Is God really good, and is His heart loving toward you? This is a time when a revelation of the goodness of the Father is being poured out on the Body of Christ. Affirming who the Father is, and then receiving His love for us, gives us strength through the struggles of life. This song of celebration was written to remind us, and our communities, what it means to be the pursued – the beloved – of the Father.
I Am Your Child
Kat Michael | Dan Wilt
I am not bound by worry,
I am not bound by fear
I know Your promises for me,
I know that You are near
I have a seat at Your table,
You always welcome me
The feast of Your love sustains me,
And the sound of Your joy gives me wings
| Chorus |
I am Your child,
A chosen one
You delight in me, and You sing over me
Your song
| Bridge |
I will fix my eyes on You,
I’m undone by Your great love
I will fix my eyes on You,
I’ll remember all that You’ve done
OFFICIAL LYRIC VIDEO (DEMO) >
[youtube id=”9CZMp3tk7to”]
THE WRITERS
Kat Michael grew up with a rich heritage in worship. She remembers harmonizing with her Grandpa’s smooth baritone voice to Great Is Thy Faithfulness from the back-seat of his old Cadillac at the age of five.
Growing up Nazarene, Katherine sang as part of the worship team in the contemporary service and during high school her family “double dipped” churches and attended the Vineyard Columbus on Saturday nights. It was here that she first saw what intimate and spirit-filled worship could look like. Raised hands and clapping were new and intriguing to her, and every time a shout came from the congregation it would stir her heart and she knew there was something more.
After college, Kat became involved with the worship team at the Franklin Vineyard in Tennessee. She had a personal spiritual renewal in 2008, and her passion for worship was reignited. Whether it’s Sunday Morning at her local church, leading worship for a small group of 10 in a living room, or at a conference for hundreds, Katherine loves to make space for the Holy Spirit to encounter His people.
She resides in Franklin, TN with her husband Josh and two small children, Felix and Jubilee.
Dan Wilt grew up in a small town in Pennsylvania, searching for the shimmering truth behind everyday life. After encounters with Christ in high school and college, Dan devoted his life to loving, and being loved by, Jesus. He studied Philosophy and Religion, and became a worship leader, songwriter, professor, and pastor in the Vineyard (see Vineyard Worship). Dan and his wife Anita have three adult children, and live in Thompson’s Station, TN.
SONG STORY
“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!”
1 John 3:1a
KM: I sat on my living room floor feeling helpless and frustrated. My shirt was covered in mashed banana and avocado that was smeared there by my daughter at lunch time and I counted 2 years and 9 months since I last had a full night’s sleep.
I felt drained, overlooked, and annoyed at the Lord for giving me such physically and emotionally demanding children. I had dreams and passions I wanted to pursue, but my body ached with exhaustion and my brain felt scattered in a million different ways.
In that moment I began to spiral. I spiraled into every possible negative thought I could find at the bottom of my weary heart. My house was too small. We didn’t make enough money. I was alone and worthless. I will never contribute anything of meaning to the world. Life felt empty and pointless.
My 9 month old crawled over to me crying and started slapping my face asking to nurse. The future looked dark and the walls of my tiny condo began shrinking around me. I started to cry.
In a moment of desperation I grabbed the guitar sitting in the corner of the room. The guitar my Dad made with his own hands out of walnut, cedar and mahogany. I played a few simple chords and let my mind wander. I began to think of the heritage I have in my family. Years of faith and love passed on to me that I will get to pass on to my children.
Then I began to think of the heritage I have in God’s family. How he welcomes me and always wants me near him. Even when I feel forgotten and useless like Mephibosheth, a cripple at the table of a King, the Lord chooses me. He shows loving-kindness to me even when I’m wallowing in darkness with an ungrateful and bitter heart. Even in my brokenness he sings over me and wants to bring the bread of his presence into my daily life.
So I fix my eyes on him and smile down at my daughter who is now trying to play the guitar along with me. I’m no longer captive to my circumstances but feel the weight lift. I turn my heart towards praise and thanksgiving as Jesus reminds me of the promises he has spoken over my life. He reminds me that he sees me in the quiet, steady and thankless work of motherhood and that he loves to see how I care for my kids. but that parenting isn’t the only part of who I am.
I am a wife. I am a friend. I am a worshipper. I am a carrier of his presence. But most of all I am his child. I was chosen to be a part of his family and he wants me around. He loves me. And that’s the most important part of who I am.
DW: I received this song from Kat on an mp3 of her singing, alone, with a guitar. I’m sure it was a precious few moments for her, singing that song in the middle of life with little ones. As soon as I heard the first lyrics, these words rose in my spirit: “This is her song.”
That felt true on two levels: first, that the song was Kat’s childlike heart receiving and responding to the love of the Father in a new way, and second, that this song would shine for years as a song she would sing prophetically over the Fatherless. When Kat sings, she doesn’t only lead worship. She prophesies truth to the heart, powerfully and relentlessly, as a pastoral leader.
We worked the song back and forth over email and Voxer, and finished the lyrics and song shape. We’ve now used this song in our church, with powerful responses to it, as a profession of the relationship we now have with our Father God. It’s beautiful to see friends who we know are wrestling through a variety of “am I loved battles” in their hearts, singing with complete abandon and faith, “I am Your child.”
DEMO PRODUCER
Mitchell Maldonado has worked in virtually every aspect of the music industry. After studying recording in music school in Santa Fe, he continued his career touring with various bands playing several different instruments.
Mitch currently resides in Boise, ID with his beautiful wife, Lindsay, and works as a songwriter/producer for House Below as well as playing guitar, keys and anything else for a CCM band, The Neverclaim. This song is an example of Mitch’s “upgraded demo” work.
SONG RESOURCES
Chord Chart(s)
Download the I Am Your Child Chord Chart (Key of G, and Nashville Number System).
Song MP3
Download the I Am Your Child MP3 (click, then left-click, “download video as”)