5.11.09 - Finally Home/MercyMe

(Starting this week, I am going to be doing a little review of each week's new top Christian song, according to charts at Christian Radio Weekly. Let me know what you think!)

MercyMe’s newest single, “Finally Home”, follows in the same theme as their other two very popular songs, “I Can Only Imagine” and “Homesick”. All three of these songs deal with the believer’s view of death, and more specifically, of dying and going to heaven to be with the Lord. I’m not sure if the band did this purposely, but it’s neat to see how each song progresses from visualizing and thinking about heaven (“Imagine”), dealing with the Christian’s deep longing and desire to be there (“Homesick”), and finally, with this latest song, expressing the joy we will have when we finally arrive.

As a horizontally-directed Christian song (singing about ourselves), I really love this song. The first verse talks about what most people probably think of when heaven is brought up: finally seeing family and friends again.

I’m gonna wrap my arms around my daddy’s neck
And tell him that I’ve missed him.
And tell him all about the man that I became
And hope that it pleased him

There’s so much I want to say
There’s so much I want you to know

The second verse focuses on what our main mindset should be about dying and being with the Lord.

Then I’ll gaze upon the throne of the King
Frozen in my steps
And all the questions that I swore I would ask
Words just won’t come yet

So amazed at what I’ve seen
So much more than this old mind can hold

I really appreciate that second verse, because I think that far too often we Christians can forget what heaven is really all about. Yes, we will get to see saved family and friends once again, but I feel that we’ll be so in awe of the Lord, that we just won’t be able to stand it!

Musically, this is a really beautiful song, with a chorus that I promise will get stuck in your head. I think this song could act as a real encourager to Christians who have lost their focus, and will give you a greater desire for the things of God. However, I wouldn’t want to see this song used in a church service as a corporate praise song, because like I mentioned earlier, it talks about us and our relationships and emotions, and not so much on the character and nature of God.

On what could be possible downsides for a different kind of song, “Finally Home” contains no direct quotations or paraphrases of Scripture, no mention of Jesus, and no clear explanation of salvation. However, I actually think for the type of song this is supposed to be, it is perfectly appropriate.

You can watch MercyMe’s official music video for “Finally Home” by clicking here.