Even Here, Even Now

Even Here, Even Now
Modern Hymn by Dr. Nathan Crockett

(Verse 1: The Internal Storm)
Focus: The contrast between the noise of the world and the whisper of God (1 Kings 19:12).

I’ve stood in rooms that felt so loud,
Yet felt alone inside the noise.
I’ve carried fears I couldn’t name,
And searched for just one steady voice.
But in the silence, in the storm,
I hear You whisper truth somehow;
You speak the words my heart needs most:
"I am with you, even now."

(Refrain)
You are near,
You are with me,
Even here, even now, even now.
You are near,
You are with me.
I am never alone, never alone.
I don’t have to fear tomorrow,
I don’t have to carry doubt;
For You are near,
You are with me,
Even here, even now.

(Verse 2: The End of Pretending)
Focus: Vulnerability and the "closeness" of God (Psalm 34:18).

I’ve tried to hide behind my strength,
Pretend that I could stand alone.
But every wall I built around,
Still left me aching to be known.
Then You drew close, You didn’t hide,
No distant king, no angry brow;
You stayed when I had nothing left,
You are with me, even now.

(Bridge: The Unshakable Foundation)
Focus: Psalm 46 and Romans 8.

(Build Intensity)
Though the earth gives way,
Though the waters roar,
You are my refuge,
You are my shore!
Nothing in this life,
Nothing yet to come,
Can separate me from Your love!

Though the earth gives way,
Though the waters roar,
You are my refuge,
You are my shore!
Nothing in this life,
Nothing yet to come,
Can separate me from Your love!

Though the earth gives way,
Though the waters roar,
You are my refuge,
You are my shore!
Nothing in this life,
Nothing yet to come,
Can separate me from Your love!

(Final Refrain)
You are near,
You are with me,
Even here, even now, even now.
You are near,
You are with me.
I am never alone, never alone.
I don’t have to fear tomorrow,
I don’t have to carry doubt;
For You are near,
You are with me,
Even here, even now.

(Outro)
Be still, my soul.
And know He’s God.
Even here... Even now.

Be still, my soul.
And know He’s God.
Even here... Even now.
Description of my Hymn-writing Process:

In a world dominated by AI, I feel obliged to describe in detail my method of creating modern hymn lyrics and music. I realize it differs from the traditional approach of a few decades ago.

For hymn research, I like starting with my ideas written in a notepad.

When writing a modern hymn, I have multiple back and forth sessions with my favorite LLMs (particularly Gemini Pro, ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity). I find that switching between LLMs gives me better results. I use the LLM like a research assistant.

When I'm stuck on a line, I'll feed my conceptual idea into a LLM and ask for 10 potential lines to communicate that idea. I can select/modify my favorite lines. The LLMs usually help with rough draft creation, research, and especially word-by-word refinement of the hymn text.

I believe AI can be a crutch or an incredible assistant depending on how you use it. From a copyright standpoint, I'm the author, but multiple LLMs helped me get to the finish product.

I rely much more heavily on AI for the music.

I work with Suno AI, letting it know the exact instrumental feel that I want, and from that point it's a process of trial and error getting the exact sound (instrumental and voice) that I want.

My understanding is that I'm still they copyright holder of the music, because I'm using the commercial version of the software. AI can also produce the sheet music from a finished composition (which saves a ton of time).

For the music videos, I use stock footage (I've paid for commercial use) from ArtList. For most of my recent music videos, I've hired a virtual assistant to compile the stock video footage.

For the WORSHIP LEADER:

I've tried to design this modern Christian song to be powerful and easy to sing.

• Christ's presence is the centerpiece

• Hopefully you find the song to be solidly Biblical but breathable, memorable and easy to sing.

Some Key Passages to Consider:
o Psalm 46: refuge, stillness, unshakable God
o Matthew 28:20: “I am with you always”
o Romans 8: inseparable love

Congregations can sing this on their best day or their worst.

I've intentionally used a high-repeat, low-fatigue refrain. My hope is that the chorus can carry the room with minimal musical complexity.

I pray this song is a blessing to you and your congregation.

Видео Even Here, Even Now канала Nathan Crockett