House Of The Lord

During this upbeat anthem, Phil Wickham sings of his delight when worshipping in church, the "house of the Lord." There's joy in the house of the Lord today And we won't be quiet We shout out Your praise There's joy in the house of the Lord The phrase "house of the Lord" originates from the Old Testament book of Psalms. King David used the term several times in the Psalms, most famously in the "Lord is my Shepherd" Psalm 23, which he ends by saying: "Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." The "house of the Lord" has parallel meanings in the Psalms: 1. A physical building such as a tabernacle, the sanctuary he had put up to house the Ark of the Covenant, or the temple that he planned to build. 2. The presence of God in David's life. His greatest desire was to live in God's presence every day.

Phil Wickham wrote the song in the middle part of 2020 during the COVID pandemic. It was a frustrating season for Christians who couldn't meet in a brick and mortar house of the Lord. He told New Release Today: "I realized at this time was that the house of the Lord is not something that's made by hands or by man. It's you and it's me who call ourselves believers in Jesus."

Downhearted at being stuck home without any outlet to perform music, Wickham needed some joy and thankfulness to flood his heart. This song's message is, though happiness comes and goes, the believer can always have joy. This is because while happiness is based on circumstances, joy is rooted in identity and the Christian knows they have a Father in heaven who will never separate us from His love. "The first verse of the song is about who God is," Wickham explained. "The second verse is about what God has done for me, and the bridge is who I am because of it. I decided to write a song about who God is, what He's done, and who I am because of Him. That way, even if I'm not happy all the time, I can still have joy. Jesus said, "take heart, I have overcome the world."