Please enjoy my favorite song from Andrew Osenga’s Letters to the Editor, Volume II, available here in the Rabbit Room. I remember listening to this song on tour–headphones on, curled up in my bunk on the bus, missing my family, missing my God, pricked by that terrible feeling of incompleteness that only comes when everything is going really well, and everything is not. I put my iPod on repeat and went to sleep with the phrase “YOU ARE WHO YOU ARE, AND YOU ARE, AND YOU WERE AND WILL BE” ringing in my ears. And there was rest.
Let Us Know You
My friends have sent me letters
I’ve read them all and then
I tried to make sense of the stories
But I was overwhelmed
So much anger, so much pain
We’ve had to go numb to survive
So I am closing my eyes
And I’m praying for those in my life
Let us feel, let us love, let us be alive
Let us know You
My friends have shared their secrets
I have given mine
The anarchy of what we think
No one will ever find
But in the daylight, to our surprise
Our secrets are shades of the same
So I am closing my eyes
And I’m praying for those in my life
Let us feel, let us love, let us be alive
Let us know You
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with You
You parted the seas, You hung up the flame in the night to guide us through
You drew in the sand, dropped the stones from violent hands
You heard the cry of the crow and set Your eyes on a faithless friend
You are who You are, and You are, and You were and will be
I am opening my eyes
And I’m praying for those in my life
Let us feel, let us love, let us be alive
Let us know You
—————
Now playing: Andrew Osenga – Let Us Know You
via FoxyTunes
Andrew Peterson is a singer-songwriter and author. Andrew has released more than ten records over the past twenty years, earning him a reputation for songs that connect with his listeners in ways equally powerful, poetic, and intimate. As an author, Andrew’s books include the four volumes of the award-winning Wingfeather Saga, released in collectible hardcover editions through Random House in 2020, and his creative memoir, Adorning the Dark, released in 2019 through B&H Publishing.
11 Comments
josh
This was the first song on that CD that really got my attention as well. I love this song.
elijah
This song is the perfect bookend to the two Letters EPs.
Chris
I too have experienced the sense of peace that this song brings. I’m a huge Osenga/Normals fan anyway, but I think the lyrics of this song in particular connect with me the most out of all of that scope of work. And yes, the “You are who You are, and You are, and You were and will be” line instills peace, joy, and awe in me that I am loved by Eternal One.
Tony Heringer
Barliman,
Andy is a wonderful story teller. These two EPs are great musical experiements. I’d love to see a post from Andy on them. He comments in the liner notes of Vol. 2 about it. It would be a great story to share in the Room.
This song bleeds from the prior song “Good Things Always Are” its too bad you split them up because I think they deserve to be played together. The first line of this song “My friends sent me letters…” ties to the prior song and really the whole project. I know its “Song of the Day” but couldn’t we have a two-fer? C’mon man!
🙂
m a t t
Beautiful.
Thanks for sharing.
The imagery of secrets in the daylight has been powerful for me the last few months, particularly after studying Ephesians 5.
Bret Welstead
I agree with Tony: this song is wonderfully tied to “Good Things Always Are” and I can hardly listen to one without the other.
“Good Things Always Are” paints a wonderful picture of how difficult and complex relationships can be. Each verse tells a different story, and the bridge weaves together multiple stories. And the focus of each is that relationships are hard, whether it’s dealing with an illness of your beloved, or realizing you’ve got to work to better yourself, or the complexities of adoption. Good things are always hard. But it’s worth it! Then the song ends with the question: “Where does my help come from?”
Which leads beautifully into “Let Us Know You,” a cry to know and be known by God.
A friend once pointed out to me, and I agree, that “Let Us Know You” reveals a very pastoral heart in Andrew Osenga. This song fills me with peace about God, but it also fills me with a desire to pursue others in relationship and pray for those around me.
I have such admiration for how Andrew has used the “Letters to the Editor” projects to connect with and minister to his fans and friends, on several levels. If you’re not familiar with his music, you should know that these projects are unique. The lyrics are from interactions and stories from his fans. The album artwork comes from fans. Even the chorus you hear on “Let Us Know You” are the voices of fans. I love that he involves us in this prayer to God. Though geographically we’re all so distant from each other, we can all cry out to God together:
“Let us know You.”
Jodi
I paid $10 for the album based on that song. And the other songs are worth it, too.
Jodi
Oops, I should mention I paid that much when it was a free download. It’s definitely worth the price being asked now.
Jimmy Sustar
Perfect. Thank you for this beautiful, beautiful song. This is it. Wow.
Andrew Osenga
Wow, thank you guys. Those are some kind words up there. You write a song and you hope it connects, but it’s always a surprise when it actually does. Thanks so much.
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