It’s just been a few days since the start of the new year, and many are already wondering what 2022 will bring.

Will things finally return to normal? Will we be able to travel more frequently? How will new virus variants affect us?

How uncertain is this year going to be? After all, we should be used to uncertainty by now, right?

As I recall the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, things were very uncertain then too. Borders started to shut as the death toll climbed across the globe, and no one really knew the full extent of damage this new virus would cause.

It was then that a statement popped into my friend’s mind.

“If God truly reigns forever, then He would still reign in these hard times.”

This sentence became the bedrock of a new song.

“I wanted the chorus to declare the Lord’s sovereignty over all things,” said Joshua whom I’ve known since my teenage days, “and in response, we lift a banner of praise and worship.”

And so during the circuit breaker, I received a text message from him with the lyrics of a chorus and an invitation to co-write. 

Even though I initially doubted if I could add any value, I was excited to give it a shot. I could almost hear the voices of my songwriting mentors from Awaken Generation telling me to not be so self-conscious, but to focus on tuning in to the sound waves of heaven.

So, I told myself that if inspiration came, then this would be something I would pursue.

The lyrics of the verses came within 24 hours, and I knew that the Spirit of the Lord was nudging us to complete this song and release it.

If we truly believed that God is sovereign, it should not matter whether we know what tomorrow will bring since all that matters is that we closely follow the Lord’s leading in all things.

And if this song was meant to remind believers around the world of that fact, then, yes, we would overcome all obstacles to have this song released. 

As Joshua and I tinkered with the lyrics, we felt that something was missing. A pre-chorus didn’t seem right, but a bridge did.

The inspiration came from Revelation 1:7-9 and Matthew 24:31-41, which give us a picture of the day the Lord Jesus returns – where the trumpet sounds and every eye will see Jesus in full glory.

This is a beautiful promise that believers can anchor on and a glorious day to look forward to.

For when we look towards eternity and consider that we are but sojourners on earth, which isn’t our final destination, then we know that much of what we experience is fleeting.

And surely that which we go through now cannot compare to what Jesus went through on the Cross for us! Certainly not the tedious and difficult process that we went through to get the song recorded and filmed.

God is already sovereign; the question is whether He truly reigns in every aspect of our lives.

As David said in Psalm 24, the earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it.

God is already sovereign; the question is whether He truly reigns in every aspect of our lives.

It is our desire that as we let the truth of God’s sovereignty sink deep into our hearts, we will respond by opening the gates of our hearts to let the Lord of Hosts take control, to lead and guide us as we sojourn on earth and await the Day of His return.

So no matter what uncharted waters lay ahead of us this year, may we find certainty and sufficiency in Christ. Blessed 2022!

Michelle Kwok and Joshua Poh are members of Bethesda Bedok-Tampines Church who have just started a new YouTube channel with their friend Gerard Lee (Cornerstone Community Church). Interested to find out more about biblical worship? You can check out their resources and worship sessions at That’s Worship.