Hillsong UNITED – Even When It Hurts (Praise Song)

It’s everyone’s favorite time again, where I review yet another Hillsong song!  Even When It Hurts (Praise song) will be the latest entry on the roster, potentially joining top trending reviews such as Oceans, Who You Say I Am, and So Will I.

Do you remember which was my first Hillsong review?  It was What a Beautiful Name, my second review since starting this site.  I noticed a ton of grammatical errors too, the ugly side of running my own site without a second pair of eyes to proofread.

Anyhoo, enough about my reminiscing.  You didn’t come here for The Berean Test trivia.  So, let’s get crackin’.

Note to new users: This is a different kind of review site!  Read About the Berean Test and Evaluation Criteria prior to reading this review.  I strongly encourage you to consider the potential blessings and dangers of this artist‘s theology by visiting Resources.

1. What message does the song communicate?

The singer will praise “You” no matter what, requesting cleansing from their shattered heart and soiled works.  The latter portion showing up in Verse 1, as well as the word “Lord” in Bridge, are the only hints we have that God is the recipient of praise.  While the first requires a prior understanding of the Gospel message, the latter is likely to be interpreted as the Christian God.

This song tells us why we praise God.  Namely, because He takes our sin-stained lives and washes it clean.

Hillsong cleverly wove in choral repetition with slightly altered lyrics, an excellent practice to instill uniqueness to each line.  It helps to emphasize their message, much like Paul’s listings in his epistles, particularly reminiscent of Romans 8:31-39.  I love seeing that in lyrics.  I was also happy about specific obstacles to overcome, adding depth to their message.

The wording of “come like grace again” and “come like hope again” is oddly worded.  I’ll explain in section 2 why.

Score: 8/10

2. How much of the lyrics line up with Scripture?

While some portions are Biblical, the end of Verses 1 and 2 are problematic.  Also, as mentioned in section 1, Hillsong fails to explain their motive for adoration.

Lyrics posted with permission.*

[Verse 1]

Take this fainted heart

References the deceitful heart in Jeremiah 17:9.

Take these tainted hands

The sum of human righteousness is bloody menstrual rags, thrown away and forgotten (Isaiah 64:6).

Wash me in Your love

Probably a reference to Psalm 51:2-12, King David’s request to God for purification after committing adultery with Bathsheba.

Come like grace again

I don’t like the way this is worded.  Grace means undeserved favor.  This is what He grants to those who ask for it (Romans 10:9-12 and Ephesians 2:8-9).  So, to ask God to come like undeserved favor seems to ask for something comparable to what God already offers, though I am not sure what. Furthermore, the word again implies that it’s occurred in the past, compounding the issue.

[Chorus 1]

Even when my strength is lost
I’ll praise You
Even when I have no song
I’ll praise You
Even when it’s hard to find the words
Louder then I’ll sing Your praise

This reminds me of two things: 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 and the end part of that scene in Facing the Giants.  Yes, I am aware of the horrendous acting, but I can’t help but think about it.

Unfortunately, Hillsong does not explain their rationale for such devotion.  Why are they praising God?  If we’re going to praise Him, we should at least explain why.

[Interlude]

I will only sing Your praise
I will only sing Your praise
I will only sing Your praise

Derivative of Chorus 1, line 6.

[Verse 2]

Take this mountain weight
Take these ocean tears

Probably a reference to Matthew 11:28-30.

Hold me through the trial

A prayer for sustenance while facing an obstacle.

Come like hope again

Once, again, I dislike the wording.  Hope is something God already offers (Jeremiah 29:11, Psalm 33:20, Psalm 39:7, Psalm 62:5, Isaiah 40:31, Isaiah 41:10, Matthew 11:28-30, Romans 5:1-8, Romans 8:24-39, Romans 15:13, 1 Corinthians 15:54-58, and 1 Peter 1:3-6).  Why compare it to some other things that God brings, and to ask for it again?

[Chorus 2]

Even when the fight seems lost
I’ll praise You
Even when it hurts like hell

I’ll leave it up to the listener to sing line 3 or not.  I appreciate the honesty in their use of language, though I understand it will offend some.  I believe God will also appreciate the honesty also, if that’s how you feel at the moment and want to tell Him that.  Personally, if I were singing this, I will not sing the “like hell” portion; However, I won’t deduct points because of it.

Also, See commentary in Chorus 1.

I’ll praise You
Even when it makes no sense to sing
Louder then I’ll sing Your praise

See commentary in Chorus 1.

[Bridge]

And my heart burns only for You
You are all You are all I want
And my soul waits only for You

That is, God is the most important thing (Exodus 20:3, Psalm 73:25, and Luke 14:26 [“hate” meaning “to love less”]).

And I will sing till the morning has come

Most likely, contextualizes the entire song as taking place at night, singing until the sunrise.  A common practice for Christ followers is to get up early in the morning to pray.  Jesus left this as an example in Mark 1:35.

Lord my heart burns only for You
You are all You are all I want
And my soul waits only for You
And I will sing till the miracle comes

Repeats lines 1-4 with a slight derivative in line 5.

[Chorus 3]

Even when the morning comes
I’ll praise You
Even when the fight is won
I’ll praise You
Even when my time on earth is done
Louder then I’ll sing your praise

See commentary in Chorus 1.

[Outro]

I will only sing Your praise

Repeats Interlude, line 1.

Score: 8/10

3. How would an outsider interpret the song?

Unbelievers will probably think it’s Christian because it uses words like “grace”, “hell”, and “Lord”.  They will probably think that, for Christians, the Lord transforms them, He is the object of their affection, and that their will praise no matter what becomes of them.  Some might be confused by the words “like” and “again” at the end of Verses 1 and 2.  Still, almost the entire song is written in plain English, making it easier for them to comprehend its overall meaning.

Score: 8/10

4. What does this song glorify?

Praising God certainly glorifies Him; However, the issues above somewhat compromise it.

Score: 8/10

Closing Comments

Overall, I was somewhat pleased with Hillsong’s Even When It Hurts.  While its message of praising God irrespective of circumstances is a worthy message, with poetic imagery and cunning choral repetition, even comprehensible for unbelievers and brings glory to God, the phrases “come like grace again” and “come like hope again” are confusing.

If the end of Verses 1 and 2 could be altered, then I could recommend this song for corporate worship.

Final Score: 8/10

Artist Info

Track: Even When It Hurts (Praise Song) (listen to the song)

Artist: Hillsong United

Album: Empires

Genre: Pop

Release Year: 2015

Duration: 6:18

Agree?  Disagree?  Don’t be shy or have a cow!  Calmly and politely state your case in a comment, below.

*Copyright © 2015 Hillsong Music Publishing (APRA) (adm. in the US and Canada at CapitolCMGPublishing.com) All rights reserved. Used by permission.

Updates:

02/08/2023 – Added Psalm 73:25 to the list of Verses to support Bridge, lines 1-3.  Thanks to André Ay for finding it!  Also, I previously commented that this song does not tell us why we praise God.  However, I discovered one reason, namely, that He washes us clean from our guilt.  Therefore, I significantly altered the score from 5.5/10 to 8/10 and changed corporate worship recommendation to “Perhaps”.

05/07/2021 – Per Artist Theology announcement, I expanded the red text to encourage others to study Hillsong’s theology.