the worries of life will choke out the life that God wants you to have. I wanted to write a song about it where it talks about putting trust in money, appearance, power, and approval that if they are the things we are standing on, it will shake. But He won’t.” He then led the people into the song, “Better”.
Barrett’s session encouraged many present. “I was blessed by the worship session with reminders of God’s faithfulness and nature. As the song lyrics go, ‘Faithful You are, Faithful You will be, Your promises are yes and amen’—that stirred my heart to trust in God’s nature even when I don’t see His hand. The lyrics of the song ‘Good Good Father’ hit home for me too. Isn’t it true that our Heavenly Father knows everything about us, every single detail of our lives?” said Alister Ong.
CHC member Ting Jia said that it was special to experience “Good Good Father” live with the songwriter, as it’s a song that has been “on repeat for me this season.” She elaborated: “As I listened to the lyrics ‘and You tell me that You’re pleased… And that I’m never alone’, I felt the Lord nudge my heart and say ‘I love you simply because you are my child’. To think that God would love me simply because I’m His challenges any place in my heart where I try to ‘earn’ His love and approval. The Lord is indeed a good good Father who loves me, and all I need to do is to open my heart and receive. I love how having this revelation of God not only changes the way I view Him but the way I view myself: as a child, deeply loved by my Father.”
