Maverick City Music - We Have Hope Lyrics
Lyrics
You are our present hope, oh Lord You are our present hope
As I walk through the valleys Of darkness and shadows Even in death, I will not fear Because there's more that follows You will follow
'Cause we have hope in Jesus He's a present help and redeemer As long as I am still breathing There is hope in Jesus, oh So much, so much hope
We are pressed on every side But we won't be shaken Oh, no, no So come what will, come what may We are not forsaken, forsaken
(Sing it out) 'Cause we have hope (In Jesus) in Jesus Present help and redeemer (As long as I) As long as I am (Still breathing) still breathing (There is hope) There is hope (In Jesus) in Jesus (One more time, we have hope) We have hope (In the living God) in Jesus (He's a very present help in the time of trouble and redeemer) Present help and redeemer (As long as there is breath in my lungs) As long as I am still breathing (There is so much hope) There is hope in Jesus
(So much, so much) There's still hope in Jesus There's still hope in Jesus (There's still hope in Jesus) There's still hope in Jesus (There's still hope in Jesus) There's still hope in Jesus (There's still hope in Jesus) There's still hope in Jesus (There's still hope in Jesus) There's still hope in Jesus (There's still hope in Jesus) There's still hope in Jesus (There's still hope in Jesus)
No, He has never failed He has never failed So why would I doubt Him? Oh, what a present help He has never failed So I'll never doubt Him (Sing it out)
Oh, He has never failed He has never failed (And He won't start now) So why would I doubt Him? Oh, what a present help He has never failed (No, no, no) So I'll never doubt Him (One more time)
Oh, He has never failed (He has never one time let me down) He has never failed (So why would I doubt Him?) So why would I doubt Him? Oh, what a present help (What a very present) (He has never failed) He has never failed (So why would I doubt?) So why would I doubt Him?
(We have, yeah, sing it out) We have hope in Jesus Present help, redeemer As long as I am still breathing There is hope in Jesus (We have) We have hope in Jesus Present help, redeemer As long as I am still breathing There is hope in Jesus
So I'll trust in Jesus I'll trust in Jesus I'll trust in Jesus I'll trust in Jesus I'll trust in Jesus I'll trust in Jesus (Surrounded on every side) I'll trust in Jesus (Oh, Lord, I'll) I'll trust in Jesus (Come on, sing, I'll trust in) I'll trust in Jesus (Some trust in horses and chariots, oh no, but) I'll trust in Jesus (Some trust in horses and chariots but I'll trust in the name of the Lord) I'll trust in Jesus (I'll put my trust, one more time, we have hope, lift it up) I'll trust in Jesus
So we have hope in Jesus Present help, redeemer As long as I am still Breathing (I'm still breathing, there is hope) There is hope in Jesus (In Jesus)
He has never failed And He won't start now He has never failed And He won't start now He has never failed And He won't start now He has never failed And He won't start now (Check His track record) He has never failed And He won't start now (No, no, no) He has never failed (Oh, no, no) He won't start now
Video
We Have Hope (feat. Joe L Barnes, Jonathan Traylor & Lizzie Morgan) | TRIBL | Maverick City Music
Meaning & Inspiration
Maverick City Music’s "Hope in Jesus" leans heavily on the exhaustion that comes with waiting. Live records often suffer from a bloat—a desperate need to keep the energy up by repeating a chorus until it loses its shape—and this track isn’t immune to that. By the time we reach the eleventh or twelfth repetition of the "I’ll trust in Jesus" refrain, the raw nerve of the song has been sanded down. It stops being a confession and starts feeling like a rhythmic exercise.
However, the core of the song captures a necessary grit. Look at the lines: "As I walk through the valleys / Of darkness and shadows / Even in death, I will not fear / Because there's more that follows."
This is the Power Line: "Because there's more that follows."
It works because it refuses to treat the valley as the end of the narrative. It’s not just a claim that things will get better, which can sound dismissive when you’re actually inside the shadow. Instead, it suggests a divine persistence—that God isn't just waiting at the finish line, but is actually moving behind you in the dark. It echoes Psalm 23, but with a forward-leaning restlessness. If He is the shepherd, then He is the one moving the scenery.
There’s a tension here between the "pressed on every side" reality of life and the insistence on hope. When we sing, "As long as I am still breathing, there is hope," we aren’t talking about optimism. We are talking about the sheer, stubborn biological fact of our existence held against the character of God. It’s an acknowledgment that my lungs working is a sign of His mercy.
The repetition of "He has never failed / And He won't start now" serves as the anchor. It’s arguably the most human part of the song because it sounds like someone trying to convince themselves while their back is against the wall. It’s a bit messy, and it feels like a prayer prayed while clenching your teeth.
Does the song overstay its welcome? Absolutely. But in that excess, there’s a strange honesty. Faith isn't always a tidy, one-minute declaration; sometimes it’s a rhythmic, repetitive chant you have to keep saying until your heart catches up to your words. It’s not elegant, but it’s real. You don't need a perfectly constructed argument when you're in the middle of a storm; you just need to keep repeating the name until you believe it again.