Praise Song of the Week

Each week, FishWorship highlights a Praise Song of the Week—a song that invites us to pause, worship, and turn our hearts toward God. Whether it is a timeless favorite or a newer song that may be unfamiliar, our hope is that each week’s selection will encourage you, strengthen your faith, and give you another song to carry with you beyond this moment. Take a listen, worship along, and discover what makes this week’s song worth hearing.

Chris Tomlin – “Sing, Sing, Sing”

“Sing, Sing, Sing” is an energetic declaration of praise centered on the simple but powerful invitation to join our voices with the heavens in worship. Written by Chris Tomlin along with Daniel Carson, Jesse Reeves, Matt Gilder, and Travis Nunn, the song was released in 2008 on Tomlin’s album Hello Love. Its message is straightforward: God is worthy of our praise, and singing becomes a joyful response to who He is. The song’s themes of adoration, celebration, gratitude, and lifting high the name of Jesus make it an especially joyful expression of worship.

The song opens with the invitation to “make music with the heavens,” creating a picture of worship that reaches far beyond the walls of a church. From there, the verses focus on the character of God—His love, His light, and His greatness—before returning again and again to the joyful refrain centered on Jesus. With its memorable chorus and energetic musical style, “Sing, Sing, Sing” has become a natural fit for congregational worship and a song that encourages everyone to participate rather than simply listen.

For this week’s Praise Song of the Week, we’re featuring Chris Tomlin’s recording from Hello Love. Released in 2008, the album brought together several songs that would become familiar to worship audiences, including “Jesus Messiah,” “God of This City,” and “I Will Rise.” Tomlin’s recording of “Sing, Sing, Sing” captures the celebratory spirit of the song particularly well, combining an upbeat arrangement with a strong congregational feel.

As you listen to this week’s selection, let the joyful message of “Sing, Sing, Sing” be a reminder that worship is more than something we hear—it is something we join. Make music with the heavens, lift your voice, and sing!

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Robin Mark – “Days of Elijah”

Every Wednesday here at FishWorship, we take a moment to celebrate a song that has something special to say about faith, worship, and the God we serve. For this week’s Praise Song of the Week, we’re turning to one of the most recognizable modern worship songs of its generation: “Days of Elijah.” Written by Irish Christian songwriter Robin Mark, the song looks toward a time of spiritual awakening and boldly proclaims the greatness and faithfulness of God. Today, we’re featuring Robin Mark’s own version in a beautifully produced lyric video—and we have a special bonus video to share at the end that shows just how far this powerful song can reach.

There is a lot more going on in “Days of Elijah” than its energetic melody might initially suggest. Robin Mark wrote the song in the mid-1990s, and he has described it as, at its heart, a song of hope. The inspiration came while he was reflecting on the troubled events of 1994, including the devastating Rwandan genocide and the ongoing turmoil in Northern Ireland. Rather than simply focusing on the darkness around him, Mark began thinking about what it means for God’s people to continue declaring their faith in the midst of difficult times.

The song draws on a remarkable collection of Old Testament images and characters. Elijah represents boldly declaring God’s Word; Moses is associated with righteousness; Ezekiel’s vision of dry bones points toward restoration and new life; David represents the restoration of praise and worship; and the imagery of the harvest points toward the Church’s calling to share the Gospel. All of those themes ultimately lead toward the song’s central declaration of hope: Christ is coming again. Mark has explained that he deliberately used these biblical figures as pictures of qualities and purposes that continue to speak to the Church today.

Perhaps the most remarkable part of the story is how quickly the song came together. Mark has said that after hearing a sermon on Ezekiel’s valley of dry bones one Sunday morning, he went into the kitchen of his church building between services and wrote the words and chords in about 30 minutes. The congregation then sang the song together at the end of the second service. From that very ordinary beginning, “Days of Elijah” went on to become one of the most widely recognized worship songs associated with Robin Mark.

And Robin Mark certainly isn’t the only Christian artist to record it. Twila Paris included her version on her album He Is Exalted, released in 2005, while other recordings have come from artists including Donnie McClurkin, Paul Wilbur, Angela Primm, the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir, and Bill & Gloria Gaither. That collection of recordings is another indication of how far this song has traveled from the Belfast church where Mark first introduced it—and why, decades later, “Days of Elijah” still feels right at home in churches and worship gatherings around the world.

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🎬Bonus Video: USMC

For our bonus video, we found something that captures the communal spirit of “Days of Elijah” in a particularly powerful way. In a room at Camp Pendleton, several dozen U.S. Marines stand together and sing along with Robin Mark’s version of the song, joining their voices in a declaration of faith and a celebration of God’s purpose for their lives. Watching them sing these words together gives the song an entirely different dimension—it becomes more than a worship recording being played on a screen; it becomes a room full of people actively proclaiming the hope, calling, and faith at the heart of the song. We thought it was a wonderful way to close out today’s Praise Song of the Week.

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“Awesome God” – Michael W. Smith

Some praise songs have a way of reminding us, in just a few words, exactly who God is. This week’s Praise Song of the Week is one of those songs. Michael W. Smith’s “Awesome God” has become a beloved declaration of God’s power, greatness, and faithfulness, and we’re excited to share a live performance of this enduring praise classic with you. So turn it up, sing along, and worship with us as we celebrate an Awesome God!

“Awesome God” is one of those songs that needs very little introduction. Written by Rich Mullins, the song has become a beloved declaration of God’s greatness, power, wisdom, and love. Michael W. Smith has made it part of his worship repertoire for decades, including his original Worship album released in 2001 and this spectacular reimagining on Worship Forever.

The performance we’re sharing this week comes from Worship Forever, recorded live before an audience in Nashville in 2021. Michael reimagined his landmark Worship album with a full symphony orchestra, creating a massive musical backdrop for these familiar songs of worship. “Awesome God” appears as the tenth track on the live album, and this performance captures the song on a truly grand scale.

There is something especially powerful about hearing thousands of voices, a tremendous band, orchestra, and choir come together around such a simple and enduring message: Our God is an awesome God. Rather than simply presenting the song as a concert performance, Michael turns the moment into a celebration of worship, allowing the music to build from a familiar praise song into something much larger.

So take a few minutes and experience Michael W. Smith’s “Awesome God” the way it was meant to be experienced—live, surrounded by an incredible group of musicians and worshipers. And if this performance makes you want to experience Michael’s music and ministry in person, be sure to check out Michael W. Smith Concert Tickets and see when he’ll be coming to a city near you.

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“How Great Is Our God” – Chris Tomlin

Praise Song of the Week is a weekly celebration of the songs that have become meaningful expressions of Christian faith and worship, from timeless favorites to newer songs that deserve a closer listen. Each week, we feature a song that invites us to pause, worship, reflect, or simply appreciate the music and message that make Christian music so special. Some selections are presented through memorable live performances, while others are accompanied by the original recording through Apple Music. For this week’s feature, we turn our attention to one of the most recognizable worship songs of the past two decades: “How Great Is Our God” by Chris Tomlin.

“How Great Is Our God” has become one of the defining worship songs of the modern Christian music era. Written by Chris Tomlin, Jesse Reeves, and Ed Cash, the song first appeared in 2004 and quickly grew far beyond the contemporary Christian music audience. Its straightforward declaration of God’s greatness, combined with a melody that practically invites a congregation to sing along, has helped make it a modern worship classic. More than two decades later, it remains a song that can be heard in churches and worship gatherings around the world.

There is something especially fitting about featuring this song in a performance recorded here in Nashville. Tomlin’s 2022 Good Friday Nashville event brought thousands together at Bridgestone Arena for an evening of worship, with the event also reaching a worldwide audience. The official live recording of “How Great Is Our God” features Tomlin alongside Hillsong UNITED, capturing the song in the kind of large-scale worship setting for which it has become so well known.

And perhaps that is the enduring strength of “How Great Is Our God.” It doesn’t require complicated theology or elaborate musical ideas to make its point. It simply turns our attention toward the greatness, majesty, and holiness of God and invites us to respond together. That simplicity has given the song remarkable staying power—and when thousands of voices join in, the message of the song becomes more than something we hear; it becomes something we experience together.

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Each week, our Praise Song of the Week gives us a chance to pause and celebrate a song that has encouraged, inspired, or simply lifted our hearts in worship. This week, we’re going deep into the past for one—back to a song that was, for an earlier generation, something of what “Shout to the Lord” would become for ours. It’s time to revisit “Pass It On.”

Pass It On – Katie Reeves

“Pass It On” is one of those songs that seems almost impossibly simple—and yet its message has endured for generations. Written by Kurt Kaiser in the late 1960s, the song became a beloved part of the Christian music and worship landscape, particularly through the early Jesus Movement. Its gentle melody and straightforward lyrics made it easy for congregations, youth groups, and Christian gatherings to sing together, but the simplicity of the song was never the point. The message was.

At its heart, “Pass It On” is about something that should never stop with us. Faith, hope, love, and the good news of Jesus Christ are meant to be shared. The song uses the familiar image of a fire that begins with a single spark and grows as it is passed from one person to another. It is a beautiful picture of how something small can become something much greater when we are willing to share it. That message remains just as important today as it was when the song first became popular.

And perhaps that’s why “Pass It On” still feels so meaningful all these years later. Music styles have changed dramatically, and the way we worship has changed along with them, but the calling expressed in this song hasn’t changed at all. We are still called to share what God has given us rather than keeping it to ourselves. The fire still needs to be passed on.

For an earlier generation, “Pass It On” could occupy the kind of place that a song like “Shout to the Lord” would occupy for many Christians today—a song that was familiar, deeply loved, and capable of bringing people together in worship. Hearing it again reminds us that Christian music has a long memory. Some songs may belong to a particular era, but the truth they carry can belong to every generation.

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Shout to the Lord

Hillsong Worship feat. Darlene Zschech

Some worship songs become popular for a season. Others become part of the vocabulary of the church. “Shout to the Lord” is definitely in the second category. Written by Darlene Zschech in 1993 and first released by Hillsong Worship on People Just Like Us in 1994, the song became one of the defining worship anthems of the modern praise-and-worship movement.

What makes “Shout to the Lord” so enduring is its simplicity. It isn’t trying to tell a complicated story or make a theological argument. It is simply an exuberant declaration of who God is: Savior, Lord, comforter, shelter and source of strength. The chorus then expands that personal declaration into something universal—calling “all the earth” to sing, praise and stand in awe of God’s power and majesty.

And there’s a wonderful story behind the song. Zschech has described writing it during a difficult period in her life, sitting at an old piano and simply worshiping God. She initially was so unsure of the song that when she played it for Hillsong’s worship leaders, she was extremely nervous and even had them turn their backs while she played. Before long, however, the song was being introduced in worship services and spreading from church to church.

Today, “Shout to the Lord” feels like one of those songs that has always been there. Generations of Christians have sung it in churches, worship services and gatherings around the world. Hillsong itself has recorded the song numerous times, including the 1996 Shout to the Lord live album that helped introduce Hillsong’s music to an even wider audience.

But for today’s Praise Song of the Week, there’s something particularly special about hearing Darlene Zschech herself lead it. The song isn’t merely an old Hillsong recording being pulled out of the archives; its original writer and voice is right there worshiping through the song she gave the church more than 30 years ago.

Take a few minutes today and worship along with Hillsong Worship and Darlene Zschech. Some songs remind us of a particular time in Christian music. “Shout to the Lord” reminds us that some songs simply belong to the church.

Watch this live perfrmance from Hillsong Worship featuring Darlene Zschech.

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Do Lord
Southern Revival Sound

“Do Lord” is a beloved traditional Christian spiritual built around one of the simplest and most memorable expressions of hope in Christian music: the longing to see Jesus and be with Him someday. The familiar refrain, “Do Lord, oh do Lord, oh do remember me,” gives the song its identity, while the verses turn that simple request into a joyful expression of faith and anticipation. Like many traditional spirituals, “Do Lord” has been passed from generation to generation in countless musical arrangements, allowing each new generation to make the song its own.

At its heart, “Do Lord” is a song about remembering that this life isn’t the end of the story. The lyrics look toward heaven and the hope of seeing Jesus, while the repeated refrain creates the feeling of a believer confidently asking to be remembered when that day comes. There is something wonderfully uncomplicated about the message. It doesn’t attempt to explain every mystery of eternity—it simply expresses the desire to be with the Lord and the confidence that heaven awaits.

Southern Revival Sound brings that timeless message into a lively contemporary setting. Their version preserves the recognizable melody and words while giving the song the kind of energy and musical enthusiasm that makes traditional gospel music so much fun to hear. The result feels less like a museum piece from another era and more like a song that is still very much alive—something that could just as easily be sung today as it was by generations of Christians before us.

That is part of what makes traditional songs like “Do Lord” so special. The musical arrangements may change, the voices may change, and the instruments may change, but the hope doesn’t change. A song that simply asks the Lord to remember us has managed to survive because the desire behind it is universal among Christians: we look forward to the day when faith becomes sight and we finally see Jesus face to face.

For FishWorship, “Do Lord” is a joyful little reminder of a very big promise—and a song with a special place in the story behind this site. For the founder of FishWorship, “Do Lord” was the very first praise song he remembers hearing and learning as a teenager during youth Bible studies. Decades later, hearing a fresh version of that same song brings back a little piece of those early days of faith and worship. We can spend our lives navigating everything this world puts in front of us, but ultimately our hope points beyond this life. The musical arrangements may change, the voices may change, and the instruments may change, but the hope doesn’t change: Lord, remember me when You bring me home.

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Join us each week as we celebrate the praise songs that inspire today’s worshipers and contue to proclaim the hope, grace, and love of Jesus through music.

As The Deer
The Detty Sisters

Welcome to FishWorship’s Praise Song of the Week, a weekly series celebrating the powerful role of modern praise and worship music in encouraging believers and drawing hearts closer to Jesus Christ. While our Hymn of the Week series highlights the timeless hymns that have carried messages of faith through generations, Praise Song of the Week celebrates the contemporary worship songs that have become meaningful expressions of prayer, devotion, and praise for believers around the world.

Modern praise music has a unique ability to connect biblical truths with the experiences of today’s worshipers. Through heartfelt lyrics, memorable melodies, and passionate performances, these songs remind us that the message of God’s love, grace, and faithfulness continues to inspire every generation.

For our first Praise Song of the Week, we begin with “As the Deer” by The Detty Sisters. Based on the beautiful imagery of Psalm 42:1, this beloved praise song expresses the deep longing of a heart seeking after God. Its simple yet powerful message has encouraged countless believers for many years, reminding us of our need for God’s presence and our desire to draw closer to Him.

The FishWorship founder first encountered “As the Deer” when the song was still fairly new, during one of his first church plants. Even decades later, its message continues to resonate as a beautiful reminder that genuine worship begins with a heart that longs for God.

The Detty Sisters have shared this song with warmth, sincerity, and a clear love for ministry. Amber Detty, along with her family, has helped build a ministry that reflects both musical excellence and a commitment to sharing the hope of Christ. Through their family-centered approach to music and ministry, The Detty Sisters have encouraged many listeners with songs that point people toward faith, worship, and the goodness of God.

Join us each week as we celebrate the praise songs that inspire today’s worshipers and continue to proclaim the hope, grace, and love of Jesus through music.