When news of a global pandemic got around, church services were being closed down one by one due to the severity of the situation.
Of course, we are living in a digital age where we can stream our services online. But I’m sure everyone misses worshipping together in the worship hall or sanctuary.
Besides, the physical loss of community poses a danger: the lack of accountability. Truth to be told, some people might start to stray away and backslide from church because it can be so easy to choose not to attend online services.
Even worse, people may never go back to church after this whole crisis because they have grown used to it.
So it really pained me to know that I wouldn’t be able to come together with my brothers and sisters in Christ to worship together just like before in this season.
But I know that there is a greater purpose behind this. In the lyrics of Laura Story’s “Blessing”, it says:
What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can’t satisfy?
While I was doing my own quiet time and having my own worship session in my room, the chorus of “Holding On“ came to me. I knew that it meant something, but I wasn’t sure what it was.
Days passed by and I felt prompted to revisit this melody in my head, but this time with an image of my friend, Andrew.
The very next morning, I texted him and told him that I have this crazy idea of writing a song that serves to remind our Christian community to hold on and place our trust in God in the midst of this global pandemic.
That was how we got started with “Holding On”.
Even though churches are now closed, God still orchestrated for this song to be a collaboration among five guys from different churches. You can shut down the church, but you can’t shut the church out of us.
It wasn’t an easy process but God spoke to us with two Scripture passages which this song is eventually based on – Psalm 23 and Psalm 91.
COVID-19 has left everyone feeling fearful, hopeless and weary. But we take heart in our faith that our God has gone before us, even before this pandemic.
While things may seem a little bleak and hopeless right now, we rejoice in the fact that we find peace in God as we hold on to His promise and His word.
This song is a message of hope to all Christians and the world, that we have a God who is greater.
More than just a reminder to hold onto God, “Holding On” is also an anthem and a declaration of faith that we have in our God.
We are holding on, we must still hold on
To His hands and to His plans
We will live by faith, and not live by sight
He will lead us to the light
Trials will bear true faith. If our faith was not put to the test, how would we ever know the genuineness of our faith?
We must not lose hope, faith or confidence in our God. Because the day will come where we will rejoice in Him as we stand before Him, praising Him after we’ve withstood the test of time.
This is the best time for us to exercise our faith.
Teck Kuan, known as TK among his friends, currently attends Paya Lebar Chinese Methodist Mission, where he serves as a keyboardist in both the main and youth services. He is also part of a local worship band, Praise Collective, which comprises members from different denominations.
