One Thing Remains (Your Love Never Fails) by Passion
On and On and On It Goes…
I live in New Mexico, the 5th-largest U.S. state in land area but 37th in population[1]. Traveling through the state can result in long stretches between cities, or towns, or wide-spots-in-the-road, and it is not uncommon to drive for hours to find the next gas station, diner, or restrooms. Drivers complain about the road that goes “on and on and on and…” — well, you get the idea.
Sometimes a road that appears endless is not a bad thing, unlike U.S. 285 between Vaughn and Roswell. The phrase “on and on and on and on” is found in the worship song “One Thing Remains (Your Love Never Fails)[2]. Not only does this phrase appear in the song, I’ve also heard comments about how the repetitive chorus seems to drone on needlessly. I disagree. I believe the chorus gives adequate emphasis to a truth of which believers in Christ should be reminded and one that non-believers need to hear: the love of God is a powerful thing that is eternal and upon which we can always rely.
The song originated as an “arena worship” song, used notably in the Passion Conferences for youth and young adults. Considering this, it works both as an intimate song of assurance and a declarative shout of gratefulness. Because the song lyrics do not include the name of God or Jesus, instead referring to the less-specific “Your love” (an unfortunate omission, in my estimation), I find it important whenever including the song in a worship musical set to preface it with a reminder to the listener/worshiper that it refers to the love of God as demonstrated by Jesus. It typically begins quietly with the repetitive phrase “Your love never fails, it never gives up, it never runs out on me,” allowing the worshiper to reflect on the unwavering love God shows. His love never fails; it cannot stop. His love never gives up; it cannot get exasperated with my human frailties and weaknesses. And, His love never runs out on me; not only can His love never ebb, He promises to stay with me always.[3] The first verse tenderly reminds the worshiper that the love of God overcomes any obstacle one may ever face (“it’s higher than the mountains”); His love continues even after physical death (“stronger than the power of the grave”); and, within the whirl of uncertainty in today’s age of relative truth, His love is changeless (“constant in the trial and the change”).
With the arrival of the second verse comes confidence in the long road ahead: not just “on and on,” but “on and on and on and on it [the love of God] goes.” His love gives assurance through every step of life’s path. I am awed by the fact that He loves me, and His love makes me complete (“it overwhelms and satisfies my soul”). Finally, I’m reminded that His perfect love drives away any fear[4] (“I’ll never, ever have to be afraid”).
There is a great deal of depth in the two-line bridge, so much so that while the original recording only presents the bridge one time, I typically repeat it in order to reinforce the spiritual truth. We have the assurance that His love is eternal (“In death, in life, I’m confident and covered by the power of Your great love”) and the reminder that, through the work of Jesus on the cross, nothing can remove His love from me or tear me away from His love[5] (“My debt is paid; there’s nothing that can separate my heart from Your great love”). Praise be to God! Thank you, Lord, for Your love!
As has become more common in worship songs, half of the song is sung in a low vocal range (the opening choruses and first verse, which is often repeated) which can provide and worshipful intimacy, with the other half presented an octave higher to provide strength in the declarative second verse and bridge. Depending on the key selected for the song, the higher sections can often result in the worshiper/singer practically shouting the declaration of the constancy of God’s love. While this works well in an “arena” setting where thousands of voices are shouting at the same time in the vicinity of the intended musical pitch, care should be given to find a suitable key for a smaller congregation or more intimate setting of worshipers. For this reason, I typically lower the key of the song to find a balance between the lower and higher sections (my preferences are the key of A or A-flat). The music accompanying the song gives enough variety to keep the listener’s interest, but in these keys the lower parts can still be a bit “growly” and the highest notes may not be accessible to all singers.
I like this song and have it in my rotation of suitable songs for worship services; however, I like to make certain that we’ll have sufficient strength among our praise team vocalists and instrumentalists to ensure that we can handle the dynamic musical variations and provide enough musical support for our congregational worshipers that they feel confident adding their voices in group praise. After all, we want the assurance that we’re not alone as we go “on and on and on and on…”.
[1] http://worldpopulationreview.com/states/
[2] Words and Music by Brian Johnson, Christa Black Gifford, and Jeremy Riddle, © 2010 ChristaJoy Music Publishing, Mercy/Vineyard Publishing, Bethel Music Publishing, CCLI Song # 5508444
[3] Deuteronomy 31:8 (NIV)
[4] 1 John 4:18 (NIV)
[5] Romans 8:38–39 (NIV)
