Eschewing the typical small talk that usually happens before a conversation really gets started, Papa wastes no time digging into the heart of the matter. As an artist who isn’t interested in simply making music for music’s sake, Papa writes songs that center around God’s word and doesn’t consider his job done until the lyrics have taken permanent residence in a listener’s gray matter.
“If you can write a song that’s full of God’s word, and that song gets in someone’s head, that’s a powerful thing,” Papa says. “I often don’t remember a sermon I heard yesterday, let alone a year ago. But with songs, there’s a hook, and people remember it. So that’s why I want to write about Scripture. I don’t want to waste time.”
Staying right on point, the call to live intentionally is a theme that resonates deeply through the songs of Papa’s new Centricity Music release, Your Kingdom Come.
“The main thing that’s been on my heart is missions and how I can inspire students to be the hands and feet of Christ and go to the places where people haven’t even heard the name of Jesus,” Papa shares. “I heard someone say once that it’s easy to lift your hands before God in worship, but if you aren’t reaching those hands out to the world, those hands lifted to God are worthless. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not against lifting our hands in worship. But we also must love this world with those same hands.”
That idea of being flexible and available to do whatever God calls us to do—even if it’s (gasp!) inconvenient—is what inspired the album’s central thesis and first single, “Open Hands” that Papa co-wrote with fellow independent singer/songwriter James Tealy.
“You have to live before God with open hands. We may have our plans and ideas, but at any moment, Christians, unlike the world, have to be ready to drop anything and totally do something else if God is calling us to,” Papa says. “It’s a very strange life, yet it’s exactly how Jesus wants our hands to be—open and available. We need to embrace the idea of anything He wants to change, anything He wants to take, it’s Yours now.”
In addition to issuing a challenge for himself and fellow Christians to continually leave a lasting impression of God’s goodness and faithfulness wherever we are, Your Kingdom Come is also filled with several buoyant, unabashed declarations of praise on “Hallelujah, Our God Reigns,” “Trinity” and “Here Am I, Send Me.”
“With ‘Here Am I, Send Me,’ it was Isaiah who uttered those famous words after seeing The Lord, high and exalted,” Papa says. “The Church has forgotten to pray those words for too long. It is wonderful and necessary to demonstrate acts of kindness, service and love, but those by themselves aren’t enough. The world must hear the Gospel. They must hear the name of Jesus. And we, the Church, must surrender all we have and go tell them!”
But Papa’s message isn’t the only thing that’s bold about his work. Like his previous albums, Papa continues to draw from a progressive palette of musical genres. Incorporating classical timbres, earthy Middle Eastern textures and moments that are straight up rock ’n’ roll in the vein of Foo Fighters and Delirious, the tracks are rich, complex and beautifully showcase Papa’s diversity as a musician, worship leader, singer and composer.
When asked who his biggest influence was making Your Kingdom Come, however, Papa doesn’t namedrop a bunch of his favorite bands. Instead, he credits his bride, Lauren.
“My recent marriage was a huge part of this album,” Papa shares. “My wife has always had a big heart for missions, and for me, this album has reflected my personal journey of surrender. It’s not about me traveling around, going from place to place and making a name for myself. I want God to use me for His kingdom, not me using God for my kingdom.”
As Papa looks to his future in ministry, he acknowledges that his focus has shifted. In addition to playing his music, he’s also starting seminary in the fall.
“I’m going to be taking it slow, but I’m so excited because it’s something I’ve always wanted to do,” Papa shares. “We [my wife and I] want to challenge and inspire students and be sending people to the nations. And whether it’s through what I’m learning in class or through these new songs, we want to fuel The Great Commission.”
No One Else
Matt Papa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
God You are my God
I seek Your face
With all my heart
Soul, mind, and strength
Sovereign God
I will trust in You forever
Jesus, Master
I will follow You
You shed Your blood for me
Everlasting, Sovereign God
You are my desire
There is no one else for me
Jesus, Savior, Risen One
You set my soul on fire
There’s no turning back for me
Faithful God, my dearest friend
You have my heart come take my hand
And walk with me, oh how I need
Your touch, Your face is all I seek
Chorus
How could I ever cease to sing of the praises of my God and King?
You are all to me my everything, now for You Lord I’ll live, I’ll bring
My sacrifice of praise to You, Lord it’s all of me, my life unto
The Living God, You shed Your blood upon the cross now everything is loss
Compared to knowing You, my Savior what else could I do but
Follow You for all my days, my lips will never cease to sing Your
Praise Him sun and moon and stars
Praise Him all ye sons of God
Praise Him angels fire and wind
All creation and all men
Praise Him in His sanctuary
Praise Him for His might and deeds
Praise the Lord with song and dancing
Praise the Lord O my soul Praise HIM!
Chorus
The song "No One Else" by Matt Papa is a beautiful expression of devotion to God. The lyrics are drawn from various Bible verses including Psalms 63:1-4, 148, 150, Jer 29:13, Mark 12:30, Rom 12:1, and Phil 3:8, and they speak of a deep desire to seek God's face with all of one's heart, soul, mind, and strength. The song acknowledges God as Sovereign and Abba Father, worthy of trust and following. It also describes Jesus as the Savior who shed His blood for us and the Risen One who sets our souls on fire. The chorus declares the singer's commitment to living for God and praising Him always.
The song is a reminder of the importance of putting God first in our lives and seeking to know Him more intimately. It speaks of the joy and fulfillment that come from following God and the futility of trying to find satisfaction in anything else. The lyrics also emphasize the greatness of God and the privilege we have as His children to praise Him with all of creation.
Overall, "No One Else" is a powerful and inspiring song that invites us to join in the singer's heartfelt worship of God. It encourages us to make God the center of our lives and to praise Him always with all that we are.
Line by Line Meaning
God You are my God
I recognize that You are the only God in my life
I seek Your face
I desire to be in Your presence and know You more intimately
With all my heart
I give You my greatest affection and devotion
Soul, mind, and strength
I surrender all that I am to You, both spiritually and physically
Sovereign God
You have complete control over everything
My Abba Father
You are my loving and caring Father figure
I will trust in You forever
I will have unwavering faith in You for all eternity
Jesus, Master
You are my Lord and Teacher
I will follow You
I will obey and emulate Your ways and teachings
You shed Your blood for me
You made the ultimate sacrifice for me by dying on the cross
Everlasting, Sovereign God
You are eternal and have ultimate power and authority
You are my desire
You are the only thing I truly long for and want in my life
There is no one else for me
There is no other God or entity that deserves my worship and devotion
Jesus, Savior, Risen One
You are my Redeemer, the One who conquered death and rose from the grave
You set my soul on fire
You ignite a passion and zeal in me that nothing else can
There’s no turning back for me
I have decided to fully commit and follow You no matter what
Faithful God, my dearest friend
You are always true and loyal to me, and I consider You my closest companion
You have my heart come take my hand
I trust You with all of my emotions, and I rely on You to guide me
And walk with me, oh how I need
I need Your guidance and company to get through life
Your touch, Your face is all I seek
I desire to feel Your touch and see You face to face
How could I ever cease to sing of the praises of my God and King?
I cannot help but continually praise and worship You
You are all to me my everything
You mean more to me than anything else in my life
Now for You Lord I’ll live, I’ll bring
I will devote my life to serving and glorifying You
My sacrifice of praise to You, Lord it’s all of me, my life unto
I will offer myself as a living sacrifice by praising and worshiping You without reservation
The Living God
You are not a dead religion or philosophy, but a Living Being
Compared to knowing You, my Savior what else could I do but
Once I have experienced a relationship with You, there is no turning back to anything else
Follow You for all my days
I will dedicate my entire life to pursuing and serving You
My lips will never cease to sing Your praise
I will continually praise and glorify You with my words
Praise Him sun and moon and stars
All of creation joins together in praising You
Praise Him all ye sons of God
All who believe in You should worship and praise You
Praise Him angels fire and wind
Even the supernatural beings worship and honor You
All creation and all men
Everything and everyone should praise and worship You
Praise Him in His sanctuary
We should worship and praise You in Your holy dwelling place
Praise Him for His might and deeds
We should praise You for Your power and works
Praise the Lord with song and dancing
We can express our worship through joyful and exuberant singing and dancing
Praise the Lord O my soul Praise HIM!
I will praise and worship You with all of my being
Contributed by Peyton G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Paige Cowell
on The Lord Is a Warrior (feat. Shai Linne)
Revalation 19
Heaven's open behold a white horse amazing the view
The one sitting on the horse called faithful and true
He judges and makes war, the reign of messiah
His eyes flames of fire, strange his attire
His robe dipped in blood but his name is not Joseph
His aim is explosive God's fame is denotive
Flashback long before this moment would end
He loved his opponents when he made atonement for sin
Resurrected at the Father's right hand he sat down
Well he's back now and found on his head a mack crown
Smack down
The sights and sounds amazing
A sharp sword's in his mouth to strike down the nations
Today is the day thats he's welcoming the foreigners
Well bet and believe that he hung up on the cross for ya
Otherwise you'll read him as a holy right distorter
Somebody call the (?)
The Lord is a warrior