Everything That Has Breath Song Meaning, Biblical Reference and Inspiration
"Everything That Has Breath" by Hillsong Worship, released in 2017, stands as a powerful anthem of universal praise. The song serves as a direct and emphatic call for all of creation, and every individual within it, to lift their voices in worship to God. It encapsulates the fundamental purpose often attributed to living beings in many faith traditions – to glorify their creator.
The lyrics lay out a broad scope for this act of praise. They begin by referencing specific locations where worship should occur: the sanctuary, a place of corporate gathering; and the mighty heavens, acknowledging God's domain above. This expands rapidly to encompass all the earth and the whole world, signifying that no place is outside the realm where God should be honored. The directional call, "From the rising of the sun... From the east to the west and the north to south," further reinforces the global, all-encompassing nature of the required response.
At the heart of the song lies the central declaration: "Let everything that has breath praise the Lord forever." This line is a potent summary of the song's message, asserting that the very act of breathing is intrinsically linked to the mandate to offer praise. It's a call not just for humanity, but for every living creature. Following this is the deeply personal call, "Let everything in my soul praise the Lord," bringing the universal mandate down to the individual level and emphasizing the internal, heartfelt aspect of worship.
This core message is directly rooted in scripture, most notably Psalm 150:6, which concludes the final psalm and the entire book of Psalms with the imperative "Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord." The song draws heavily on this biblical foundation, reiterating the ancient command for contemporary worship.
Accompanying the song's release in 2017 was a video that visually captured the essence of corporate worship. Typical of Hillsong Worship videos, it often depicts diverse congregations or groups lifting their hands and voices in a unified expression of praise. This visual element serves to amplify the song's message of a global community participating in the act of worship, illustrating the collective response to the call for everything that has breath to praise the Lord.
Ultimately, "Everything That Has Breath" serves as both a reminder and an invitation. It reminds listeners of the scriptural command for all creation to worship and invites them to actively participate in this universal chorus. The song encourages a perspective where praise is not limited by location, time, or circumstance, but is a fundamental state of being for everything that lives and breathes, and a complete expression from the inner self.