You’re Still God: Worship for the Valley
There were so many highlights for me ministering at the amazing Maximise Life convention at New Wine Church last weekend - and one of them was sharing the platform with singer-songwriter and worship leader Philippa Hanna.
Now, I must have been under a rock these last years as I learned it’s been out for some time, but I heard Philippa’s song You’re Still God for the first time at Maximise Life - and I thought it was brilliant musically, vocally, and theologically! Philippa described it as her fight song, a testimony born out of a tough personal season. I loved it because it’s raw, honest, and captures what many Christians hesitate to admit: sometimes life hurts, faith trembles, and the heavens feel silent. But even then - perhaps especially then - God remains.
Rather than brushing pain aside, the lyrics invite us to bring our brokenness into worship and declare God’s unchanging nature in the midst of shifting circumstances. This is the kind of song that helps you hold on when everything in you wants to let go.
"Though I can't see what's before me / I know that I can trust Your heart."
These aren't just lyrics - they’re battle cries. They provide a theology for the trenches - a song to sing when you’re in the deep, dark valley!
We Need Songs for the Valley
In today’s worship landscape, we need more songs like this. Much of modern worship celebrates triumph, victory, and blessing - and rightly so. Our God is indeed victorious. But when we ignore the valley, we lose something essential. Scripture is filled with lament: Job’s cries, David’s psalms, even Jesus in Gethsemane. And lament isn’t weak faith - it’s the sound of an authentic relationship with God. In fact, naming what hurts while choosing to trust is one of the most real, honest, and beautiful forms of worship there is.
Many churches don’t leave space for that. We sing about breakthrough and joy - and yes, God brings those too. But the Bible also gives us language for grief, confusion, and waiting. You’re Still God sits in that space. It doesn’t rush past the pain. It lets you say, “I don’t understand, I feel broken… but I still believe”. The song reminds us that suffering isn’t a detour from faith - it’s often the proving ground of it:
"When all foundations have been shaken / When I'm left standing in the dark... You still reign and You're still God."
These wonderful lyrics meet people in hospital rooms, unemployment lines, counselling sessions, and midnight hours of doubt. They remind us: we’re not alone, and God hasn’t changed.
Theology in Every Line
Aside from the catchy melody (which has been on repeat in my head all week!), what set You’re Still God apart for me is how theologically rich it is. It declares vital, biblical truths:
God’s sovereignty - “You still reign and You’re still God”.
God’s faithfulness - “You’ll never leave me nor forsake me”.
God’s goodness in suffering - “You are good and You are faithful… You’re working all things for Your glory”.
In doing this it gently but firmly pushes back against the sugar-coated promises of extreme prosperity theology - the kind that promises health and ease without cost. Instead, it offers a biblical perspective of suffering, where God may not remove the hardship but redeems it - and walks with us through it.
“I’ll trust the victory of Your cross… For You are God and I am not.”
What a needed reminder of God’s power - and our place within it.
When You Don’t Know What to Sing
The song ends with the words:
“This one truth will be my story: You still reign and You’re still God.”
When the answers don’t come and the road gets dark, this is the truth we must hold on to. It doesn’t erase the pain. But it reminds us we’re not lost in it.
So, if it feels like life has come undone, remember: this isn’t just Philippa’s song - it can be yours too! You can feel the weight, the questions, the ache - and still cling to the God who hasn’t let go of you. This is what real faith looks like - not tidy, but honest; not perfect, but persevering; not fearless, but fiercely hopeful. And that’s enough - because He’s still God!