Closer Than You Know (2016) – Hillsong United

Closer Than You Know is a contemporary worship song from the band Hillsong United which is part of the church – Hillsong; a global charismatic mega-church based in Sydney, Australia. This is the 6th song from Hillsong to appear here at the Music Library Project.
Soon after I was baptised by the Mornington Baptist Church in 2003 I couldn’t hear enough of the 2004 Hillsong album – For All You’ve Done which peaked at No1 on the Australian album charts (Mainstream charts mind you!). I would now consider myself more of an agnostic-christian who holds sacred ‘The Logos‘ (the divine animated force which pervades the Universe and the ‘Word’ made into flesh), archetypes, meta-heroes and spiritual truths of the Bible. I remain very fond of Christian music as most of my long time readers could attest.

Closer Than You Know seems an ‘audacious’ Christian ballad because most contemporary Christian music at least according to my limited and narrow exposure are acknowledgement or adoration pieces which ‘pay tribute’ from worshipper towards God. This song turns this on its head because it is written by God (or the inspired word of God) to devotee. That is bold on the writers accounts (Joel Houston, Matt Crocker & Michael Guy Chislett), but as explained to me ‘as if God were talking‘ songs are not so uncommon and not at all considered ‘sacrilege’ if the words are received by the worshipper as coming from the heart of God and affirmation of his infinite love for them.

I will admit that originally I was hesitant to include today’s song in the project, but after multiple listens I found myself predisposed to its slow and mellow melodic progression and visually evocative instrumentals. To me, Closer Than You Know requires patience on the part of the listener to allow the song time to wash over and spiritually cleanse. I love the potency of the line: ‘Heaven is closer than you know‘.
The song also reminds me of the sound (but to a more restrained effect) of another Christian song called The Next Time You See Johnny by Kenny Marx who was popular in the 1980’s and early 90’s.

Verse 1
I tempered the storm
Though your faith was small
I prayed while you slept
And the night waged war
We stood by the fire
And we walked on sea
And we drank of the wine
That was made of Me

Pre-Chorus
Don’t turn your eyes from Me
For my love won’t be undone
Don’t hide your face from Me
For my light has surely come
Surely come, surely come, oh

Verse 2
I carried that cross and I felt your pain
I took up your crown and I wore your shame
And death was a fire and its teeth were grim
But I left it behind along with all your sin

Pre-Chorus 2
Don’t turn away from Me
For my love won’t be undone
Don’t hide your face from Me
For my light has surely come
Surely come, surely come

Chorus
Lift up your eyes and see
Heaven is closer than you know
Lift up your voice and sing
Know that My love won’t let you go
And I won’t forsake you
Lift up your eyes and see
Heaven is closer than you know
Know I’ll never leave you
So lift up your voice and sing
Know that my love won’t let you go
And my light has surely come
Surely come, surely come
And I’m closer than you know
And I’m closer than you know

Most of the following is cherry-picked (or paraphrased) from the Wikipedia article below:

(Closer Than You Know) comes from the thirteenth live album by Hillsong United called Of Dirt and Grace: Live from the Land. The album features new arrangements of the songs from their 2015 studio album Empires where they took inspiration from the Sermon on the Mount and the Beatitudes. The group wanted to film live performances of the song around places in Israel where the aforementioned events took place, as well as other Biblically historical locations. The video below is described as ‘recorded live from a a quiet place from beneath an olive tree’.

Lucas Munachen of Jesus Freak Hideout opined that the “slow build” of most of the songs “creates an ethereal atmosphere that sets its sight above”, and called the usage of the filmed performances “an original concept that enhances the beauty of these songs even further.”

References:
1. Of Dirt and Grace: Live from the Land – Wikipedia

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“The more I live, the more I learn. The more I learn, the more I realize, the less I know.”- Michel Legrand