for KING & COUNTRY - O God Forgive Us Lyrics
Released: 16 Sep 2014
Lyrics
We've prayed the prayer with no reply.
Words float off into the night.
Couldn't cut our doubt with the sharpest knife.
Oh, oh, God, forgive us.
Silence isn't comfortable.
We want drive through peace and instant hope.
Our shallow faith—it has left us broke.
Oh, oh, God, forgive us.
Oh, oh, God, forgive us.
Enslaved to our uncertainty.
Help us with our unbelief.
Oh, oh, God, forgive us.
Young and old, black and white,
Rich and poor: there's no divide.
Hear the mighty, hear the powerless
Singing, "Oh, oh, God, forgive us.
Oh, oh, God, forgive us."
Enslaved to our uncertainty.
Help us with our unbelief.
Oh, oh, God, forgive us.
Forgive us.
Yes, we have ignored you.
So busy doing your work
That we forgot that this was for you.
Arms wide to our homeless savior,
But arms crossed to our homeless neighbor.
On bended knee.
Unite us all.
Set us free.
With our white flag sailing in the night,
Eyes pointed to the sky,
Hands up and open wide, open wide.
With our white flag sailing in the night,
Eyes pointed to the sky,
Hands up and open wide, open wide.
With our white flag sailing in the night,
Eyes pointed to the sky,
Hands up and open wide, open wide.
With our white flag sailing in the night,
Eyes pointed to the sky,
Hands up and open wide, open wide.
Oh, oh, God, forgive us.
Oh, oh, God, forgive us.
Enslaved to our uncertainty.
Help us with our unbelief.
Oh, oh, God, forgive us.
Video
for KING + COUNTRY - O God Forgive Us (feat. KB) [Official Music Video]
Meaning & Inspiration
"O God Forgive Us," a poignant track from for KING & COUNTRY's 2014 album *Run Wild. Live Free. Love Strong.*, delves into the universal human struggle with faith, doubt, and the often-difficult journey of living out one's beliefs. The song opens with a raw confession of unanswered prayers, where words seem to dissipate into the night, unable to penetrate the thick veil of uncertainty. This echoes the sentiment of many who have faced periods of spiritual dryness, questioning the efficacy of their pleas and wrestling with the silence that can feel so deafening, a silence that can be more unnerving than any discomfort. The lyrics express a desire for an immediate, effortless peace and hope, a "drive-through" spirituality that sidesteps the often messy and challenging work of genuine faith. This yearning for instant gratification stands in stark contrast to the deep roots and steadfast endurance required for a robust belief system, leading to a spiritual poverty described as being left "broke."
The core of the song's message lies in its humble plea for forgiveness, an acknowledgment of humanity's inherent imperfection and tendency towards spiritual complacency. The repeated invocation, "Oh, oh, God, forgive us," serves as a desperate cry for grace and a recognition of our deep need for divine intervention. The artists unflinchingly confront our "shallow faith" and our being "enslaved to our uncertainty" and "unbelief." This resonates deeply with scriptural accounts that highlight the prevalence of doubt even among believers. Jesus himself encountered this when a father brought his son, crying, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!" (Mark 9:24). The song's powerful universality is emphasized by its call to all people, irrespective of their social standing or background – "Young and old, black and white, rich and poor" – all united in this shared human condition and their desperate need for divine mercy.
Further developing the theme of spiritual hypocrisy, the lyrics offer a particularly sharp critique: "So busy doing your work / That we forgot that this was for you." This speaks to the danger of performative faith, where actions become detached from their underlying purpose and devotion. The poignant contrast drawn between welcoming the "homeless savior" with "arms wide" yet turning away a "homeless neighbor" with "arms crossed" is a direct challenge to the core tenets of Christian love and compassion, as exemplified in Jesus' teachings. He declared in Matthew 25:40, "Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me." The song calls for a return to sincerity and action guided by love, urging for unity and liberation through genuine repentance and surrender. The imagery of the "white flag sailing in the night" with "hands up and open wide" is a profound metaphor for surrender, acknowledging our inability to overcome our struggles in our own strength and placing our complete trust in God's hands. This act of surrender is not a sign of defeat but rather a courageous declaration of dependence on a higher power, echoing the Psalmist's declaration, "He grants victory to kings, he rescues David his servant" (Psalm 144:10). The song, therefore, is a heartfelt and inspiring anthem for anyone grappling with the complexities of faith, offering a path toward humility, repentance, and a renewed reliance on divine grace.