By India McCarty
Christian artist Phil Wickham is putting his own spin on Rich Mullins’ classic, “Awesome God.”
“So excited to bring this one back!” Wickham captioned an Instagram post announcing the song. “I learned this song when I was just 4 years old, and now to be a part of its story is such an honor!”
In a statement about his cover of “Awesome God,” Phil Wickham said, “It’s hard to even describe what it means to me to share a small part of the legacy of this song. What started as a fun idea in the studio grew into an unexpected new take on the ‘Awesome God’ story. It has quickly become one of my favorite songs to sing with the church, proudly declaring each night how awesome our God is!”
“I’m honored to share this song with you all, and I pray that, in the midst of your day, it helps you recognize ‘What An Awesome God’ we serve!,” he concluded.
Related: Phil Wickham Just Announced He’ll Release New Version of This Christian Classic
Mullins released “Awesome God” in 1988. The song went No. 1 on Christian AC radio and has become one of the most popular CCM songs ever. People all over the world love “Awesome God,” but Mullins has joked that it’s one of his “worst-written” songs.
“You know, the thing I like about ‘Awesome God’ is that it’s one of the worst-written songs that I ever wrote; it’s just poorly crafted,” he said in a 1996 interview. “But the thing is that sometimes, I think, that when you become too conscientious about being a songwriter, the message becomes a vehicle for the medium. This is a temptation that I think all songwriters have.”
He continued, “I think a great songwriter is someone who is able to take a very meaningful piece of wisdom — or of folly or whatever — and say it in a way that is most likely to make people respond. But, what you want them to respond to is not how cleverly you did that; what you want them to respond to is your message.”
In another interview, via Breakpoint, Mullins spoke about his desire to leave a legacy of pointing people towards God.
“If my life is motivated by ambition to leave a legacy, what I’ll probably leave as a legacy is ambition,” he explained. “But if my life is motivated by the power of the Spirit in me—if I live with the awareness of the indwelling Christ, if I allow his presence to guide my actions, to guide my motives, those sorts of things…That’s the only time I think we really leave a great legacy.”
Mullins passed away in 1997, but his music still lives on through covers like Wickham’s and the love that people have for “Awesome God.”
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