By Brian Quincy Newcomb
“Someone once said, ‘Songs of devotion spring from a life of devotion.’ This couldn’t be more true than for Matt Redman,” fellow worship artist Tim Hughes tells
CCM. “The depth and impact of his many songs flow from a life lived centered around Christ. Matt is a passionate worshipper whose poetic lyrics, prophetic insights and Bible-based songs have encouraged and inspired the church over the years.”
Indeed, Matt Redman’s music is the stuff of modern worship. Literally. With people walking out of churches singing “Blessed Be Your Name,” “The Heart of Worship” and “Better Is One Day,” Matt is one of the most influential voices in modern Christendom. Yet, for all the positivity and uplift in his repertoire, the Englishman understands that not everyone enters a spiritual setting ready for praise songs.
“There’s that Psalm that says ‘rejoicing comes in the morning,’” Matt says, “and for some people, it’s not morning yet.
“I think Eugene Peterson (who penned
The Message) says that if you look at the Psalms, 70 percent are laments, written from that dark place, crying out to God, asking, ‘What are You going to do about this situation?’ I want to honor that; I don’t want worship that’s escapist. I don’t want to write songs or lead worship that’s quick to gloss over people’s hurt, with some ‘you know, we’ve covered that bit, now let’s move on. Cheer up; everything’s going to be OK.’ That’s not the experience of many people’s lives.”
And, Matt admits, that’s not always been the experience of his life. He was born in Watford, near London, a town—he suggests—best known for giving the world Elton John, George Michael and Ginger Spice.
At the age of 7, Matt’s father committed suicide, although Matt didn’t discover the cause of death until he was about 10. “It’s interesting,” he says, philosophically, “seasons like that either propel you toward God or away from Him. I think when times like that come in your life, you either go down the path of bitterness and complaint, or you choose to trust God. Even at that age, I knew enough about God to know that—well I don’t understand this, but God is good, and God is real. So I actually chose to get more plugged into Him at that young age of 10, after hearing Luis Palau speak at a large rally in a football [soccer] stadium.”
When Matt’s mother married again, he says his step-father “turned out to be quite an abusive guy. I’ve thought a lot about that Psalm that says, ‘God’s a father to the fatherless’ (Psalm 68:5). I would lean on that a lot, when I was 13, 14, 15, and there was a lot of terrible stuff going on at home. It made me lean on some of those things that I knew to be true about God. It’s a funny thing, because you never want those things to happen. No one asks for a painful time, but looking back, you can see how God made me to be fruitful in the land of my suffering. Being a worship leader now—writing songs—I look back, and I can see that that solidified my walk with Christ, that time.”