Still shouting to the Lord

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: Today is Friday, September 20th. Good morning! This is The World and Everything in It from listener-supported WORLD Radio. I’m Myrna Brown.

NICK EICHER, HOST: And I’m Nick Eicher. Coming next: Shout to the Lord! It’s one of the most celebrated songs in contemporary Christian music.

BROWN: This year it turned 30! The Christian artist who wrote and recorded Shout to the Lord, is marking the big anniversary by releasing a 21st century version of the song. I listened and here’s my review

MUSIC: [ORIGINAL SHOUT TO THE LORD]

MYRNA BROWN: Originally released in 1994, the song Shout to the Lord is one of CCM’s most well known examples of Scripture set to music.

MUSIC: My Jesus, my savior….

But how does it hold up three decades later? Curious, I uploaded the song to my phone, grabbed my recorder and hit the streets of my hometown. Turns out, the first few seconds of Shout to the Lord is all it takes to stir up memories for a 44-year-old taking a walk…

REX WILSON: Oh yeah, oh yeah, yeah. We sang that all the time.

…A group of girlfriends on vacation…

GROUP OF WOMEN: Oh…oh yes… [group singing together]shower of refuge and strength. Let every breath….

And one lady who surprised us all.

BROWN: Tell me what you were just doing?

ERICA WYDEN: I was signing to Shout To The Lord and I learned to sign in eighth grade.

Everyone I talked to that day found it hard to believe it’s been 30 years, including the singer/songwriter I called up a continent away.

BROWN: Did the 30th anniversary of Shout to the Lord just sneak up on you?

DARLENE ZSCHECH: One hundred percent! My children were the ones who actually said you need to do something.

That’s Darlene Zschech from Australia. The 59-year-old grandmother is the voice and the writer behind Shout to the Lord. Earlier this year, she went back into the studio, and recorded a special album, called Testament. The studio album includes a reimagined version of Shout to the Lord. It also features new renditions of other songs she’s recorded during her career.

But before I could sit down with the new version of Shout to the Lord, I wanted to first hear the heart behind the original. Zschech was a 27-year-old church volunteer back then.

ZSCHECH: I opened my Bible between Psalm 96 and Psalm 100. You’ll find the base of Shout to the Lord and I literally was just sitting at the piano worshiping Jesus. My two little girls running around my feet. And 20 minutes I think it took.

Zschech says she finally got the courage to share her new song with her church’s worship pastor and music director.

ZSCHECH: Yeah, every line I would say, you could change it. My Jesus….. My Savior…..I know it’s not very good, but I’ll just sing a little bit more. That’s how I sang the whole song to them. With apologies throughout the whole thing.

To her surprise, they not only liked it, they sang it as a congregation that very Sunday.

ZSCHECH: We started singing and people just started standing up in worship and left my mouth and left my life. I likened it to like God just went (makes woosh sound) breathed on it and it just took off.

MUSIC: [2024 VERSION SHOUT TO THE LORD]

The new version of Shout to the Lord begins with beautiful instruments from the Australian Christian Orchestra. It’s sweeping and gives the song a majestic feel.

MUSIC: My Jesus, My Savior Lord there is none like you….

You’ll also notice a difference in Zschech’s voice. She’s a cancer survivor.

ZSCHECH: Post chemo, I’ve got to say my voice really changed. I have to really work hard to get to those notes. Whereas when I was in my twenties and thirties, it was just a lot easier. And as I said pre-chemo, chemo kind of shifts everything about your body. Including your voice.

Zschech sings the new version in a lower key, which could make congregational singing a bit more challenging. Also, in this version Zschech’s daughter Zoe sings with her.

ZOE ZSCHECH SINGING: My Jesus, my Savior Lord there is none like you.

Some critics have not been kind to the 23-year-old. Granted, she did not inherit all of her mother’s musical genes. But that’s ok. I’m a mom, too, who gets to sing with my own two daughters. So, I celebrate Zschech’s mother-daughter collaboration.

Zschech’s oldest daughter is also a contributor on the new project. She co-wrote one of the new songs. Zschech says it’s a testament to trying to model a lifestyle of worship.

ZSCHECH: I know we tried for many years to make our children sit and do a devotional with us. Sometimes it worked, but sometimes they just needed to see it in action. Tell the stories, sing the songs. Fill the house with the praise of God.

Zschech is often regarded as a pioneer of so-called fresh music in the church. But I appreciate her wisdom of rejecting any notion that one era of music is superior to another.

ZSCHECH: I was filled with wonder actually at the worship of God when I got saved. It’s like if it wasn’t for the worship of that era, I wouldn’t have had any framework for where my expression of worship came from.

While she’ll likely be remembered for writing one of the most beloved songs in contemporary christian music, she says she’s also striving for another legacy.

ZSCHECH: You know I remember sitting in church singing I hear the sound…(starts singing a cappella) of the army of the Lord. I hear the sound of the army of the Lord. IT’s a song of praise. It’s a song of war. The army of the Lord is marching on. (stops singing) You’re not setting out to be a pioneer. You’re setting out to be a follower. You just want to be a follower of Jesus.

WORLD Radio transcripts are created on a rush deadline. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of WORLD Radio programming is the audio record.