(James) Open My Heart was written for the Veritas sermon series on Exodus. The title and hook were inspired by Moses' conversations with Pharaoh, in which it is repeatedly said that "God hardened Pharaoh's heart." A commentary I read about the passage mentioned that in Egyptian culture, a hard heart was a positive attribute describing one's steadfast determination and perseverance. Having a hard heart was noble and admirable.

I think in many ways, the same could be said for American culture. People take pride in not being easily swayed or persuaded from their preconceived notions. In other words, no one likes to admit they are wrong, and everyone likes to take pride in claiming to have "known it all along."

Biblical humility, however, is about acknowledging that we don't have all the wisdom or answers. Throughout Scripture, God "opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble" (James 4:6; Proverbs 3:34; 1 Peter 5:5). While steadfastness is also a virtue, it is only when it is on God's terms, not ours.

The song is in a minor key, starting off more intense than most of our songs. This was intentionally written this way to play off the inner turmoil of the lyrics. It is never easy to ask God to make us humble, and I didn't want the song to make this sound like a simple sweet prayer. It's also a confession that we can't really make ourselves humble in the first place; we need the Holy Spirit's help and guidance to open our heart. Jesus promises in the Sermon on the Mount, "blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God" (Matthew 5:8). The chorus summarizes the petition, asking for God's help to "remember who You are." What we believe determines what we do, and if we believe that God is truly exalted and lifted high (as opposed to ourselves being worthy of praise), it should inspire our worship, not out of duty, but out of reverence and awe.

The second verse reinforces this idea, using the Biblical imagery of Jesus from Revelation Chapter 1 as the "conquering warrior," who comes to either save those who worship him or destroy those who do not give him glory and honor. The line "tear down the walls of the kingdom of me," is a rewording of the thesis of the song, and ties into Jesus' sword of truth, which is able to cut to our hearts and expose our humble state without him. We worship not only out of love, but out of a healthy fear and reverence of our God’s power.

While much of the rest of the song focuses on God's role in bringing about our changed heart, the bridge of the song focuses on our personal commitment to sanctification. The repetition of "I will open my heart" is necessary, I think, because our hearts are sometimes not as willing to change direction as our words might be. I may have the reasonableness to tell my mind and mouth to worship, but my emotions may be lagging behind, so the song is essentially us commanding our spirit into worship. It's saying, essentially, "Here I am, Lord, I'm open to your will for me."