Steven Curtis Chapman is one of the biggest legends in the Christian Music Industry. He has won 5 Grammy Awards a whole lot more Gospel Music Association (GMA) Awards. His debut album, Real Life Conversations, was in 1987 and since then he has had seventeen albums. Here are what I think are his ten best songs and my descriptions of each song will mainly focus on the lyrics because I feel the most important part of a Christian song is the message.
10. Dive
Dive” is the first track off of Steven Curtis Chapman’s Speechless album and it earned Steven Curtis Chapman the GMA for best Pop/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year. In this song, Chapman talks about diving in which can lead to two interpretations. The first is that you should dive in when it comes to life, go for it all and don’t be worried about what may come, take risks because when it seems like you’re close to drowning, God will be there to save you. The second interpretation, and the one I think Steven Curtis Chapman is trying to tell us, is that we should dive into God’s love and be completely covered, even drown in God’s love that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.
9. Heaven in the Real World
Heaven in the Real World” is the title track of Steven Curtis Chapman’s seventh album. In the song it is asked “Where is the hope? Where is the peace?” it begs the question what is the purpose and meaning for life here in the real world? Steven Curtis Chapman answers this question for us. HE is the hope, HE is the peace, that will make this life complete. Jesus Christ is the answer.
8. Remember Your Chains
The song “Remember Your Chains” is also from Steven Curtis Chapman’s Heaven in the Real World album. The song was inspired by Steven during a flight on a plane with a convicted felon who was chained up and looked very hopeless. After that flight Steven joined a Prison Fellowship. The message of the song is to remember what it was like before being saved, you were chained and hopeless, but when you accept Christ he breaks you loose from those chains and gives you a new hope.
7. When You Are a Soldier
We all know how much of a struggle life can be. In “When You Are a Soldier” Steven Curtis Chapman compares it to a battlefield and talks about how if you depend on God he will be your shield and protect you, he will give you hope and an all-encompassing love.
6. Heart’s Cry
In the Bible, Paul writes a letter to the Philippians in which he states, “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in death. This is the topic of the song “Heart’s Cry. The song talks about living our life for Jesus and desiring to be more Christ-like and hoping that when you reach the pearly gates God well say to you “well done.
5. His Strength is Perfect
Some of Steven’s songs have some kind of metaphor or some kind of deeper meaning, but the lyrics to “His Strength is Perfect” are pretty straight forward. The chorus says “His strength is perfect when our strength is gone. He’ll carry us when we can’t carry on, Raised in His power, the weak become strong”. This comes from the Bible in II Corinthians 12: 9, 10 where it says “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why for Christ’s sake, I delight in weakness, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
4. His Eyes
The song “His Eyes”, from Steven Curtis Chapman’s Real Life Conversations album, talks about God’s omnipresence. The chorus of “His Eyes” says, “His eyes are always upon us, His eyes never close in sleep, and no matter where you go you will always be in His eyes”. Honestly, when I first heard this song years ago, I thought it was a threat. I thought it was saying “you better be good because God is watching you!” Sort of like how Santa Claus supposedly watches to see if we’re naught or nice. But as I got older I realized it’s actually the opposite. God isn’t always watching as a threat, he’s always watching as protection. God is always watching, he know what’s going on in your life and he’s going to watch you and keep you safe.
3. More to This Life
A lot of times in life we get stuck in a rut and the days of the week start to blend together. Everyday is like a previous day it’s the same thing over and over again and it begins to seem like it all doesn’t really mean anything. In the title track “More to This Life” it talks about how there is more to life than just the small things that happen throughout they day, there is more than just living a life and then whatever may come after that.
2. No Better Place
Earth is not our permanent home. One day our life on Earth will end and we will live eternity elsewhere. Obviously your better choice for spending eternity is heaven, therefore, the best place on Earth is the path that is going to lead you to one day spending eternity in heaven. That’s why in Steven Curtis Chapman’s “No Better Place” he says there is “no better place on Earth, than the road that leads to heaven, no other place I’d rather be”. While we are here on Earth we should follow God and strive to be Christ-like so that someday we can be in our home in Heaven.
1. See the Glory
The chorus of “See the Glory” is probably my favorite lyrics by Steven Curtis Chapman, and one of my favorite choruses of all time. It goes “I’m playing Gameboy standing in the middle of the Grand Canyon, I’m eating candy sittin at a gourmet feast, I’m wading in a puddle when I could be swimming in the ocean, so tell me what’s the deal with me, wake up and see the glory.” People take a whole lot for granted and seem to settle for something really insignificant when if they opened their eyes they would see God has created so many more amazing things. In particular I like the first line; it’s very typical, especially for my generation, for someone to be sitting around playing a Gameboy when they’re standing in the middle of the Grand Canyon! If they just put down their video game and opened their eyes they would see the magnificent work of God all around them. The sky, the trees, even the people are incredible creations, but people are more interested in watching TV or playing video games.
