Career
Green was born in Portland, Oregon to missionary parents, Charles and Jo Green. He is one of six siblings who spent much of his early life in Argentina. He studied Music at Grand Canyon University, graduating in 1976. He originally broke into Christian music with the Mobile, Alabama based youth worship group Truth. He also sang backup vocals and played bass with Sandi Patti, White Heart and the Gaither Vocal Band. In 1982, he joined the Christian rock band White Heart as a vocalist. But a difference in ministry vision accompanied by a confrontation with his brother, Randy, led to a spiritual renewal in Steve's life in 1983. He signed a solo contract with Sparrow Records, and his self-titled debut album appeared in 1984. In the same year, he established Steve Green Ministries.
His break out year came in 1985 with the release of He Holds The Keys. The album garnered Green a nomination and win as Male Vocalist of the Year in the Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) category. The following year, 1986, saw the release of two recordings, "For God And God Alone," and a high church style worship album entitled "A Mighty Fortress." The following year saw the release of his first Christmas recording, "Joy To The World." In early 1988, he released an album dedicated to his parents called "Find Us Faithful." As the 1980s came to an end, many of Green's songs became recognized standards including "People Need The Lord" and "Broken And Spilled Out." He was often considered the male version of Sandi Patti, using many of the same songwriters and styles as well as the traditional ending the song on a (literal) high note. Green also contributed background vocals to Patti's 1986 hit, "Let There Be Praise."
Green was one of the first artists to be involved with Promise Keepers, performing at their inaugural event at Folsom Field in Boulder, Colorado in July 1993 before 50,000 men. His song "Answer The Call" was inspired by the event and another song, "O Men of God Arise," embodies the Promise Keeper mentality.
Green recorded "The Mission" in 1989 and continued his success with "We Believe" in 1991. As the early 1990s direction of Christian music changed to a more rock oriented format, Green returned to traditional roots by releasing an album of hymns in 1992. Yet Green switched styles in 1994 on his "Where Mercy Begins" album. He also received the first of two career boosts due to outside events.
On September 9, 1994, a US Air jet crashed in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, killing all aboard. One passenger was an up and coming Christian singer named Kirk Lynn. Lynn has just recorded Green's song "As We Sail To Heaven's Shore" from the 1988 "Find Us Faithful" album. Only a rough cut played at the memorial service for the passengers, grieving family members were told where to find the original song by Green, which boosted album sales for the older recording.
Green's style change continued on his 1996 recording, "The Letter." He was also instrumental in attempting to set up an accountability group for Christian artists following the adultery scandals of Michael English, Marabeth Jordan, and Sandi Patty as well as the Mike Warnke debacle. He was helped in this endeavor by Steve Camp, Wes King, and Michael W. Smith. That year also saw the release of his second Christmas album, "The First Noel."
Green changed focus again in 1998 by declaring he would only record songs that honor the Lord - songs that he could be satisfied with should it be his last recording. That year saw the release of "The Faithful" and 2000 saw the release of a devotional song album entitled "Morning Light." Two years later Green released "Woven In Time" and again found himself receiving a career boost.
Space Shuttle Columbia Disaster
Green was a personal friend of Space Shuttle Columbia commander Rick Husband, who was killed along with six others in the February 2003 disintegration during reentry. Green was interviewed by CNN and his song "God Of Wonders" got a boost from the unexpected publicity. He released another album in 2005.
Green's sister is married to Dr. Mark Bailey, president of the evangelical Dallas Theological Seminary, and he helped the seminary celebrate its eightieth anniversary in April 2004. He has also written a thirty day devotional titled, "The Power of the Cross" and has recorded numerous children's videos and songs.
His bilingual abilities have seen the release of two Spanish CDs in the United States.
He is married to Marijean Green, who has testified to her own struggle with bulimia and they have two children, Summer (b. 1984) and Josiah (b. 1986).
Green has expanded his musical ministry to include videos and James Dobson's Focus on the Family.
I Will Lift Up
Steve Green Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In wisdom You made it all
Seas and rivers give glory to You
With thunderous voice they call
Mountains rise to declare Your strength
As valleys kneel to the King
Now I join as creation worships and sings
I will lift up my eyes
I will lift up my voice
I will lift up my heart to you, Lord
I will lift up my praise
I will lift up my love
I will lift up my life to you, Jesus
Like a child I will look to You
And trust in Your guiding hand
I will greatly rejoice in knowing
That by Your strength I stand
Praise to You for Your perfect love
That casts away all my fear
Let me speak of Your works for all men to hear
Chorus 2 times
The first verse of Steve Green's "I Will Lift Up" speaks to the majesty of God's creation. It acknowledges God's artistry in the earth and how everything was made with wisdom. The seas and rivers, mountains and valleys all give glory to God with their thunderous voice or by kneeling before Him. By painting this image of nature as a choir, the song evokes a feeling of awe and reverence for the natural world and its Creator.
The second verse then turns its focus to the singer's intimate relationship with God. Using the metaphor of a child looking to their parent, the singer expresses their trust in God's guiding hand. They rejoice in knowing that it is by God's strength they stand, and in gratitude for His perfect love that casts away all fear. The song concludes with a call to praise God and declare His works to all.
Overall, "I Will Lift Up" is a powerful declaration of faith and reverence for God's majesty and love. It reminds us to look up and see the beauty of nature and to trust in God's guiding hand in our lives.
Line by Line Meaning
Lord, Your artistry fills the earth
You have created everything with such beauty and detail that it fills the whole world.
In wisdom You made it all
You have made everything with such incredible intelligence and knowledge.
Seas and rivers give glory to You
Even the seas and rivers give glory to You, acknowledging Your greatness.
With thunderous voice they call
With a loud and powerful sound, they call out to You in worship and praise.
Mountains rise to declare Your strength
The mountains stand tall as a testament to Your immense strength and power.
As valleys kneel to the King
Even the valleys bow down in respect and reverence to their King.
Now I join as creation worships and sings
I too join in with all of creation to worship and sing praises to You.
I will lift up my eyes
I will raise my eyes to You, acknowledging Your greatness and majesty.
I will lift up my voice
I will lift my voice in song and praise to You.
I will lift up my heart to you, Lord
I will offer You my heart and all of my love, dedicating myself to You.
I will lift up my praise
I will give You all of the praise and adoration You deserve.
I will lift up my love
I will express my love for You in every way possible.
I will lift up my life to you, Jesus
I will dedicate my entire life to You, following Your teachings and living in Your grace.
Like a child I will look to You
I will approach You with the innocence and trust of a child.
And trust in Your guiding hand
I will trust in You to guide me through life's challenges and help me to grow.
I will greatly rejoice in knowing
I will find great joy in the knowledge that You are always with me.
That by Your strength I stand
I stand strong and steadfast only because of Your unwavering strength.
Praise to You for Your perfect love
I give You all the praise for Your perfect and unconditional love.
That casts away all my fear
Your love takes away all of my fears and anxieties.
Let me speak of Your works for all men to hear
Let me share with others all of the incredible things You have done, so that they may also come to know and love You.
Contributed by Lincoln S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.