What This Child Will Be
Theology & Meaning
Parenting is the most humbling thing most of us do, and the culture does not prepare us for how much we do not know, how much we fail, how much we love something outside ourselves more than we ever imagined. The song speaks to the parent at 2 a.m. with a sick child, the one who has lost their temper, the one who feels like they are failing. Psalm 46:5 reminds us: "God is in the midst of [the city]; it shall not be moved; God will help it when morning comes." The theological claim is that parenting is not primarily about getting it right but about reflecting God's patient, relentless love toward your child. Ephesians 6:4 instructs fathers (and by extension all parents) to "bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord." Not perfection. Training. Presence. The song does not minimize the real exhaustion, the financial pressure, the uncertainty. It insists that your love for your child is a window into God's love, and that your inadequacy is not disqualifying—it is the place where you learn to depend on God's grace.
Worship Leadership Tips
Lead this song in contexts where people experience parenting. Create space for the truth to land. Resist the temptation to fill silence with talking. After major sections, let a full breath happen. Some congregants will need to sit, and that is worship. Watch for those who cry; they are not breaking down, they are breaking open. Stay quiet. Do not rush them to the next verse. Avoid trivializing the struggle with quick fixes or false optimism. Instead, name the reality: what you are experiencing is real, and God is real, and God is here now. In the prayer time following, offer space for people to name their specific struggles aloud (not prayed back to them, but witnessed), and then invite the community to sing as a declaration that they are not alone.
Arrangement Tips
For parenting content: keep production warm, intimate, minimal. Avoid sudden dynamic changes that might startle or overwhelm. The production should feel like a calm hand, like companionship in the struggle. Soft, consistent instrumentation creates safety. Keep vibrato minimal; let the melody and lyric do the heavy lifting. Do not add production elements that complicate the message. Less is more. A gentle fade-out allows the peace or truth to linger. If using strings, add them subtly. Let the song breathe. Focus on warmth and accessibility rather than technical perfection.
Scripture References
- Proverbs 22:6